Forrester: Virtual Reality is not yet ready for marketers

The research firm says it’s at least five years from being a mass consumer medium, although augmented reality, 360-degree video and mixed reality are acting as stepping stones.

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A test drive in Vroom's VR car showroom

A test drive in a VR car showroom

If you’re a marketer rubbing your hands together in anticipation of the virtual campaigns you’ll run in virtual reality, you may want to take a breath.

The title of a recent Forrester Research report will likely slow you down: “Virtual Reality Isn’t Ready for Marketing Yet.” (Fee required for non-clients.)

The study finds that “critical-mass consumer adoption of high-end VR headsets is five years away,” although 360-degree video “will flourish on low-to-mid-end VR devices in the meantime.”

Generally, VR is considered to be immersive and generated environments that change as you move through them. Although 360-degree video can be seen on a headset as an immersive environment, it is a kind of “light VR” because it is a recorded spherical video that is always the same space and events.

[Read the full article on MarTech Today.]


Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily MarTech. Staff authors are listed here.


About the author

Barry Levine
Contributor
Barry Levine covers marketing technology for Third Door Media. Previously, he covered this space as a Senior Writer for VentureBeat, and he has written about these and other tech subjects for such publications as CMSWire and NewsFactor. He founded and led the web site/unit at PBS station Thirteen/WNET; worked as an online Senior Producer/writer for Viacom; created a successful interactive game, PLAY IT BY EAR: The First CD Game; founded and led an independent film showcase, CENTER SCREEN, based at Harvard and M.I.T.; and served over five years as a consultant to the M.I.T. Media Lab. You can find him at LinkedIn, and on Twitter at xBarryLevine.

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