Remember about five to seven years ago when everyone was talking 3D? Best Buy had over a dozen different 3D televisions, and brands were throwing money at half-baked concepts trying to not miss the gold rush. Today retailers have only one or two 3D televisions and marketers, for the most part, have put their blue and red cereal glasses back on the shelf.
We are currently going through the same flare up with VR. The quality of some of the content coming out right now seems to imply that certain marketers are more afraid of not jumping on the bandwagon than taking the time to hash out a good VR concept (or admitting that maybe they don’t need to develop VR content right now).
Don’t get me wrong, when done right, VR and even 3D content can be some of the most mind blowing content out there. And brands should cut themselves a little slack when working in these new arenas. Missteps will happen, but professionals need to take the time and apply their knowledge and experience to these new technologies. Brands need to throw away their insecurities and apply the same checks and balances to all of the content they produce.
Produce with purpose. Whether it is VR or 3D, drone footage, or camera systems, the question needs to be asked, “Does this add anything to the final product?” Technology can help gather brilliant footage and develop new channels of distribution but without a strategy and an honest assessment of the content, brands are spending money to miss the mark.