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Immersive experiences :
A way ahead ?
1 August 2022
Manasi K
Immersive- a word that has gained popularity in recent years, derives its origins from the Latin word ‘immersus’ which means to ‘dive or plunge into’. We see this word make its way into our daily life more so since the birth of the Metaverse but the need for humans to feel a sense of immersion or augmenting of their physical and mental reality is not new. Since Neal Stephenson used this word in his 1992 novel ‘Snow Crash’ this word might have gained a sci-fi connotation to it, but immersive media is and has always been much more than that.
We have ample proof that exists in physical and literary form to confirm this. Think of how as children, we would play pretend which would essentially mean that we were ‘imagining’ or creating a ‘simulation’ of a situation in our heads and being immersed in an alternate reality.
The earliest examples of ‘Immersive media’ can be traced back to the Paleolithic era. When images of beasts and men, hunting and celebrations were painted on the walls of caves. Archeologists say that men would gather in these caves with images all around them, and light a fire. The flickering flame of the fire would fall on these images, creating an illusion of animated movement.
In the medieval ages, stained glass became a major part of church architecture. It was a way of visual storytelling. As a believer would enter the building where the light would pass through the tinted glass, illuminating the heavenly figures, they would be immediately transported to a celestial realm. The act of making the believer to ‘look up’ at the windows might also have been a way to enhance the experience- as though they were looking up into the heavens.
Immersion can be used as a method to keep the attention of the person (Audience or participant) glued on the subject (of art, cause or product) for longer, thus making grounds for it to embed itself deeper in the mind (or heart) of the person. In a time where the attention spans of people are shrinking, (the average attention span of a person today is less than that of a goldfish), brands have to adapt newer ways to keep their audience engaged and sometimes, entertained too. A few decades ago, print media was the main form of outreach and advertisements but as technology has boomed, several other mediums of communication have been adopted by brands. While print is still considered to be reliable and less invasive (6.Dornans, 2019), the medium might lack the ability to titillate and engage multiple senses of the viewer. The medium of Audio Visuals fulfills this requirement. Statistics show that brands achieve a 54% rise in brand awareness in addition to a whopping 94% client acquisition after engaging with video based strategies for communication. The stronghold that social media has over the audience is also a reason why Video content is so relevant today. Immersive experiences will often use Audio Visual mediums in combinations with other technologies to create a holistic experience. Take as a simple example- 360degree which uses omnidirectional cameras that capture spherical video of a space and not just a rectangular image.
Apart from producing video content to be viewed on the devices of screens, the combination of Visuals, light projections, audio and 3D technology has been successful in creating physically immersive environments. The art world is an interesting space to observe such examples.
Let us take a look at the many traveling exhibitions that have been developed in the past few years such as The Van Gogh experience, The Klimt experience and The words of Frida Kahlo as an immersive Art experience. My favourite among these has to be the Yaoi Kusama and her infinity mirror room. Yaoi has been inviting people to immerse themselves in her room of repeating mirrors, lights and projections since the 1960s. Such setups put the viewer in the centre of the artwork and the use of lighting, objects and space gives the viewer a sense of ‘endlessness in space’ to explore. The person does not just experience or emote the ‘Art’ but finds oneself in the centre of the art experience, which no doubt satisfies the generation’s endless obsession with its image. Some of these experiences are also ‘Instagrammable’ and as they are held in museum spaces which were originally spaces where carefully curated art pieces would be displayed in a sanitized environment, such immersive experiences also challenge what museums (or any spaces) stand for. The rise of immersive art experiences also promotes more explorative and collaborative spaces to open, one such space is 180 The Strand in London. Situated in a building with Brutalist Architecture, this space engages with immersive art exhibitions such as ‘Lux’ and opens space to showcase new media and contemporary works or. Lux, was a collection of new media artists’ works, such as Starry Beach by A’strict which uses light projects and particle simulation videos coupled with experimental video installations to create an immersive environment.
Since the launch of the multiverse and Mark Zuckerburg’s release of Meta, VR headsets and Augmented reality have also become household talk. Following the launch of Meta, Microsoft too announced its entry into the metaverse. The metaverse brings to us a very refined definition of what immersive experiences mean today- “Embedding computing in the real world and real world in the computing” (Satya Nadella). The metaverse might be the epitome of immersive experiences as we know them so far. With the big giant’s taking a leap in this direction, it is interesting to see the capacity to which the other contemporary (and smaller) brands will participate in creating immersive brand campaigns to pull in audiences. Currently, companies that have the access to technology and resources are creating sensorially marvelous experiences keeping their brand at the crux of it. Luxury brands such as Gucci and Louis Vuitton have secured their place in the metaverse. Gucci and Roblox- an online game platform collaborated on the Roblox platform to create the Gucci Garden Archetype, launched in Florence to celebrate the brand turning 100. This was a virtual exhibition that reproduces the themes of Gucci Advertisements. The viewer can enter various rooms that have different themed experiences set in a way to make the viewer feel like a part of the Gucci Ad world.
While it might seem like VR, AR and the metaverse are imperative platforms to create an immersive experience- there are some brands who amalgamate tech and retail space/ experience (in the real world) to create an experience of immersion. Netflix partnered with Kanyun Mall in Istanbul to create a full ‘Dark’ themed set on the mall floor. This site installation was designed to engage fans of the show with superior knowledge of its plot to enter the cave shaped installation which encapsulates all the 3 dimensions of the world and solve the given tasks- the concept which builds the premise of the show. Such strategies uphold the relevance of brick and mortar and retail spaces in a world that seems to have totally embraced digital.
Another great example would be Nike’s Immersive campaign ‘Rise’ in Seoul, South Korea. Using live data driven features, Nike built a 24000 square foot large interactive space for its walk-in customers. Nike also communicated its brand values and what it deems essential by inviting people to participate in activities built around its core fitness facets; Movement, mindset, recovery, nutrition and sleep.
Immersive experiences, by definition, can not be limited to the use or certain mediums or technologies, it can not be ‘one formula’. Essentially, Immersive experiences can be any atypical way in which we feel connected to our emotions, our thoughts or even any external stimulus/object or even product. For brands, another way of getting their audiences engaged and immersed in the brand experience can be offering personalizations. This could be in the form of personalized merchandise, physical products, promotional discounts, reward points etc.
Spotify offered this immersive experience with its spotify ‘Wrapped’. Using the algorithm that spotify is known for, which helps predict and suggest music choices to its listeners, spotify developed a personalized ‘recap’ feature for each of its users where they could see the trends and patterns of their music choices. This campaign was well branded with a relevant tone of voice and messaging, which helped the user feel connected to the brand. Spotify places itself as a ‘companion’ in the minds of its users, a brand that listens. This was a very successful campaign and despite all the criticism about the inaccuracies of spotify’s prediction algorithm, the campaign went viral with millions of people sharing their ‘wrapped’ stories on social media.
Looking at the ongoing trends, it seems evident that immersive technology will be the next big thing. But nothing of this scale can come without its setbacks and share of challenges. As brands are jumping on to get their audience engaged and ‘spend time’ with their brand, this can be quite intrusive, annoying and even counterproductive for the brand’s image if not done right.
Some user experience feedback suggests that some retail stores that try to have in store interactive and immersive engagement with clients, often end up being too complicated. The client is unable to get the needed hospitality and customer service and they might also find it difficult to make a purchase upon being so over-stimulated.
The concerns that rise when the metaverse and VR are concerned also run deep. In a time where brands are making sales in the metaverse, the concerns about fair transactions of money becomes a concern. With potentially millions of people (or Avatars) that will soon exist in the metaverse- safety and what passes as accessible behavior will also arise as an issue. The regulations for these things need to be worked on in order for it to be a safe and accessible place for everyone. Prolonged use of VR headsets also may be cause for serious health concerns such as VR hangover which might last up to a week, due to the brain getting repeating mixed signals from the real and virtual world.
For an immersive experience to be holistic, especially if it is being developed for brand immersion, its foundation should be the values or sentiments that need to be communicated through the products/ brands. Technology and medium should provide the support to ‘build’ the idea but the core strategy should be grounded in the brand values and relationship building. Too many brands are too driven on having tech outputs without the messaging being right- this will be detrimental to the brand image. Also, while Immersive branding can be a great way for brands to create awareness and engagement, it can not be a replacement for hospitality and good customer service.
In conclusion, we are seeing big shifts in technologies, trends and retails and immersive mediums look like they are here to stay. Going into my final project, I am interested in exploring how a physical space can be transformed to convey brand messaging, developing the artistic direction and brand strategy for the same.