Introduction to Virtual and Augmented Reality
Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are considered innovations mainly because their applications, although known, haven’t yet made it into the mainstream in a major way. These technologies are intended to boost user experience. AR adds layers of knowledge, while VR extends the experience through cognitive, visual, auditive, and sometimes even olfactory immersion.
Examples of AR and VR
Examples of AR include a Disney application from 2015 that gives 3D renditions of coloring book characters. The U.S. Army’s TAR (Tactical Augmented Reality) offers soldiers additional data points to enhance their situational awareness. There are many other impressive AR applications which have been developed lately. On the opposite hand, VR examples include the New York Times’ distribution of Google cardboard glasses to view movies, The North Face’s offer to take a virtual hike around Yosemite National park, and Volvo’s virtual test drive.
Measurement and Cost
While these applications could be fun and fascinating, they require extra resources. Therefore, essentially the most pressing query is how communicators who recommend these technologies can evaluate their effectiveness. The answer lies in asking two key questions and considering the link to fame. When evaluating a brand new technology, it’s essential to ask: What does success appear like? How does this technology help achieve success?
Evaluating Success
In general terms, strategic communication is anxious with a company’s long-term fame. Reputation has seven dimensions, in line with the Rep Track model: products & services, innovation, workplace, governance, citizenship, leadership, and performance. These dimensions are affected by seven behaviors: purchase, advocate for, accept, defend, work for, and invest. To encourage and influence behaviors over the long run, communicators must consider their activity incrementally, considering a combination of data, attitude, and behavior.
Perceptions of Innovation to Influence Behavior
Let’s consider the New York Times’ VR initiative, which distributed Google cardboard goggles to subscribers for an enhanced experience. There are two fame dimensions at play: innovation and services. The necessary KPIs for the Times are usually not what number of goggles were distributed or the variety of times a selected VR video was played. Instead, the Times should give attention to converting subscribers into VR enthusiasts, measuring net promoter/net advocate scores, and surveying subscribers to see in the event that they’d recommend the Times VR experience to friends.
Measuring AR and VR Effectiveness
So, what do you measure when using AR and VR? The consequence (the behavior) and the points resulting in it, with more emphasis on attitude (likelihood to think about, to recommend) than on knowledge and awareness. By playing the innovation card, the Times goals to influence perceptions of it as a progressive and revolutionary company and place to work. This needs to be evaluated through surveys and compared over time.
Conclusion
In conclusion, when adopting AR and VR technologies, it’s crucial to think about the size of fame you wish to influence and evaluate the effectiveness of those technologies based on their impact on behavior and attitude. By doing so, organizations can harness the ability of AR and VR to boost user experience, construct their fame, and drive long-term success. As Ana Adi, professor of PR/Corporate Communications at Quadriga University of Applied Sciences in Berlin, emphasizes, measuring the effectiveness of AR and VR requires a nuanced approach that goes beyond mere metrics and focuses on the outcomes that matter most to your enterprise.
