Apple Vision Pro is one to watch for gamers, innovators — and marketers
Opinion
Marketers would be wise to follow developments of the Apple Vision Pro and how gamers are using the tech. It offers brands the opportunity to test and understand ahead of the eventual introduction of advertising.
I can still remember my first super jump punch. My first smash throw and air dodge. My first win.
These early gaming experiences didn’t just give me a glimpse into the blossoming power of computers and consoles. They helped me learn more about myself — more specifically, my competitiveness.
If it’s not a win-or-lose situation, I don’t want to play.
Sounds familiar, marketers?! After all, we love to win.
But since I’ve got less time to play to unwind these days, I’m forever on the lookout for tech that can elevate my experience — full stop. Which is why Apple’s Vision Pro caught my attention and why we as marketers should be keeping an eye on how gamers like me are using this kind of tech.
Gamers go first
Now, let’s be fair: the price point on the Vision Pro is steep at a cool $3,499. Which means widespread adoption isn’t here and, admittedly, sales haven’t been jaw-dropping. But the path to ubiquity is out there and tech brands of all sorts should be carving out a strategy forward.
Because while the current issue with virtual reality is the hardware, that won’t always be the case. Apple doesn’t invest in products that don’t have the potential for mass appeal. Indeed, it recently announced that it is taking the Vision Pro international.
If there is one demographic most likely to experiment with a boundary-pushing technology experience, it’s gamers. And the gaming community — so far, at least — seems intrigued.
As reported by Game Developer in February: “For those of us who have been embedded in VR and AR gaming for many years now, there’s a confidence that the hardware will have significant gaming implications and have a massive impact on how we play and make games in the future.”
It will also have a massive impact on how we advertise to, and reach, our current and future audiences.
An experiential future
If we know gaming audiences are keen to use this kind of tech to elevate their playing experience, there’s an opportunity for brands looking to elevate their own consumer experiences, whatever that might look like.
When — because it’s a when, not an if — advertising is eventually introduced into games that can be played on headsets like the Vision Pro, marketers would be wise to pay attention. This offers brands space to test out ads and build the first avenue into a niche, rather than waiting for wider consumer adoption.
With tech this cool, the play for marketers is obvious: recognition and appreciation that experiential tech is the future. And that ads in those experiential worlds are too.
Some day, consumers will be buying through headsets like this, meaning brands will (eventually) be advertising on it. Embedding product placements and ads within games, including links to download music as it plays in the background, or directly buying products from in-game shops, offers marketers endless possibilities.
Changing the game
Yes, it’s expensive, but the Vision Pro is mixed reality done right. It has quite literally changed the game. And once someone develops killer hardware, whether Apple or otherwise, mass adoption will become a likely scenario — gated, of course, but only by price.
This is a significant moment for advertising tech. Headsets like the Vision Pro will almost certainly transform gaming and it will simultaneously transform in-game advertising. Gamers are, by definition, eager early adopters of tech. The next upgrade or innovation thrills us. We crave anything to enhance the game-playing experience.
And I believe marketers share that mindset. We’re constantly looking for new ways of innovating and new ways of enhancing our audience’s experience. Anything that can give us an edge.
So, for the gamers, the innovators and the marketers, this is your opportunity. Your edge.
Sundance DiGiovanni is chief innovation officer at ESL Faceit Group