Blog > Virtual Reality Branding…Is Now The Reality!
Virtual Reality Branding…Is Now The Reality!
Sat in anticipation, I eagerly await my turn. Would this be as good as everyone said it was? I close my eyes and slowly move my hands toward my face. I take a deep breath, count to 3 and open my eyes.
WOW! Here I stand in a 3-dimensional world; I can see the birds dancing through the electric blue sky. All around me is vegetation so lush and vibrant I can almost smell it. Everything feels so real.
My time is up after a few minutes, and I hand the goggles over.
But, as I slowly come back to reality, enthralled by the experience, I cannot help but wonder how similar virtual reality is to experiencing a well-executed brand online.
This leads me to think about the brands and content creators who stood out online. I realise that what was so magnetic about their branding experience was that they could create the exact level of excitement and thrill; I experienced with VR from my first encounter with their brand.
From their content, to their customer service, to their delivery, I was left feeling excited and enthralled, wanting to know more. Which often transpired with me becoming a loyal customer.
They seemed to know what I needed to see and hear at precisely the right time, and every time they popped up onto my feed, they allowed me to see yet another side to the personality and business that formed the brand.
On the flip side, there were many businesses and content creators that didn’t work. As a business owner or content creator so much of your success rides, on your ability to build a tribe of loyal die-hard cyber fans – a group of people so captivated and vested in what you or your business/brand does that they are willing to invest the currency of time, money and loyalty. What can we learn from the idea of virtual reality?
Traditionally, in a world before the Internet, there had always been a clear divide between business branding and personal branding. Business branding focussed on developing a brand around a product or service and personal branding looked at creating a brand around a person.
As well as this clear divide, there always seemed to be a linear path: traditionally, you would encounter the business brand first, and then over time, the media would give you insight into the person. For example: through the business brand virgin, we came to know about the personal brand, Richard Branson.
However, celebrities or musicians seemed to be the exception. In these cases, the personal and business brand showed up simultaneously. What’s interesting here is in most cases, the personal brand took president over the business brand. At times, people seemed more interested in the celebrity’s private life than their actual work. The obsession with the late Amy Winehouse (RIP Amy) is a classic example of this!
Nowadays, this division has been completely eroded. The business and personal brand has simply merged into what I have coined the Cyber-Celebrity® Brand: an all-encompassing brand that combines the best of both to create a rich virtual tapestry.
With Cyber-Celebrity Branding®, the linear trajectory has been eroded; now more than ever, we see the person emerge first with the business being thought about or formed second. Igeeokafor, an influencer demonstrates this beautifully with his brand “Bond Official”:
In our new virtual existence, it’s businesses and content creators that understand how to harness and apply the principles of branding in this way that are now ruling the roost.
But, although this form of branding is more prevalent and accessible, there is still a common misconception that to create a brand, you just need to choose the right colour, logo or font.
But, herein lies the problem, when you perceive branding in this way; you rob yourself of the rich tapestry required for success. It’s no longer a choice! To motivate your audience to engage and take action, you need to create a multi-dimensional experience.
A branding strategy should have multiple layers that take your audience on a visceral 3-dimensional journey:
1. It should initially attract your audience and spark their interest, encouraging them to follow you and your brand to find out more.
2. Once hooked, it should nurture your audience and help them move from a laissez–faire attitude (working out if your brand is right for them) to making them keen (knowing that your brand is right for them).
3. Your content should help them contextualise that you, your product, service, or content can solve their problem to the point that they are willing to buy what you are selling.
4. It should build a powerful association between you and the problem you can solve, helping your business and content stand out as the go-to brand in your niche.
5. It should build a person-to-person relatable relationship with all your audience. The more human your brand can come across, the stronger the connection your audience will have to you, your business and content – check out Giovanna Fletcher, an influencer on Instagram, she demonstrates this amazingly with her brand @mrsgifletche:
Overall a well-executed Cyber-Celebrity Branding® strategy will ultimately result in better relationships, loyal fans and lots of sales. You see, it’s very unlikely that someone coming into contact with your brand for the first time is going to buy something straight away. Research shows that we need multiple touch points 8-12 on average before becoming a customer.
Hence, understanding how to merge your business and personal brand creates a virtual reality-like experience that orchestrates what your audience sees, hears and feels from you and your brand daily and creates the multiple touch points they need to make a buying decision.
So, in summary, like virtual reality, wherever the entry point is for your audience, whether it be on Facebook or Tik Tok, your website or YouTube or just a random post they bump into online. Your audience should feel your values, connect with your beliefs, understand the vision, and buy into your mission. And be converted over time into a die-hard cyber-fan who eventually buys what you are selling.
Building your brand in this way creates a nuclear effect and constructs a digital experience that helps your audience grow to know, like and trust you and your brand/business. Over time, you will be rewarded with the ultimate prize, a permanent space in your audience’s mind, so they think of your brand as soon as they have the problem you can solve. Once mastered, you will always have an engaged audience, generate customers and make sales.
Ready to start creating your Cyber-Celebrity® Brand? Then, click here to begin your branding journey with me and my team by downloading this fantastic free ebook and 90minute training.
If you are anxious about starting or growing your business and brand, then the NxSpot Academy is here to help.
Happy CC-Branding 🙏🏽
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Global Business & Branding Strategist
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