Today again we are sharing an interview with a cool VR-boxer. This time we will talk with Vladilen Sitnikov, CCO of POSSIBLE agency and founder of the Hungry Boys agency. We will discuss marketing and advertising in the field, platform philosophy and scope (including porn). By the way, we have a short version for 8 minutes. Link to it under the cut!
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Short version.
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Interview
Vlad, tell me how it happened that a person who engages in public relations and advertising, speaks constantly at virtual reality conferences and writes articles about it.
Everything is very simple, because it is the future, the future that has come. Because if you look, virtual reality is already around us. Facebook, Vkontak, our general profile, itself a profile in online networks and online, is a kind of virtual reality, our virtual "I".
For example, my friend recommended me, did not even recommend, but made a whole excursion on how to properly take pictures for Tinder, that is, how to apply myself for Tinder, thereby creating a kind of virtual personality, an unreal person, because I really do not look like a hippopotamus. And then the correct focus, the correct setting of the camera - and I am already completely different, and I can already be successful.
And this is a virtual “me” that exists without me. Technology so rapidly breaks into our lives that while these are just pictures and text, and the next step ... if you look at what Mark Zuckerberg says, the investments that he makes in Oculus, the next step is an experience. And we will share not just a video about how we had a rest, on Instagram, and we will share, as we now have a rest on Instagram in 360.
It seems to me that even if it goes further, then with sound and smell from this very place. It's just a kind of reality in which we already live. And we should be ready, as an advertising agency, as a PR agency, in our projects we should already do what the study of material and integration for our clients implies. For example, we recently launched the coolest experience for Kaspersky. And, it seems to me, this is an interesting experiment in itself on the Oculus Store.
Tell me more, in which advertising projects have you already used virtual or augmented reality?
Well, in general, augmented reality, it seems to me, everyone is now using, because Facebook, Snapchat, Snap is a company that works with the camera. They say so: “We are a camera company”. That is, they work with everything that is between man and man. And between the man and the man now - it happened, unfortunately - there is a camera. If you look at us, at our messages to each other, then they have to have some kind of dog, some kind of monster.
We are already trying to virtually hide behind it. Therefore, this is a kind of fact that we already use everywhere, it seems to me, in all social media communications. But if you need to tell about something deeper, more interesting, for example, the same story with Kaspersky, it’s very difficult to understand the product, it’s just very difficult to understand the product. Something is taken somewhere, some geoviruses are caught somewhere, then someone somehow studies these viruses, somehow struggles with them, for them, for any person it is something very difficult.
And we had to ... we made a whole movie, a whole movie that immerses a person in this universe, how it all works, shows on the micro, macro level ... on the micro level ... no, on the macro ... I don’t know how exactly say, like, dive straight to the Windows desktop (we stylized as Windows), to the desktop, dive into the file system, actually show where and how the virus occurs, what happens, how to deal with them. And this is used in order to sell in the future, that is, future consumers (corporate most likely) immediately immerse and sell these products and explain all the specifics of them and their uniqueness. Especially since it is really difficult.
As far as customers are generally ready for such technologies?Yes, they come to you with such inquiries, or you say: “Let us try VR as well” during the discussion of the advertising campaign.
I, in fact, engaged in propaganda. Together with my guys we go to our brands, we collect big conferences from them, we directly prepare cardboards for them, immediately hand out these cardboards to them, show what competitors are already doing, how to use it, and tell how they can use it in the nearest promotional campaign. Very difficult, very difficult.
Therefore, we do this immediately with immersion, so that the person realizes how impressive it is. As soon as a person puts on virtual reality glasses, he immediately realizes that everything, the future has taken place, it is here now. And, one way or another, it is difficult to restructure your brain, and so now we need to explain that we, in fact, already live in virtual reality, because social networks and the Internet are our virtual reality, our virtual "I", it’s just more beautiful.
Cardboard allows the truth immediately hundreds of thousands of people to bring the opportunity to talk about the possibilities. Because it is cheap in production and can be made a kind of prize, a prize, or even just a razdatka. Now they are making this story. And one can see ... a big brand for a very, I think, unprepared audience is supposed to, it makes a straight step, a breakthrough, breaks through the silence around VR.
It's really cheap, but you can build such worlds there, such interesting adventures in virtual reality, that the experience that is given to the consumer is simply priceless, the consumer falls in love. It is very difficult to sell it. True. Unfortunately, it looks cumbersome. While it looks cumbersome. And the more we propagate, the more we communicate, explain, the closer we get to the fact that there will be more and more projects. In the end, just go there, just go there and that's it.
So far, each project is, in essence, an investment in making people know what virtual reality is, what cardboards are, how to use them.
Yes, yes, but if you understand how to properly integrate it, not only in general communication, but in the brand ecosystem and product consumption ecosystem, then there are much more chances, just much more. I just have a direct feeling that the future ... Diesel some, H & M should open his future ... to present the future collection, just to present right in the Oculus. Just open a store there. Because since we are already transmitting information to each other, we already show each other how virtual we are, but it’s time to put them on.
We are there while naked. On the Xbox, our avatars all look like ... the whole store is already built there. It remains to start there already ... It seems to me that there is already some kind of integration with brands. But it's cool to do that this living character was already a man, and you could go further, move on already, dressing him, buying, passing things to each other, I don't know, having your wardrobe.
In the project with Kaspersky, you said that you used the Oculus Store.Accordingly, all this is implemented under the Oculus.
Yes.
I correctly understand that if we are talking about some B-to-B stories, then you are guided by some High-End devices, that is, this is either Oculus or HTC Vive or such desktop solutions.
Yes, we first had the task to show very beautiful. That is, we had to directly impress a person who dresses and immerses himself in this movie, in this world. And we made very beautiful graphics, and we needed large, strong devices that could support it. That is, it could not be just a cardboard or a simple device. Therefore, we have chosen Oculus.
But in general, I think that technology is developing so strongly that after a while it will all come very close and grow together. And the cool thing is that we can do websites, we can do virtual reality websites. It is fast enough. We even have a case where we just showed how to do it, deploy it in one day, just deploy a 360-site in one day, you can walk on it, go for a walk, watch a portfolio and so on. It is very ... and it is ... I just rave about the idea of ​​doing it in Russia. No one has yet done in Russia.
Microsoft launched the Windows Mixed Reality platform a week ago.Now you can come to the usual stores and buy glasses.How much do you think it will affect the ecosystem?
The faster Samsung, Microsoft, big brands will invest in VR and release devices that are accessible to everyone, the closer they get into universes of households, the closer everything will be done, the faster everything will happen and it will be more understandable and accessible.
When the PlayStation VR first entered, first, we immediately bought ourselves, everyone immediately began to use it, but it was a real breakthrough in the gaming industry, I think, because the PlayStation ecosystem is built on never releasing a user out of it, so that he doesn’t even look anywhere else and live in it, and when a man put on glasses, he seemed to lose touch with reality and at that moment certainly became such a PlayStation fan that, it seems to me, monetization ... for life will happen.
Tell me how you see advertising in virtual reality.Will it be something completely new?
First of all, there are no such moles yet or ... there was a VR, not a VR ... just a PlayStation, such a thing where you could come and have a little character too, talk with other people. I think it was very similar to Second Life. But it was a very strange story, I don’t know why it was done at all, but the thought itself is correct.
At some point we will gather somewhere, we will communicate somewhere, at some point it really will be a big virtual world. Perhaps this is like a step, a new Facebook. Facebook or some other site, we will be there, or Vkontakte. And then there will be advertising space where you can, however, buy yourself accommodation at the stadium, and there will be some promotional campaigns being carried out. It will be very interesting. While there is no such place. While this is just a place where you upload some information. And therefore, each of these products is most likely a transfer of some experience or some impression, or to say that we did it first.
Or, as in the case of Kaspersky, it is just a B-to-B product, which is used as a visual demonstration, immersion and visual demonstration. It's just that the principles are clear. And while it is closer, now it is used as 360-content, and on Facebook, and on YouTube. And you just watch videos in 360, movies in 360. This is a kind of product that is offered to reality, to our reality. The next step will be, of course, when the hubs appear, there will already be a lot of things there: special brands, and special shops where you can buy H & M for your avatar, and just some billboards, and some characters will go advertising, and so on and so forth.
So far we have only ... we use it only for the wow effect, wow product. But there is a feeling that after the project with Kaspersky, Kaspersky customers realized that they had to sell it, and they came to you and said: “We also want VR now”? Probably. But the fact is that we did this not for Russia, so I’m not sure that they will come to us in Russia ... I think that, one way or another, there are a lot of requests in the West, of course. And everyone already understands that the industry is moving there.
But if, again, the infrastructural product of the entire Internet ecosystem chose Oculus, as a move forward, as a certain ... and invested 4 billion there, for this purchase, then it is obvious that the content will go there, the content will be there. And it is obvious that it is much cheaper to buy a ticket to a virtual Venice, rather than spend 200 thousand ... for one dollar, let's say ... rather than spend 200 thousand in the literal sense of the word and fly, check in, some sort of problems, language problems, a barrier.
There is nothing here, you just buy a trip for yourself. Even though it may be personal, because there will be some guy walking with a 360-camera, telling you. This will be a guide, he will communicate with you. But you will be in virtual reality, too, to be in this moment. But she will be individually only for you this tour. But here and now for one dollar, well, for ten dollars. It will still be cheaper. Of course, everything will come there. This is definitely some kind of clear development. I'm not talking about porn. Porn in VR is just a tin.
Well, if we have already gone into this topic, then we can not go into the story about Full Immersion VR, full immersion, right?What are the most promising levels of immersion in VR?
That's just at the conference, which was three days ago, guys, one team prepared a project for Kalashnikov, for Kalashnikov airsoft guns. And damn, they planted such an idea there, which, I think, football will soon have to and FIFe will have to compete very much with Igromir, just a very strong competition with Igromir. In fact, it seems to me, the “Hunger Games” can be implemented in the next five years.
And what's the idea?
The idea that we can all watch together as people in costumes with full immersion in VR run around the playground, and look after them like in a show, just like a real show. That is, it is an augmented reality, we can really look after them, how they run in reality and donate, donate, donate, build them there, I don’t know, fortresses, each brick to buy. It may just be a giant story. And football was not around here. Football you just look at how these people run, and here you can influence what is happening. Well, in football, you can also add special effects, wind, something else, you never know what can save you from a goal. Yes, but in augmented reality you ... if you donate something, you have a gun - here it is. And then you will not see in football. You will not see the wind, you will not feel it, but it will be virtual. And then real people play. This will be the real situation.
That is, this is a new level of eSports.
In fact yes. And it will definitely collect stadiums. And all the people will be rooting for the teams, for the athletes. It will be just very interesting. This is a direct development, which in five years will change the entire gaming industry and entertainment, I think. It is necessary to do right now, who heard, you just need to run and invest money in it now.
Tell me if you are not afraid when you talk about virtual reality ... virtual reality is total immersion, there is no way to get distracted ... When we watch ads on TV, while there is advertising, you can leave the room, do something useful if you are in virtual reality glasses, you do not have the ability to switch.
You can take off.
How does this affect advertising?What should be with her to ...
I have no idea. You see, I could tell you ... I can only assume that it can be. Firstly, it will be the same as in real life: if you don’t want to look at the advertisement, you turned the other way, looked at another object, unfortunately. Although, of course, we can make advertising move with you, but it will probably be a complete shredder. Further, you can always take off your glasses, that is, you can really get out. You will be very unpleasant to go out. Remember this, as in the matrix, when you left the matrix, there was a special bayonet there, and it was very unpleasant.
These same painful sensations will probably be experienced by people when they come out into reality. And this ... soon the film will be released on the occasion ... "First, go out" or something about the player and the game universe. Very interesting. I, unfortunately, forgot the name. And there too ... it shows the real world, which he just lives in slums, and the virtual world, where he is a superhero, superperson. This will definitely happen.
That is, there will be an unwillingness to go out into the real world. What will happen with advertising, I do not know. Most likely, you will spend all the money in games. Unfortunately, the world is so complicated. And, most likely, advertising in virtual worlds will be legally regulated, yes, most likely. We remember how great the troubles were with casinos and with one-armed bandits. They were all over the place and everyone was into it. And I think that, of course, the fascination with all these donations inside and hobbies with games where you have to buy something all the time, at some point, when it will be very massive, will begin to regulate. I think some police will appear inside, who will look after who does what and what, and so on.
That is, there will be many new virtual professions?
Obviously obvious. Because robots will do real professions in parallel. That is, robots will release us so that we dive and exist in the virtual world. This, by the way, is much cheaper than moving to Mars.
When the holograms will start harassing us on the streets with their promotional offers, as we see in the movies?
As soon as technology allows it.
Well, how many years will it take?
Already robotic prostitutes ousted real from brothels in Switzerland or in Austria. This news has already passed. There is already a robotic priest, a robot priest. Obviously, robots will come to this. So, as soon as technology allows.
In the fall, Apple released its ARKit to the masses.Google has now launched ARCore.Augmented reality in all phones almost everywhere.Customers come, ask?
Not yet, not yet. We try, we, the truth, try to offer and try to do it, but not yet. We generally have a certain ... not with us, but in general in people’s brains there is some lateness. The fastest after all - those people who earn money on it in the literal sense. That is, programmers, startups, those who know that if they are not the first now, they do not capture a niche, they will not earn money. , , … , .