AN INTRODUCTION

TO 360° VIDEOS
How to use 360° videos to get the results you
want from Display Advertising

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction to 360° videos

Debunking the misconceptions

Why 360° video ads are the next big thing

in advertising

Let’s get to the good stuff - what exactly

can 360° videos do for your brand

How you can get started

The first mover advantage

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Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION
Ads are getting ignored
People’s buying habits have
drastically evolved over the years.
Glittery banner ads that would force your
product down the visitor’s throat may have
worked in the past. Visitors would either
grudgingly click on an ad, or as was the case
more often, they would click on it unwit-
tingly.
A major drawback that traditional ads had
was that they were not sufficiently engag-
ing. When display advertising made its
foray into the world of marketing, many
marketers struggled with deriving results
from it, despite the magnitude of ad spend.
Most of them knew only one way of doing
display advertising and that was to bom-
bard innocent website visitors with aggra-
vating ads. These ads would often lack both
context and value. It wasn’t long before
display ads were viewed with great distrust,
and website visitors installed various tools
to prevent ads from showing.
The world held onto this notion for a while.
Marketers started to shy away from asking
management to shell out money for intru-
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sive banner ads because they were being
ignored by their audience anyway.
Fast forward to 2016, we see a
new trend in digital
advertising.
Customers of this age expect intuitive and
entertaining advertisements. It is not too
much of a stretch to say that customers
now only respond to ads that don’t even
seem like one! As a result, the field
of marketing is constantly evolving.
Could 360° videos be
the future of advertising?
Marketers are constantly bombarded by
new trends, technologies, and strategies.
These new concepts make lofty promises:
-Help companies stand out from the
crowd and really impact the consumer
-Help marketers do their job better and
drive meaningful results, in terms of
growing the brand and creating enough
whir around the company and its products
-And finally, help achieve the ultimate
goal of driving more sales
AN INTRODUCTION TO 360° VIDEOS // 03
 One such technology that is creating major buzz in the
marketing world is Immersive 360° and its partner, Virtual
Reality (VR).

Although it has become a hot trend over the last few years,
VR has been around for a long time now. With some of the
biggest companies in the world harnessing the potential of
VR by pumping billions of dollars into it, this intriguing tech-
nology has been brought to the spotlight like never before.

According to the 2016 virtual reality Why 360° videos?

The excited conversation around this new concept is justifi-
consumer adoption report, consum- able - it is immersive, intuitive, engaging and has the
astounding ability to elicit brain states, emotions and brand
ers feel connected to a brand that recall that no other medium is capable of achieving at this
sponsors VR. point.

● 360° videos are inherently more compelling and fascinat-

ing, especially when compared to the 2D content we’ve been
71% 62% 53% 52% forced to consume for the past few decades.

● It offers marketers the ability to engage and interact with

71% of 62% of the 53% of 52% of their audience like never before, making it a highlighted term
consumers consumers say consumers
consumers
would feel they are more agree that
in the marketer’s dictionary
agree that a
brand engaged with likely to they’d like to
that sponsors a brand that purchase from a be associated ● Marketers around the world will agree that ad engagement
VR is sponsors a brand that with that
forward-think- VR sponsors a VR brand. is currently dismal to say the least. With CTRs (click through
ing and experience. experience. rates) hovering around the zero range, marketers are desper-
modern.
ate for an opportunity to finally see some ad engagement and
a hopeful boost to their CTRs.
Source: http://www.greenlightinsights.com/ ● 360° Videos might finally offer the elixir to banner blind-
ness, a gargantuan challenge for any marketer.

www.techjini.com AN INTRODUCTION TO 360° VIDEOS // 04

 WORLDWIDE
360° videos offer an exquisite amalgam of technology and
entertainment that appeal to the psyche of the consumer. VIRTUAL REALITY
While we can’t deny that spammy ads still abound, we are
happy to note that businesses now have the opportunity and
the right technology to help them make their brand stand out.
REVENUE BY
We guarantee you that 360° videos are going to cause a revo-
lution in the near future and that’s why we want you in on the
crazy ride.
PRODUCT
What you can expect from this ebook: SUM TOTAL PC,
CONSOLE AND MOBILE
● Debunking myths and preconceived notions around 360°
content

● Show you how your brand can leverage the power of

immersive 360° and VR advertising/marketing
$25B
● Expand your boundaries of your current perception of
these game changing content platforms
$20B
HARDWARE
● Get ready to take your digital campaigns to the next level of
$15B SOFTWARE
ad engagement and position yourself and your brand as
trailblazers.
$10B

So, with that, let’s get started with debunking misconceptions

$5B
of marketing and advertising in immersive 360° and VR today.

2014E 2015E 2016E 2017E 2018E

Source: SuperData Research

www.techjini.com AN INTRODUCTION TO 360° VIDEOS // 05

Chapter 2
DEBUNKING THE
MISCONCEPTIONS
Why marketers and
advertisers are holding back
Truth is, when you ask marketers what 360°
or VR advertising is, you will get a motley of
responses:
● 360° advertising is too futuristic of an
approach to make business sense today
● 360° & VR marketing are meant to be
relegated to event based installations such
as at Comic Con or at gaming arcades.
You’ve been on the VR roller coaster ride
too, haven’t you? (pun intended)
● 360° marketing is going to completely
take over how businesses brand themselves
and become an all-encompassing approach
to both marketing and advertising
● 360° marketing is the same as 360°
advertising and essentially comprises the
videos you now see on Facebook and
Youtube.
Let’s delve into why these statements are
not entirely valid.
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The suspected challenge
of headset dependency
A massive advantage that 360° advertising
offers is the opportunity to create content
that will completely immerse your audience.
With 360° content, you are offering your
prospects and buyers the ability to look up,
down, left, right, behind, around - essentially,
anywhere they want and be surrounded by
content on every side. Virtual reality, as an
additional step, requires a VR headset to
experience the same or an even more intensi-
fied 360 degree content inside a VR headset.
This dependency on head mounted displays
(HMDs) stumps marketers immensely,
because VR headsets have not reached critical
mass yet.
If this is the reason you are holding back, then
you will be happy to know that a headset is
not required to experience 360 content!
Immersive 360° content can be enjoyed on
just about any device - smartphone, tablet or
AN INTRODUCTION TO 360° VIDEOS // 06
desktops without a VR headset. Infact,
millions of people around the world are
already consuming 360° content on Face-
book, youtube and other channels.
Immersive 360° degree is for
the here and now
360° degree and virtual reality are brim-
ming with potential, and assuming that this
opportunity can only be harnessed in the
future, is erroneous and misleading. The
current marketing environment is in fact, a
great time for advertisers and publishers to
grab the first-mover advantage, by diving
headlong into adopting 360° and VR.
Already, initial studies are showing that
brands that have chosen to be tech forward
with the usage of 360° & VR are seeing
great results with their consumers. In face,
starting early can also prove to be an
advantage for forward-thinking brands,
giving them better consumer and PR recep-
tion. When the technology starts
to become more mainstream, the world
may just become too inundated with 360°
degree content, thereby making it hard for
the brand to stand out.
Immersive 360° degree
is more than Facebook &
Youtube
By now, most users have gotten their first
taste of 360° and VR ads via social media
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platforms such as Facebook and Youtube.
True, both companies have invested billions
of dollars in 360° and VR technologies, and
are in fact, leading the way in transforming
360 and VR into consumable content. But,
truth be told, 360° videos found on these
platforms do not even remotely do justice
to the level of engagement they can
achieve within a 360° and/or VR advertis-
ing experience using 360° images and
interactive hotspots. What we currently
see on Facebook are user generated 360°
videos from technology forward Facebook
users who are quick to show 360° . A few
brands have been posting their videos as
well, but again, like we said earlier, these
barely manage to leverage the level of
interactivity that 360° videos can offer.
And finally, despite how big Facebook and
Youtube are, these platforms claim only a
small part of ad dollars. Advertisers are
looking to distribute their content across
various other channels, in order to maxi-
mize their ROI and also make their expendi-
ture more cost-effective.
And lastly, Facebook and Youtube present
their own constraints such as, requiring
specific gear in order to view the videos. If
you want to enjoy a 360° video on Face-
book, then you will require a Samsung Gear
or Oculus Headset. Facebook 360° videos
are currently not compatible with Google
Cardboard, nor can they be viewed on mobile.
Youtube has similar drawbacks as well.
AN INTRODUCTION TO 360° VIDEOS // 07

Immersive 360° degree
is more than just an event
installation.
Most people experience 360° and VR at
high-powered events such as ComicCon,
Cannes, or the Sundance Film Festival.
Typically, these experiences are crafted
with the intention of creating full blown
effects, and make use of special hardware
such as motion chairs, wind machines,
vibrating floors and so on, to deliver incred-
ible impact. These events showcase
high-end experiential 360° and VR movies
that are meant to be truly immersive and
are created for a high-end computing and
VR system, such as the Oculus Rift and
HTC Vive.
convert and delight both prospective
buyers and existing customers.
Brands now have the power to employ
360°content to create highly personalized
engagement with their consumers.
It goes without saying that both
360° content and VR is here to stay.
In our next chapter, we will delve into what
we expect will be your favorite part of this
ebook and that is - how you can effectively
incorporate 360° and VR ads into your
digital marketing strategy today.

While these full-fledged 360° and VR expe-

riences are extremely entertaining in an
almost shocking way, it is not economically
feasible for brands to replicate them for
marketing purposes.

Immersive 360° and VR can be

leveraged right now!
As immersive 360° and VR start to gain
popularity, we expect rapid innovation to
happen. Marketers now have an formidable
weapon in their arsenal to attract, engage,

www.techjini.com AN INTRODUCTION TO 360° VIDEOS // 08

Chapter 3
WHY 360° VIDEO
ADS ARE THE
NEXT BIG THING
IN ADVERTISING
You have just visited the Taj Mahal - the
seventh wonder of the world - an absolute-
ly magnanimous structure that blew your
mind away. It is a beautiful white marble
carved to astounding perfection. Obvious-
ly, you want to capture this moment in its
entirety. So you take out your best DSLR
and shoot a shockingly good picture that
you are sure to treasure for a long time.
But, wait a minute. Did your photograph
capture everything you wanted to treasure
from that moment?
Here’s the thing;
We have looked at the world through
cropped lens for so long, that we never
really wondered if we were missing some-
thing. But, let’s question that sentiment
once.
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Watch the
Our life happens in 360
Taj Mahal
degrees
For years now, directors and content
through the
360° lens here
creators have taken only specific sections
of this massive, rotund world to show us
exactly what they want us to see. The limit-
ed field of view that we get to experience
does not even sufficiently reflect what
actually happens in reality. Here a few
things you should consider:
● Our natural field of view is around
180-200 degrees. In addition to this, our
ability to look up, down and around clearly
indicates that the digital images and videos
we see, do not completely capture reality.
360° videos allows for a completely new Did the epiphany that man’s
way to interact with consumers by giving perspective of a video captured
them the power to choose what they want
world has always been limited,
to see.
just strike you as well?
AN INTRODUCTION TO 360° VIDEOS // 09
● Facebook has already begun employing
360° content in full swing by allowing users
to share their own 360° images and videos.
Brands can leverage the ease of use that
Facebook and Youtube offer and incorpo-
rate 360° video it into their marketing strat-
egy. Infact, companies (from various indus-
tries) that have posted 360° videos to Face-
book and YouTube are generating millions
of views. A few prominent examples are
BMW, Oreo, Game of Thrones, Nikon and
several others.
<insert a 360 ad of BMW/GOT)
● One challenge that 360° videos over-
come quite successfully is that of providing
context. All our videos up till now have
been lacking this very relevant context.
Instead of having an audience look at an
image or video with a sense of detachment,
brands can now offer consumers the
opportunity to explore as much as they
want and control their perspective, as they
see fit. Giving consumers the chance to
satiate their innate curiosity will become an
indispensable component of engagement
and interactivity.
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● A 360° filmmaker can not determine
exactly where the viewer will choose to
look. Allowing users to look in any direction
around an environment means that they
will be able to form their own opinions
about the footage, rather than being limited
to seeing exactly what the director wants
them to see through carefully selected
frames.
We predict that discerning marketers and
advertisers will dominate this trend as they
begin to recognize the climactic impact a
360° degree ad can produce on consumers’
perception of a brand. Say you have been
watching TV on a 60 inch screen with
surround sound, can you imagine going
back to a 21inch?
Once consumers experience 360° degree
content, it is expected that they will seek it
out in every subsequent video that they
watch. As 360° video continues to make
colossal waves, marketers have to strate-
gize how they can integrate 360° content
into their marketing plan and empower
consumers with the freedom to interact,
engage and bond with brands like never
before.
AN INTRODUCTION TO 360° VIDEOS // 10
Chapter 4
LET’S GET TO THE
GOOD STUFF -
WHAT EXACTLY
CAN 360° VIDEOS
DO FOR YOUR
BRAND?
The possibilities are boundless, when it
comes to leveraging 360 degree content
and VR for digital advertising. In this
chapter, we will go deeper into how you
can employ 360° video strategies for your
brand and blend the worlds of advertising,
video games, and 360° and VR technology
to dramatically heighten your ad experi-
ence.
Put a myriad products in your
digital ad space
Most companies and their marketing
teams will agree that traditional digital
advertising doesn’t always get them the
best ROI. With competition and bidding
costs increasingly rapidly, it has become
imperative for advertisers to strategize
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effective means of getting their message 360° degree and virtual
across. Marketers also face the annoying reality advertising are
challenge of creating ads that are forcibly
limited to a tiny space, , bound by charac- A 360° video is
ter limits. 35 times more 35 times more
effective than effective than
Enter 360° video ads that grant marketers traditional display traditional
the freedom to be limitlessly creative and display with
offer far more ad real estate. Curious to ads.
4.51% CTR to
know how exactly that works?
site
360° ads allow you to put as many prod-
ucts and brand messages in a small ad
Source: https://www.omnivirt.com/
space as you want. Working with spheres,
panels and different textures allows you to Another study shows that 51% of people are
leverage the many sensors in your smart-
more likely to buy a product from a brand
phone, helping you create an ad that is
compelling, interactive and offers a much
that leverages virtual reality than one that
larger view into your brand and products. doesn’t.
Source: Greenlight
AN INTRODUCTION TO 360° VIDEOS // 11
Blend Storytelling with Video
Games and Virtual Reality
Video games hold massive potential as a
storytelling platform and the deep involve-
ment that it prompts in users is similar to
the engagement level that VR delivers.
Video games offer an immersive storytell-
ing experience because of their innate
ability to transport people to other worlds.
They also give the players the ability to
control their own “fate” depending on how
they choose to play the game. When you
watch a TV show, you’re merely a spectator.
But when you play a video game, you’re an
active participant.
This is very similar to what the world of
virtual reality offers as well. When you’re
watching a VR video (or playing a VR video
game), you’re not viewing things from far
away, you are a character in the game your-
self, engaging and interacting with the
environment and other characters.
VR underscores the importance of video
games as narratives and offers a framework
to create stories that redefine how brands
showcase their products. In fact, the video
game industry has been the first to whole-
heartedly embrace 360° and VR technolo-
gy. Combining storytelling with incredibly
high levels of immersion is going to be
game changing.
www.techjini.com AN INTRODUCTION TO 360° VIDEOS // 12
Blend Advertising with
Storytelling
Fortunately, we have come a long way from
pushy ads that promote a product and its
features ad nauseam. Strategic buyer
persona oriented storytelling offers a way
to overcome ad blindness, abysmal levels of
ad engagement and click through rates.
Increasingly, advertisers are working hard
to create stories around their brand and
products - stories that will resonate with
their audience on a personal level.
The most effective ad is one that can
communicate with the consumer on a note
that they can relate to. And what better way
to accomplish this than by incorporating
360 views into it? 360° and VR technology
present you the incredible freedom to tell a
story to your consumer while completely
immersing them into the content of the ad,
which further forges an emotional connec-
tion with the consumer.
360° Degree Content and
Gamification
According to a study, gamified ads have a
6% higher engagement rate than traditional
ads. Gamified ads are so effective that they
can generate CTRs that reach a whopping
28.8%, which is pretty impressive consider-
ing that traditional rich media ads only have
a CTR of less than 1%.
100%
gamified ads
traditional ads
0%
100%
Gamification is fast catching the imagina-
tion of marketers and decision makers in
organizations. Studies have proven that
gamification is very effective in engaging
with consumers, influencing their behavior
and earning customer loyalty.
360°/VR ads are all set to become a potent
platform for application of gamification,
helping advertisers create an engaging
experience for their consumers and allow-
ing brands to ultimately realize the desired
marketing goals.
Once you get going, there are a multitude
of fun ways you can gamify your 360°/VR
ad - mazes, puzzles, running games, learn-
ing games - the possibilities are endless!
Combining the entertainment value of a
game with the highly engaging immersive
experience of 360° ads can drastically
transform the ad experience for consumers.
Chapter 5
HOW YOU CAN
GET STARTED
What It Takes
Creating 360° videos is obviously a whole
different ball game compared to traditional
video. If you have decided to move
forward with developing a 360° video for
your brand, then it is important to be
aware of the hardware required to do so.
This includes special cameras, special
lighting, special editing, sound, and various
post production elements. There is also a
certain level of vulnerability that you need
to prepare for with 360° videos, because
the viewer is in control of what he/she
chooses to view and is no longer relegated
to viewing only selected frames.
Consider hiring a professional
for the best experience
If you have the budget to do so, hiring a
pro is the most ideal option. Because there
are so many elements to consider when
creating a 360° video experience with VR
mode, it is recommended that you
delegate the work to someone with
experience with the technology. However,
it must be noted that quality comes at a
price. Creating a sophisticated 360 video,
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with a very high production value will incur
higher costs. So, it would be best to
understand your desired goals and evalu-
ate if making such an investment will
deliver the expected ROI for your brand.
Out of your budget?
We understand that 360 videos may not
be in every marketer’s or brand’s budget. If
you’re looking for a more affordable
option, you can choose to use an economi-
cal but effective 360° camera. Typically,
these offer relatively reasonable quality
and also provide you with software to aid
in post production processes.
Brands who are looking for financially
feasible strategies to implement 360° Ultimately, however,
degree content for their advertising
campaigns can take advantage of 360°
360°/VR video ads do
images and standard images to create a come at a cost and it will
360°/VR Ad.
be far more pricey than a
traditional video.
AN INTRODUCTION TO 360° VIDEOS // 13
 Is it worth it? Will the benefits outweigh the
costs?
When compared with traditional display advertising, 360°
video ads offer the following advantages:

● Higher CTR

● Substantially higher number of views

● Better engagement

● Lower cost per impression (CPM)

● Branding the company as technology forward

● Making consumers happy! Millennials in particular love

360° degree and VR content

www.techjini.com AN INTRODUCTION TO 360° VIDEOS // 14

Chapter 6
THE FIRST MOVER
ADVANTAGE
Over the course of this ebook, we have
shown you why 360° and VR advertising
are rapidly gaining momentum, and why
you should become a part of this revolu-
tion. We hope that we have opened your
eyes to the multitude of possibilities that
these two platforms offer, and how you
can integrate them into your digital
marketing strategy right now.
● Are you are looking for new and
innovative ways to reach your target
customers?
● Are you looking for techniques that
will help you drive engagement up to lofty
heights and help your message stand out
from the noise of other brands?
● Do you want to see a dramatic boost
in the ROI from your marketing and
advertising efforts?
Then it just might be time for you to make
a move on 360° technology. Getting
started early will also grant you the
first-mover advantage and help your brand
really stand out among consumers.
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As 360° content starts to gain rapid
momentum, it is guaranteed to make an
appearance on every marketer’s resume,
making it harder to beat competition.
If you are still on the fence about jumping
into this new fangled experience, then do
take a moment to consider the following
numbers which clearly demonstrate the
power of VR and 360° content.
As of October 10th, 331,000 videos have
been uploaded in 360º format to Youtube
In a study, it was discovered that 360°
video had a 46% higher view count
compared to the standard video, making it
a more cost-effective buy.
Youtube’s trending 360° videos have
garnered 4,902,183 views collectively.
Uploads of 360° videos continue to grow
and have doubled between the months of
April-June this year.
Global search interest for virtual reality on
Google has grown by nearly 4X in the last
year (Google Data, Global, May 2016.)
AN INTRODUCTION TO 360° VIDEOS // 15
Millions of Facebook users watch 360° Look at what others have And finally, do take a look at
videos daily
done! Facebook's astounding 360°
50 mil Google Cardboard enabled apps Now that you are all set to start, we would video of Grand Central Termi-
have launched since Cardboard rolled out 2 like to leave you with a taste of how some
years ago big brands have successfully implemented nal
360° videos. Take a look!
Mobile VR headset sales predicted to hit
BMW: Keep your eyes on Gigi A fun fact about this video:
14.5 mil in 2016
Facebook only had three
VR & AR market revenue forecast is 90-minute windows over the
predicted to hit $120 billion by 2020
course of a few days to shoot
360° video has the incredible potential to this video back in March,
transform the way marketers and advertis- right when Grand Central
ers interact and engage with consumers.
Offering views the opportunity to get in on would close down at 2AM
the action by allowing them to control their before reopening at 5:30AM.
perspective with the simple tilt of a smart-
phone or a click of a mouse, will be a game
changer for forward thinking companies.
Savvy brands that tap into the novelty of McDonald's: Angry Birds 360° Takeover
the technology will rewarded with viewers
not only watching their content, but also
sharing it. As 360° and VR technology
evolves and brands continue to experiment
with how they implement it, we can only
imagine how much stronger its value will
become - for viewers and brands alike.

www.techjini.com AN INTRODUCTION TO 360° VIDEOS // 16

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