Last year, when my former colleague, Irma Machielse, invited me on a creative escapade to contribute to her latest edition of ‘Basisboek Contentmarketing en Community Building’ (available here, only in Dutch), little did I know that this endeavor would lead to a mighty interesting journey. With a passion for marketing and immersive technologies, diving into the world of content marketing in the context of AR and VR was an exciting proposition. But not as easy as I thought as it unexpectantly prompted me to reevaluate my understanding of marketing and technology, while unraveling the mysteries of immersive tech’s potential in the ever-evolving landscape of marketing. Two worlds that never stand still!

Immersion- the marketing game-changer yet to come In marketing we often strive to do more than just capture attention; we aim to create an experience that leaves a lasting impression. Imagine content that doesn’t just passively entertain, but actively immerses the audience in a captivating narrative. Your consumer is not just watching a screen or reading from paper; but stepping into another dimension. The power of being fully or partially immersed in another reality through VR and AR and how it can affect our brain and senses has been making waves in many academic disciplines like media studies, behavioral sciences and computer science already. The promises it holds for marketing and in this case content marketing are only just being explored. But especially the past 4 years, some of the biggest and most loved brands have started experimenting with AR and VR. We’re talking about marketing campaigns that don’t just tell a story, they invite you to be a part of it.

Unraveling the mysteries- make it stop! So yes, immersive tech and marketing, a match made in heaven if you ask me. Armed with a passion for both immersive tech and marketing, I thought it would be smooth sailing. But, oh boy, was I in for a surprise! The more I explored, the more questions arose. Where do you draw the line? How much is too much? And in a landscape where technology evolves at the speed of light, how do you keep up, especially now AI has entered the scene?

The end Fortunately, despite all the questioning and rewriting on just a small part of a chapter…. the book was released on time. Thanks Irma for all your help en unrelenting enthusiasm to incorporate this subject into a book for students, marketers of the not too faraway future. All this questioning also brought a lot of interesting insights about how brands use AR and VR and a first dive into defining what immersive content is in the context of content marketing. It also made me realize that in the world of Immersive Tech, there is just no way to create a book that is ever up to date with all the amazing developments taking place. It is one year later since submitting the text and so many more brands have created amazing campaigns. An amazing adventure with a a humbling realization that even in fields we’re passionate about, there’s always more to learn.

Text in coop with ChatGPT,  book cover owned by Pearson, header imae prompted by Regina in Midjourney

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