Optimizing the Internet of Things and Virtual Reality

We’ve mentioned the Internet of Things a few times previously here, and while the concept may be new it isn’t necessarily complicated. It follows the natural progression of the internet being used to link devices up that previously weren’t connected, such as phones, cars, televisions, etc. The Internet of Things appeals to the hearts and minds of our current culture as a bold technological step forward in the midst of uncertain economic times. While this current digital device revolution has been happening, another kind of movement has been slowly gaining its own steam, one that’s been tried often before and has met repeatedly with failure: Virtual Reality. And while the notable commercial flops of Virtual Reality has served as a warning to tech companies to not do too much too soon, the predominance of the Internet in our culture today has served as a gateway for the this oft-maligned technology to finally get some love. The combination of these two phenomena open numerous doors for savvy digital marketers, and we’ll explore these opportunities in this article.

A key similarity to both these concepts is that they’re both in the beginning stages of development. While the idea of Virtual Reality has been dated back to the 1970s, the lack of widespread success in any version of the technology means that in functional terms, it’s still relatively new. This means that the fields are wide open for any smart company to take advantage of the situation, the way that Facebook did with Social Media. Broken down to its component parts, Social Media brings reality (images, stories) to the internet. Using this comparison, The Internet of Things brings the internet to reality, in the form of physical objects. And Virtual Reality brings the user into an immersive experience, combining artificial reality and the connectivity of the internet into a completely new environment.

While the concept of the Internet of Things is helped by the current prevalence of iPhones and Smart TVs, Virtual Reality may seem a more far-fetched idea for a business to build a marketing effort around. But one only need to look at the overwhelming success of video games, whether on console, computer or the “freemium” games on digital devices, to see the potential of the full Virtual Reality experience. You don’t want to have your company become the equivalent of the record labels who rejected The Beatles saying that guitar-groups couldn’t be successful in the 60s. You need to open your mind to whatever technology could give you the edge in the always competitive landscape of business, and both the Internet of Things and Virtual Reality could be your ticket to the top.