Pokemon GO was launched in July 2016 and immediately became a global phenomenon. Millions of people started roaming the streets, looking for Pokemon monsters in local parks and near monuments and landmarks. It was immediately clear that a new world of technology had been born. Meanwhile, Facebook acquired Oculus Rift in 2014 and is planning their first consumer launch during the Christmas season of 2016. Within a year or two, we will see virtual reality headsets outfitted with cameras on the outside, allowing users to interact with the world while experiencing virtual reality and augmented reality filters on top. We expect virtual reality to follow the trajectory of the Internet as a whole. Companies will soon begin competing with each other, delivering every more captivating virtual reality experiences for the public to enjoy. These experiences will become the central component to their marketing funnels, much like websites are today.

The implications are enormous. Most companies have no resources to develop virtual reality content. In fact, the hardware (360-degree cameras) and software are still being developed themselves. As always, the early adopters will pay higher prices to develop these experiences, but their first-mover-advantage will unseat established industry giants along the way. These experiences will be so immersive that clever and creative innovators will capture global attention in hours, not days.

As time passes, development tools will come down in price and case histories will guide future creations. Enormous opportunities will remain at that stage, but a conscious decision needs to be made for when to enter this market. The decision should be part of an overall strategy. Trend Mastery can guide this conversation and facilitate the necessary brainstorming process. The resulting framework will leave you with a roadmap for future investment and marketing strategy. Make no mistake: this one technology can change your business from a local operation into a global player. We can help.

Patrick Schwerdtfeger is a regular keynote speaker and can cover virtual reality at your upcoming event. Contact us to check availability for your event date.