The Persuasive Power in Virtual Reality Advertising on YouTube

Abstract

Virtual Reality (VR) is a rapidly booming area of technological advancement. Despite, the evaluation in VR technology which gives rise to both opportunities as well as challenges, there is a severe lack of research exploring VR from a marketing perspective. Given this background, this preliminary study seeks to understand the persuasive power of VR advertising. The study adopts a qualitative content analysis of 1690 User Generated Content (UGC) corresponding to 10 digital advertisements created using VR technology. They were selected based on their popularity which was determined by the number of viewers. The content analysis revealed three major persuasive mechanisms applied in VR advertising: 1) Persuasion through immersive experience; 2) Persuasion as a function of people reflections about the content of a message and; 3) Persuasion through emotional engagement. This extant research adds to the emerging scholarship on the application of VR in marketing by identifying how persuasion mechanisms are applied in VR adverts.