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Marketing your destination with 360-degree video

New forms of media have always been attractive to marketers and tourism professionals, but they don’t always come with an instruction manual. 360-degree video and other new, visually immersive formats are no exception.

360-degree video is gaining in popularity, thanks in part to heavy hitters like YouTube and Facebook adopting support for the format in the past year. But it’s one thing to recognize the need to develop 360 content and another to actually start executing on it. New means of presentation require different storytelling methods, and if you approach 360-degree video as you would traditional video, your project could fall flat.

Capability of 360-degree video

To get a sense of what the format is capable of, and what it can do for your destination’s marketing efforts, it may first be helpful to point out a few brands that are doing things right.

With eight million video views a day, Facebook’s statistics are a good benchmark for the effectiveness of a campaign’s reach. The social media giant recently released a list of its top 10 most popular 360-degree videos since supporting the format last September, and the list includes several familiar faces.

To promote the release of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” Disney produced a spherical video taking the viewer on a high-speed ride across the fictional desert of Jakku, complete with scuttled Star Destroyers. In just three months, the video earned over seven million views.

On the hard news end of the spectrum, Buzzfeed posted a spherical video providing coverage of last year’s devastating wildfires in the California Valley (the third worst in state history). The piece brought awareness of the fire to about 6.3 million viewers.

From a destination perspective, Qantas has been shining a new light on Australia’s locales via spherical video as well. The airline launched a series of videos taking viewers on a dive to the Great Barrier Reef, and show off Hamilton Island from the air – putting the viewer right in the pilot’s seat.

“We have seen a new level of interest in the Great Barrier Reef from our guests in the past 12 months,” Hamilton Island CEO Glenn Bourke said in an interview.

New way to tell stories

So what are these brands doing to take full advantage of the new medium? One thing they’re not doing is treating it like older video formats. And properly using the format to attract attention to your own destination will require some new thinking on the part of your team.

Here are some questions you should ask yourself after deciding to promote your brand with 360-degree video:

What story do I want to tell? Rather than stressing a message, the best spherical videos create an experience – by allowing the viewer to look around; the sense of immersion is the key element. So ask yourself – what about my destination should a viewer experience? What is it that attracts them to a location? Whether that is the unique geography, the local scene, or your one-of-a-kind space, this is what your story should be about.

What elements best present that story? YouTube likens 360-degree video to a choose-your-own-adventure story – since you can view a full range of perspectives, the rich format offers the potential for discovering details on your own. And for this format, nothing provides details like action – the sights and sounds of your distinctive convention, concert, annual celebration, etc., are definitely something the viewer should be exploring on their own.

How do I get the video produced? While anyone can now capture a basic spherical video with their mobile device, the entry cost for professional-grade equipment and experience means you should strongly consider contracting a professional production studio to best present your location. A good producer will not only make your video, but help you identify what elements best tell your own unique story, and provide analytics tools to help track your campaign’s reach and return on investment. To meet demand, new companies are cropping up everywhere – do your homework, and choose someone with a proven track record that meets your budget.

A good spherical video lets the viewer explore your space on their own, delighting in the act of discovery. And featuring a professionally produced 360-degree video, that highlights what makes your destination special, will be a powerful marketing tool as the format’s popularity continues to grow.

 

 


 

Contributed by Abi Mandelbaum, co-founder and CEO of YouVisit, New York City

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