philip lelyveld The world of entertainment technology

Hormel hopes bacon virtual reality videos sizzle

(Philip Lelyveld comment - one of the options is the Reggie Watts Bacon Experience.)

The consumer can choose among four “bacon adventures” to go on, and she chooses the one she wants by hovering the target over the name of the adventure for three seconds. Each adventure corresponds to a different bacon flavor: A consumer goes through the cherrywood forest, for instance, and at the end she finds cherrywood-flavored bacon. When she finds the bacon strip in the forest, she can add it to her cart by hovering the target over it. She completes the transaction by taking the smartphone out of the virtual reality viewer and then fills out the checkout page fields, as she would normally make a purchase on a smartphone.

This is the first time Hormel has sold bacon online. The manufacturer’s bacon department is eyeing e-commerce as a way to sell direct to consumers, and this is its first endeavor, Venenga says.

So far, Hormel is happy with the results. In the first week of launch, thousands of consumers watched the video, exceeding the company’s expectations, Venenga says.

Hormel hired marketing agencies BBDO Minneapolis and Made in Haus to build the virtual reality program, a process that took six months. Venenga would not disclose costs.

Outdoor apparel and equipment retailer Moosejaw, No. 273 in the Internet Retailer 2016 Top 500 Guide, debuted a virtual reality app in May. Moosejaw spent more than $1 million developing the app and the virtual reality video content.

See the full story here: https://www.internetretailer.com/2016/11/10/hormel-hopes-bacon-virtual-reality-videos-sizzle