Leveraging advertising to a higher dimension: experimental research on the impact of virtual reality on brand personality impressions

As new advertising formats emerge, research regarding their effectiveness is called for. Since the emergence of virtual reality (VR) technology, several brands have started implementing VR advertising in their communication strategies. The research objective of this study is to examine whether mobile VR advertising can positively impact managerially relevant brand outcome variables [brand personality (BP) impressions, brand attitude and purchase intentions] compared to traditional 2D advertising. An experimental between-subjects design comprising 160 respondents reveals a significant difference in impact between 2D and VR advertising on three out of five BP dimensions (namely 'excitement', 'sophistication' and a marginal effect on 'ruggedness'). Furthermore, mobile VR advertising evokes significantly more positive consumer attitudes and higher purchase intentions than mobile 2D ads. The findings of this study imply that mobile VR advertising can be effective for brand managers who are in search of bringing their brands to life and who aim to obtain more positive consumer attitudes and higher purchase intentions towards their brands.