A fad or the future? Examining the effectiveness of virtual reality advertising in the hotel industry

The impact of a 360° virtual tour on the reduction of psychological stress caused by COVID-19

“…The potential of VR technology in tourism was recognised in the 1990s [ 27 ]. VR is a highly novel technology [ 28 ] and is widely defined as a communication medium that provides users with a computer-simulated 3D (360-degree) virtual context which enables users to become immersed, navigate, and interact in a fully digital environment [ 17 , 29 , 30 ].…”

“…Gibson and O'Rawe [ 39 ] pointed out that from a marketing perspective, VR technology offers the potential to build a sensory experience of a destination or attraction. VR technology can be used to reduce the barrier of distance between potential tourists and a destination [ 27 ]. Therefore, using VR as a promotional tool greatly increases the likelihood of visiting the destination in the future [ 39 ].…”

The influence of cybersickness and the media devices’ mobility on the persuasive effects of 360° commercials

“…By using a computer mouse and keyboard to change the individual point of view, users can also watch 360°videos on static screens [26]. The option to use omnidirectional commercials in different ways in their marketing campaigns might appeal to advertisers, as the production costs of 360°c ommercials are considerably higher than those of standard videos [53]. Consequently, it would be beneficial if a 360°commercial that was originally produced for an in-store promotional campaign could be "recycled" and uploaded to YouTube or integrated in the company's social media channel afterwards.…”

“…Because immersive 360°videos have only recently gained popularity, few studies have analyzed their impact on persuasive effectiveness [9,20,26,52,53,78,83,86]. For instance, using a 360°video featuring the outdoor fashion brand The North Face, Van Kerrebroeck et al [78] analyzed the effects on perceived vividness, spatial presence, attitudes toward the ad, brand evaluation, and purchase intentions.…”

“…Previous studies using HMDs were conducted in laboratory or classroom settings [20,53,78,83], although media users would not normally stream immersive commercials in such locations. HMD owners are most likely to watch omnidirectional commercials in their own living rooms, and those who do not own any type of HMD may watch immersive advertisements during in-store promotions or on their laptops or smartphones (e.g., [4,78]).…”