＃SXSW2018「シリコンヒルズ」企業視察レポート④：RYOT

【前回】「オースティンで光る、クリエイティブエージェンシーの仕事術 「シリコンヒルズ」企業視察レポート③：LatainWorks」はこちら

AR／VR活用で、広告は消費者に経験を提供する存在に
RYOT（ライオット）

RYOTは、360度動画を活用したジャーナリズムやVRを活用したクライアントワークなどで、国際的な賞を受賞し続けるクリエイティブエージェンシーだ。同社ヘッド・オブ・ライオットスタジオのジェシカ・ローレッティ氏に、AR活用の市場性やクライアントワークへの関わり方について聞いた。

ヘッド・オブ・ライオットスタジオを務めるジェシカ・ローレッティ氏

拡大するARの活用今後、市場性がある領域は

「ARの活用はすでに普及しておりスケールも拡大しているが、消費者もマーケターも気づいていない」と指摘するローレッティ氏。今後、同氏は活用が進むと見る領域は次の4つだ。

①初めて訪れた場所などをガイドする「ナビゲーション領域」。②従業員へのトレーニングなどに使う「教育領域」。③歴史を伝える「文化領域」。例えばある地域のメインストリートを歩くとき、100年前の姿や変遷を見せるなどのストーリーテリングができる。企業でのAR活用が一番成功しているのは④「インスピレーション領域」で、例えばメークやヘアカラーを変えるとき、事前にイメージを持てるようにしてくれる。

成功するのは、消費者を引き込みともに発展するブランド

同社の調べによると、AR ／ VR商品・サービスに対する現在および将来の支出額は、2017年の110億ドルから、2021年にはおよそ2150億ドルに跳ね上がる予想だという。企業はARの活用により、自分にその商品やサービスが合うか悩んでいる消費者への説得が可能となり、Eコマースの障壁を取ることができる。ローレッティ氏は、「ARなどを通し消費者の利便性を高めることは、商品やサービスの新規性を訴求するより大切だ」と言う。

背景にあるのは、「広告は、消費者に経験を提供するものになっていく」という考えだ。ローレッティ氏は「将来的には『人の生活を便利にするもの』だけが残る」と見る。利便性をもって消費者を引き込んでいき、消費者とブランドが一緒に発展していく。成功しているブランドには、すでにこうした共通点があるという。

The Future of AR/VR use
RYOT

Interviewee：

RYOT is a creative agency that continues to receive numerous awards from around the globe for its journalism using 360-degree video, client work using VR, and more. Head of RYOT Studio Jessica Lauretti gave a talk on client work with AR, and AR’s overall marketability.

Lauretti pointed out that, “AR use is already quite widespread, and the scale of its application continues to grow, but neither consumers nor marketers have picked up on this yet.” She identified four areas where she thinks AR use will expand in the future. First, “the area of navigation,” for systems that guide users in areas they’ve never visited before. Second, “the area of education,” for use in employee training, etc. Third, “the area of culture,” for imparting history lessons. For example, if a user were to stroll down a street in a particular area, the technology could be used to present that user with a story depicting how that area appeared 100 years earlier, and images showing how the area has transformed over time. The industry where AR use is growing fastest is the “area of inspiration,” where, for example, a customer can preview a new makeup look or a new hair color in advance.

According to studies RYOT Studio conducted, the existing and future spending on AR/VR products and services is expected to soar from $11 billion in 2017 to nearly $215 billion in 2021. AR use gives the industry a persuasive tool for customers who are on the fence as to whether or not a product or service is right for them, and can lower the barrier to a successful e-commerce business. Lauretti said, “Offering consumers convenience via AR or something similar is more important than appealing to customers based on a product’s novelty.”

With regard to how she arrived at this way of thinking, Lauretti explained, “Advertising is becoming an industry that offers consumers an experience. In the future, only ‘things that make people’s lives more convenient’ will remain. Advertising will draw in consumers with appeals to convenience, and consumers and brands will grow together. Successful brands today already share this quality.”

One participant asked, “How do you propose a new approach to a client?” Lauretti offered a number of responses: “We think about persuasion techniques every day.” “We try to make it easy for the client to persuade his or her superiors. We consider what we should do for the sake of our client presenting the idea to someone else.” “We always use data to illustrate how a proposal would benefit the consumer.” “We propose a single solution, and explain not only why it is the correct solution, but also why it is the only solution. We explain that this solution is the future, and that it will usher in a paradigm-shifting change.”

Furthermore, when a participant asked, “Why do you conduct your business that way?” Lauretti responded, “We received feedback from our clients and they told us that they wanted to work with ‘a truly creative agency that worked its absolute hardest’ and that they were looking for an agency that could produce work ‘quickly, and under budget.’”

Another participant asked, “What kind of mindset should a company that deals with clients maintain?” Lauretti responded, “We collaborate with our clients. We do not simply conduct business transactions. We want to work in partnership with our clients and come up with solutions together. We want to work with clients who can understand this philosophy.”