Imagine the impact of allowing HCPs to experience what their patients feel – to really feel it – and then show them how your product can help. That’s where VR and 360-degree video come in to up the ante and empower your sales and marketing team with the brand storytelling tools to engage.
From live surgery apps that encourage patient empathy, to demonstrating the impact of medication in action, 360 video and VR are transforming healthcare and medical marketing. The immersive 360 view brings the complexity of disease, medication and human anatomy, medical procedures, and devices to life, taking (the already powerful) 3D medical animation to the next level.
360-degree video gets results
360 video is not just a gimmick, it is here to stay. Facebook for instance is investing heavily in tech and it’s getting results. A recent test compared two films on Facebook – one 360 and another traditionally shot video. The test found that the average percentage viewed was 28.81% higher with the 360-degree video.
Furthermore, 50% more people watched it to completion, the CTR was higher and the CPM was lower (Magnifyre) Google also found interesting results in a similar investigation with 360-degree video increasing engagements and shares
For me, 360-degree video is one of the top trends over the past couple of years, so read on as I share my thoughts on how it can drive ROI for medical and pharma brands.
Conferences and events
At busy events where you’re vying with your competitors to attract a crowd, 360 degree video can entice visitors to your stand and allow your sales team to demonstrate the benefits of your product. 360 degrees offers one of the most effective ways for your audience to experience your products or procedures and make a memorable connection with your brand.
Take this example, “Diabetes Voyager”, a game that aims to increase an understanding of this disease from the pharma brand, Novo Nordisk. Watch the video below to see how the sales team uses VR gaming to educate and engage visitors at an exhibition stand.
With 360-degree video, you’re putting your audience in control, which psychologically helps them to make a memorable connection with your brand.
Emphatic storytelling
The first-person perspective of VR and 360-degree video builds empathy and understanding between patients and HCPS. In the example below, VR is used to help medical students learn what life is like for an elderly patient in the early stages of eye disease.
The best traditional video content of course instills an emotional and empathetic connection in its audiences, but the immersive experience of 360 and VR adds another dimension.
Live video streaming surgery
New technologies are also set to revolutionise global medical education, building connections across borders and giving students greater insight. For Mike Marett, founder of Confideo Labs, VR creates “episodic memories,” an active learning technique that improves retention whilst participating in VR experience helping the user to concentrate on the content without being distracted.
One educational development is in the field of live-streaming surgeries. An increasing number of medical professionals are taking to Snapchat to give a first-hand account of the operating theatre. Take Medical Realities’ world-first live streaming of a colon cancer operation at the Royal London Hospital as an example. Anyone from around the world could join the surgeon in the immersive experience using google cardboard and their mobile phone. Here’s a feature about the event from the BBC:
Time to add 360-degree to your video strategy?
Across the whole medical sphere from pharma brands to healthcare professionals and educators, 360-degree video and VR will be invaluable in creating content that makes medical complexity easier to digest and puts the user in the heart of the action.
All the same rules for medical video content apply, from combining emotion and logic to ensuring a high level of accuracy and complying with regulations. However, if you can get 360-degree video content right, there are healthy rewards.
If you’re interested in 360-degree video marketing, click below to get in touch.
