Tjäreborg takes customers to mobile virtual tours - virtual reality and 360-video have great potential for travel industry

Tjäreborg launches first in Finland an interactive mobile marketing campaign with 360-degree videos. The videos produced with Finnish 360-video company FinCloud Ltd. take customers to see and experience New York and London virtually. With virtual technology travel industry brings customer experience to the next level.

The significance of web and especially mobile usage has grown also for the travel industry. For most travellers the holiday of dreams starts online.

“This year we have seen a tremendous growth in both mobile sessions and purchases from smartphones. The growth in mobile sales was an impressive 170 percent year-over-year”, explains Hans Broman, Web and E-commerce Manager at Tjäreborg.

Tjäreborg offers a possibility to take an interactive mobile tour around two big cities. With 360-video technology customers can virtually cruise around New York and London. They can explore and experience the destinations and even move within altogether 16 video clips. The interactive 360-video campaign with multiple videos is first of its kind in Finland.

“360-degree video is the next step from the traditional panorama images. Virtual technology and 360-video are great tools in creating immersive remote experiences, just like being in there”, explains Juha Kela, Executive Vice President of FinCloud Ltd., producer of the campaign videos for Tjäreborg.

”As a media agency, we’re always pushing ourselves to be on the edge of new technological and cultural possibilities. Virtual reality is certainly intriguing instrument for brands and advertisers to extend their storytelling to new levels. We are very happy we can be forerunners together with Tjäreborg in this revolution that will shake the media consumption and the way we humans experience things in the following years.” explains  Lasse Iskanius, Head of Digital Carat Finland, media-agency partner and project innovator.

The videos function with mobile devices without special glasses. Besides getting to know the destination, in the future it could also be possible to explore different types of hotels and hotel rooms before making the purchasing decision. Producing real time live 360-degree video stream is also possible.

The first step towards virtual tours
For Tjäreborg the 360-degree videos are a new possibility to serve customers better. 360 videos are the first step towards virtual tours. In the future even the farthest locations are at reach during lunch break. Witnessing a beautiful sunset at your favorite hotel’s balcony in real time could be a special treat after a busy week.

“Virtual reality combined with good storytelling and content marketing gives marketers powerful tools to step out from ordinary advertising. When it comes to mobile advertising, virtual reality is a great opportunity to get customers to spend more time with our brand and our products. After all, we are partly selling holiday dreams”, notes Anu Koskinen, Marketing Manager at Tjäreborg.

Tjäreborg’s 360-degree virtual tour campaign starts September 25th. The videos are available in YouTube, Facebook and also on Sanoma and Adform platforms. A total of sixteen clips from the best-known places in New York and London are included.

Experience a big city virtual tour here: www.360tjareborg.fi

Additional information:
Anu Koskinen, Marketing Manager, +358 50 4104027, anu.koskinen@tjareborg.fi