Over the past year, 360° photos and videos have taken the internet by storm.
We’ve seen them used in Redbull and GoPro marketing, computer-generated Star Wars planets, and even a LeBron James workout.
We have also seen tech giants getting in on the 360° movement: YouTube is charging ahead with 360° video, and Facebook has plans to load our newsfeeds with 360° photos and videos. And manufacturers like Samsung, GoPro, and Rico are working to create mass-market 360° cameras that will let any user create and upload 360° content.
With 360° content gaining traction, we take a look at where we 360° photos and videos stand today, where they are heading, and how they are being used effectively.
What is 360° Content?
Before we begin, let’s cover exactly what 360° content is.
360° or ‘spherical’ videos and photos are shot in all directions, which allows viewers to see the video or image from any angle, and get a more immersive, interactive look at the content.
This 360° YouTube video below is a great example of this type of content (note: requires Chrome browser).
As opposed to a traditional photo or video, a user's experience isn't constrained by the direction the camera is pointing.
On a desktop, viewers can use a mouse or keyboard to scroll around and the image and change their perspective; on mobile, users pan around with their devices to change the view. The videos and photos can also be viewed through VR tech like Oculus Rift, or Google Cardboard.
Here’s another example of a 360° Photo on Facebook, posted by Mark Zuckerberg:
What distinguishes 360° videos or photos from traditional photos and videos is that you are allowing users to experience something as if they were actually there – like the front row of a concert or the driver’s seat of a race car – by giving you access to the whole moment, rather than the silver that was captured where the device was pointed.
360° Status Update
While 360° photo and video technology has
existed since the 90's, it’s only recently that it has moved into the mainstream - and it looks like it’s set to experience a
boom in growth in the rest of 2016.
The biggest players in the 360° publishing world (for now) are the aforementioned Facebook and YouTube. They’re the only sites that display user-generated 360° content, and they’re both heavily investing in the technology.
Facebook, in particular, is forging ahead with their 360° push: they’re hosting 360° videos from high-profile content creators, including VICE, Saturday Night Live, Discovery, GoPro, and Star Wars.
The biggest development in 360° photos and videos, though, might be the long-anticipated arrival of mass-market 360° cameras. Until recently, 360° cameras were priced out of reach for average consumers, and while there are still only a few cameras with a sub-$1,000 price tag, their ranks are growing fast.
Samsung has just released the Gear 360 VR camera, Ricoh has its Theta S, Kodak has the SP360 Action Cam and GoPro has announced its plans to release one soon.
Facebook has even produced its own 360° camera to drive adoption of the format.
How are they being used?
As 360° photo and video become more ubiquitous and changes our thinking about what digital videos and images are, and can be - a new world of opportunity is opening up.
So how is 360° technology being used successfully today? Here’s how some brands we are effectively using this new technology:
Go Pro: Telling a brand story
360° content makes a great medium for telling meaningful, engaging stories to viewers and creating positive brand associations because it immerses viewers in the story in a way traditional photos and videos don't.
GoPro is a great example of this. In the above video, they’ve used 360° tech to bring people in and experience what their brand is all about. It’s not about selling a product, necessarily – it’s about immersing people in an experience that best represents their brand and help create those positive brand associations.
The storytelling approach is one of the most common applications of 360° content, and it’s being used for things beyond commercial brand-awareness. For example, some charities have embraced 360° videos to tell stories about their causes.
Bjork’s Stonemilker video: Creating buzz
Right now 360° photos and videos benefit from still being novel: People aren’t used to seeing them, so they’re a great way to generate buzz and excitement.
Since the marketplace isn’t crowded yet, anyone using 360° stands out.
Take the release of Bjork’s music video for her song ‘Stonemilker’ for example. It previewed at a Bjork retrospective at MOMA, and became a major talking point for the exhibition, and for Bjork’s music (the video has 3M views, her third most popular upload).
The video is also worth a watch because its use of 360° views and user interactivity is particularly great.
Redbull: Showcasing products
360° views can also be used to give customers a super detailed, interactive look at products. There are many industries where this particular application could come in handy, from real estate to cars to clothes.
This Redbull video is a good indication of where this kind of application could take us. The video gives viewers an inside look at the car and let’s them experience it for themselves. It may be the closest thing to taking it for a test drive without having to leave your couch, and definitely a step beyond what a traditional video could do.
Granted, most of us aren’t looking to actually buy a race car – but imagine if the video was showing you what it was like to stand in the living room of a house you want to rent, or trip you wanted to plan or gallery you wanted to visit. Pretty useful, right?
Saturday Night Live: Broadcasting live events
For their 40th anniversary special, Saturday Night Live broadcasted a 360° video of the Q and A portion of the event to give viewers the sensation of being there live, in the front row of the studio audience.
Music festivals and concerts are also using 360° videos to get people at home in on the action and drum up enthusiasm for their events. Check out this example from last year’s Bonnaroo festival.
Wrap Up
360° photos and videos will continue to evolve from where they are today, but they have started to give us a glimpse of a new world of opportunities.
Whether sharing a story, a brand, a product or a live moment - 360° content is creating new ways for people to engage with those events.
As the community around 360° visual content grows, more new and novel ways this technology is put to use will appear. For now, we are at an exciting point where costs are coming down and the technology is being democratized, allowing for a whole generation of visual artists to explore a new dimension to the content they create.
