Just under two years ago, our team at Bravo Media was lucky to receive the Oculus Rift DK1. Even with the resolution and latency issues, it was clear to us that this was far more than a gimmick.

Two years later and we have produced custom virtual reality experiences for mining giant Rio Tinto and financial services powerhouse AXA. Currently, we are working on a second project for Rio Tinto and new projects for KPMG, Bloomberg and others. Far from a flash in the pan or 3D television, virtual reality is a game-changing platform that should not be ignored.

Here are 5 reasons you and your company should consider making virtual reality a part of your sales and marketing efforts.

1) It's Not Just for Gamers - Clearly, video games, especially first-person shooters like Halo and Medal of Honor, are perfect for VR. In fact, those who have tried it out say they can never go back to traditional gaming. The reason is that the VR technology places you inside the action, increasing the intensity our "fight or flight" response. This same sense of heightened reality can deliver the visceral power of natural disasters and the need for proper insurance or the restorative benefits of a week at a beachfront resort.

2) Undivided Attention, Guaranteed - To say we live in a distracted time is a massive understatement. At any given moment, regardless of what we are supposed to be paying attention to, we are checking alerts on our phones, reading the latest emails, scanning a Twitter feed or, at the very least, considering doing all of these tasks. All that changes when a user puts on a VR headset. At that moment, the rest of the world literally drops away. Not only is your entire field of vision filled but, with the addition of headphones, your aural space is filled, as well. Short of a nearby explosion, nothing will distract you from the experience.

3) It's Stickier than SuperGlue - One key metric of success for any marketing campaign is how long it stays front of mind. The images displayed during a virtual reality experience leave a brain tattoo that will take a long time to dissipate. While scientific data is still forthcoming, interviews with our previous clients highlight the staying power of key messages when incorporated into a VR experience.

4) A Wide Open Field - As with any new technology, there are advantages to being an early adopter. Although it won't last forever, very few brands are incorporating VR experiences into their sales and marketing efforts. In fact, the brands we have worked with benefited greatly from offering the only VR experience at their trade show or conference. This garnered them tons of attention from both the press and attendees. For AXA, it resulted in a 400% increase in booth traffic.

5) You Can Give it Away - Although the full Oculus Rift package is not yet for sale and the GearVR ends up costing around $1000 if you include the smartphone, there is now an open source VR viewer known as Cardboard. These simple viewers can be custom printed for as little as $5/unit and can be combined with a custom app that can be downloaded from both the Android and iOS app stores. For our trade show clients this means not only can they offer a killer VR experience in their booth but they can expand the reach of that experience far beyond the convention center.

So, it's time to decide if you are going to jump in and take full advantage of this powerful new sales and marketing tool or wait until your competitor beats you to the mark.

Want to learn more? Drop me an email - david@bravomedia.com.