Tag Archives: Google

Las Vegas VR is Virtually (and Literally) Amazing

September 26, 2016 Allie Edwards, Assistant PR Account Executive Comment

Vegas VR, Las Vegas’ virtual reality app, sure knows how to get around. Since its debut in March 2016, the app has been downloaded over 11,200 times; has traveled to more than 10 countries; and has been incorporated into over 20 events, activations and trade shows globally.

Las Vegas has quickly become a leader in the virtual reality (VR) destination marketing field and is still one of the only destinations globally to incorporate virtual reality into its marketing efforts and to have a VR app.

Vegas Goes Virtual

For over 35 years, R&R Partners has been the communications agency of record for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA). Campaigns like “What happens here, stays here^®” were responsible for creating the modern Las Vegas brand that attracts more than 42 million visitors annually.

But, in order to keep campaigning fresh and relevant, R&R Partners envisioned a new direction for positioning the brand that would tap into the visceral and deeply emotional reasons visitors connect with the city. Thus, Vegas VR, Las Vegas’ virtual reality app, was born.

“Las Vegas is always looking for innovative ways to engage visitors. The VR app allows us to showcase the destination to first-time visitors and remind Vegas enthusiasts about all of the unique offerings,” said Cathy Tull, senior vice president of marketing for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. “Vegas VR gives our visitors a new way to connect with Las Vegas.”

When using Vegas VR, consumers are directly connected with a series of original 360-degree interactive videos that become immersive virtual reality experiences when used with a VR viewer compatible with smartphones, such as Google Cardboard and Samsung Gear VR.

From zip-lining through the Fremont Street Experience aboard Slotzilla, to being serenaded on an authentic gondola ride through The Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian and more, Vegas VR places trade show delegates, consumers and would-be visitors alike into some of the most iconic Las Vegas experiences.

A City Seen ‘Round the World

Las Vegas became one of the first destinations to utilize virtual reality technology in March 2016 when Vegas VR was showcased during the ITB travel trade show in Berlin, Germany.

Domestically, the LVCVA introduced the destination’s virtual reality technology to industry and tech media at the 2016 South by Southwest^® (SXSW^®) Conference and Festivals in Austin, Texas, which celebrates the convergence of the interactive, film and music industries.

Since its initial debut, it has continued to be used on a global scale. From trade shows, to media events and consumer brand activations, Vegas VR continues to shine.

Over summer 2016, Vegas VR went through its first major refresh, which brought new content and a new design. Additional features were added to some of the videos, including fact overlays, scene-change capabilities and time-lapse footage.

Reality Check

The LVCVA’s foray into VR technology started about two years ago when it partnered with Google on GeoVegas, a site that featured steerable 360-degree photos and videos inside Vegas hotels and attractions. It functioned like a digital walk-through, enabling viewers to tour a hotel, nightclub or restaurant.

To create the VR content, R&R Partners worked with the LVCVA and its destination partners to film 360-degree videos of experiences that only exist in Las Vegas using a Pro7 360 Plug-N-Play Holder and seven GoPro Hero 4 Black cameras, professional tools used for filming virtual reality 360-degree content in various environments.

Once the videos were created and stitched together, R&R Partners worked with Wemersive to create the Vegas VR app users can download today. Depending on the content of the video, the entire process can take anywhere from one to six weeks to create.

Vegas VR continues to be one of the most accessible VR apps on the market. All users need is the app, a smartphone and a cardboard viewer. Even without a cardboard viewer, users are able to watch all of the 360-degree videos on the app and interact with the videos using gyroscope, swipe and zoom functions without using additional virtual reality technology.

Looking Ahead

The Vegas VR app has been downloaded more than 11,200 times. The LVCVA has also distributed its virtual reality content through social media channels and other digital platforms where they’ve received over 17 million views.

The LVCVA and R&R Partners are always looking for new content and will continue to create and add new VR experiences to the app. Moving forward, the LVCVA and R&R Partners will look to add storytelling elements to the VR content and continue to use new elements such as the fact overlays, multiscene capabilities and time-lapse elements.

Vegas VR is available for iOS and Android platforms and is free to download here or through the App Store and Google Play. A selection of 360-degree videos are also available to view on Las Vegas’ YouTube channel.

The LVCVA has also launched VIVA, a dynamic and engaging platform that captures the best Las Vegas has to offer through original destination digital content, and WhereToVegas, a mobile app that provides visitors with a social heat map of trending locations and events in Las Vegas, helping visitors maximize their Vegas vacation experience by informing them of the “hot spots” in town during their stay.

Mobilegeddon? Google’s latest algorithm update

April 21, 2015 R&R Partners Comment

The end of search as we know it?

Well, not quite, unless you haven’t adapted your website to shift with the ever-growing mobile consumption rate. Beginning on April 21, 2015, Google will begin including mobile friendliness as a ranking signal within its search algorithm. Word on the street is that this new ranking algorithm will have more impact on Google’s search results than the previous Panda and Penguin updates ever had. Pages that are not mobile-friendly may experience a loss in rankings and subsequent traffic. Alternatively, websites that are created for mobile, via WAP, or adaptive or responsive designs will potentially benefit from the update based on their priority in Google’s results and the updated sort order of their competitors.

Is this a surprise?

Not at all. Not only has mobile search been on the incline since 2007, it’s also forecasted to surpass desktop search this year in both volume and ad spend this year. Google has also reported that more than 50 percent of searches are done on mobile devices, thus they want to create the best user experience for searchers. Search marketers have forecasted this change for a while, since Google announced that the “mobile-friendly” label and weighting had been integrated into mobile search last November.

What’s next?

Essentially, you need to think like your consumer because what is good for the searcher is often good for improving SEO. This update will impact Google’s mobile searches, specific to smartphones and will now be separate from Google’s desktop searches. You will not see a sitewide ranking improvement or drop, as rankings will be applied on a page-by-page basis. This provides the opportunity for you to provide a mobile alternative for users without having to redesign your entire website to be mobile friendly. The update will actually take several days to a week before it completely takes affect. This is a great time to adapt your website accordingly, while also gaining an advantage over competitors that may not have mobile-friendly versions of sites. You may also potentially lower your mobile SEM costs since your overall quality score and ranking will naturally exceed others that have not prepared for this change. In summary, be mobile forward; consumers continue to be a driving force of its growth and the customer is always right.

A beast that needs attention

November 2, 2012 R&R Partners Comment

Being the third most visited site in the world is not an easy task. YouTube ranks just behind the giants of Google and Facebook as the most visited websites on the internet. This comes as no surprise. The power for people to capture themselves through video is easy enough for a 3-year-old to manage, but how do brands and organizations leverage YouTube to their advantage?

Old Spice’s YouTube brand channel.

According to YouTube, 72 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute, which equates to 3 billion hours watched each month. These types of numbers are mind-boggling and the ripple effect reaches far outside of YouTube itself. More than 500 years of YouTube videos are watched on Facebook and 700 videos per minute find themselves on Twitter.

No doubt a powerful tool, but most brands upload their TV spots, or try to think of something so funny and outrageous hoping that it will be the next “viral video.” Unfortunately, this is very difficult to achieve on YouTube. While this can happen, you have better chances of taking the money you spent doing this and doubling down at the nearest casino.

Companies such as Old Spice, Red Bull, and Go-Pro have found that YouTube can help drive exposure, but they are the few that have found success. Almost all companies find themselves spending a lot of money with little to no results, thus deeming it as a marketing failure. To avoid complete and udder failure here are five starter tips for marketers and brands to follow:

1^st – YouTube is its own platform; content should be unique and should be well thought out.

2^nd –Make sure that you promote your video(s) through YouTube using Google platforms. Spend money to help get some eyeballs and help leverage your plan.

3^rd– Make sure that you plan your strategy ahead of time. Are you looking for views or do you want people to take action?

4^th– Consider using YouTube celebrities (people already on YouTube that have thousands to millions of views and subscribers) for brand integrations and product placements.

5^th– Ensure that your YouTube plan fits well with branding and other marketing strategies; YouTube can help you leverage your current and future goals within social media.

Success on YouTube can be very challenging, but using these basic tips can help you get on the right track. YouTube is a platform that allows you to target the audience you want, which keeps advertisers coming back. If you’re nice to YouTube it will be nice to you.

This Week in Travel & Tourism — 8/20/2012

August 27, 2012 R&R Partners Comment

INTERNATIONAL

Mexico City efforts include medical tourism, green programs

Mexico City is on the move with new initiatives and programs designed to garner specific market segments, capitalize on the destination’s myriad offerings and showcase its total product line. The city’s minister of tourism, Carlos Mackinlay, said that “tourism is a key economic generator of Mexico City,” representing 7% of its gross domestic product.

DOMESTIC

USTA will highlight importance of travel at political conventions

The U.S. Travel Association has announced its Vote Travel 2.0 plans for the upcoming Republican and Democratic national conventions. The multipronged initiative seeks to inform policymakers about the crucial economic role of travel and tourism. “We are pushing a message that will stay with attendees — that the travel industry generates $1.9 trillion in economic output and includes 14 million of U.S. jobs — and without it, the conventions wouldn’t be possible,” said Blain Rethmeier, U.S. Travel’s senior vice president for public affairs.

AIRLINE

Interjet applies to serve six U.S.-Mexico routes

Mexican carrier Interjet applied to the Department of Transportation for authorization to begin service on six U.S. routes. The routes are: Mexico City-Orange County, Calif.; Guadalajara-Orange County; San Jose del Cabo-Orange County; Toluca-Houston, Toluca-Chicago and Toluca-Las Vegas. Aeromexico and Volaris serve Las Vegas from Mexico City. Toluca is a secondary airport serving Mexico City.

JetBlue reportedly will boost flights to Colombia

JetBlue Airways is looking to increase its flights to Colombia, a newspaper based in Bogota, Colombia, reports. Portafolio also reported that JetBlue will add a route between Bogota and Puerto Rico in 2013. The carrier is also considering flights to Cali, Medellin and Barranquilla, the newspaper says.

Southwest explores flying outside continental U.S.

Southwest and Transport Workers Union’s Local 556 are waiting to see if flight attendants approve a measure that would allow the airline to fly routes to Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico and non-U.S. destinations. The union president says the deal would be a launching pad for the airline to plan for growth.

Window, aisle preferences could cost you

Airlines including US Airways, Spirit, American and Delta are imposing fees for window and aisle seats, two popular flier preferences. According to 2012 data from Expedia, 21% of customers chose window seats, while 20% preferred to sit along the aisle; the rest had no preference.

Airlines could continue to test demand with fare increases

A successful fare hike on trips shorter than 500 miles by Southwest Airlines could signal more airfare increases this year. “I think they are testing demand and they will continue to do it for the rest of the year,” said Rick Seaney, founder of the travel website Farecompare.com.

CRUISE

Agents are getting more online options for cruise training

More cruise lines are launching online cruise-training programs to improve agents’ skills in selling their products, this feature says. Training modules include destination education, brand orientation and sales and marketing training.

Cunard announces world itineraries for its 3 Queen cruise ships

Cunard Line has unveiled the 2014 world-cruise itineraries for its three Queen vessels — flagship Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth. Queen Mary 2 is set to visit 19 countries around the world with overnight port destinations including Hong Kong, Dubai, and Cape Town, South Africa. Queen Elizabeth will visit Japan for the first time with port calls in Kobe, Kochi, Nagasaki and Yokohama. Queen Victoria will traverse the globe on a 116-day sailing that will visit 40 ports in 19 countries.

Carnival tries out drinks program about the Carnival Victory

Carnival Cruise Lines is holding a trial run of its “My Awesome Bar Program,” giving passengers access to a variety of alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks for about $50 a day including tips. The package is available to passengers 21 and older aboard the Carnival Victory.

MGM

MGM Resorts proposes $800 million Massachusetts resort

MGM Resorts International has proposed building an $800 million entertainment-retail resort in Springfield, Mass., that would have 250 hotel rooms and 89,000 square feet of gaming space, as well as 200,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space.

ETC.

Hotels take up growing juice trend

Juice bars and juicing-themed packages are popping up in hotels in response to the growing wellness trend, this feature says. “Hotels have taken notice that their travelers, especially those that spend time in the spa, are looking to keep their bodies healthy on the road. These clients are not interested in spending time and money detoxing in the spa only to fill up on unhealthy, processed food,” said Linden Schaffer, director of wellness-travel firm Pravassa.

Google ignites speculation with Frommer’s acquisition

Google’s announcement last week that it would purchase Frommer’s, the iconic publisher of print and electronic travel guides, touched off a wave of speculation over the search giant’s motives and what the move might portend for the travel industry.