Ep. 49: Leveraging VR to Make Ads an Experience with Ara Parikh and Michael Rucker of OmniVirt

VR is about immersion. Rather than simply witnessing an experience, we become a part of it. Imagine the advantage for brands and publishers if their content could leverage that same kind of engagement, creating ads that include us in an immersive media experience. OmniVirt is a VR and AR advertising platform for brands and publishers with the capacity to distribute 360° video content that audiences can view with one tap—no app installation or headset required. The company seeks to help creators monetize their videos on the web, and they serve high-profile clients like The New York Times, Universal Pictures and VICE, among many others. COO Michael Rucker spent seven years at YouTube before co-founding OmniVirt, and Ara Parikh served as an emerging media analyst at Innosight before becoming the head of product marketing. Ara and Michael join us today to explain how OmniVirt helps brands and publishers distribute and monetize immersive media experiences. We discuss the OmniVirt’s competitive advantage, exploring the reasons why publishers are increasingly investing in their own sites. Ara and Michael share their first VR experiences and explore the significance of creating compelling VR content. Listen in to understand the top use cases for VR in advertising and learn the value in making ads an experience.