You! Yes, you reading this! Click on the link!
Once upon a time, physical boundaries were clear and established. Then artists started playing with conventional perceptions. Falstaff talks directly to the audience in Shakespeare. Greek actors play from within the audience.
Art has always played on conventional perceptions and boundaries, making fantasy spill out into the audience’s reality. This tradition is very much alive, as you saw in the movies Deadpool or Venom. It has been given a new boost by cutting technologies.
Did you ever saw one of those Chinese 3D LED screens ads or the purring cat in Shinjuku?
VR and AR are unprecedented opportunities to breach the 4th wall. It is not anymore art, theatres or movies. It is anywhere and everywhere.
Why bother?
Using the 4th wall demonstrates your mastery of the latest communication tools and your understanding of the opportunities. It also creates incredible intimacy with your audience. After all, that is why theatre scripts were using it! You move from a 2D picture world, of sounds and images, into the physical reality of the audience. Quite literally, you break established conventions.
This is not only eye-popping 3D or XR tech. It is possibly seamlessly engaging by meshing WIFI/NFC/smartphone, physical presence and displays. You could for example create an experience through links between that ticket, this concert, that game, your trip and reward a visitor with some freebies.
We are in a world where customers choose how to spend their time. You do not “capture” your customer, neither do you “invite” them. You lay out some breath crumbs for your customer to connect the dots, for them to join.
Want your customer to spend some time with you? How best than to create some connivance with them.
Even if you have great content, great products or even great concerts to offer, it always works best when your consumers have the impression that the idea comes from them.
