Salmon in virtual reality gives customers a completely new experience
The glasses, which give you a 360-degree movie experience, have been taken all over the world by the sales and marketing manager, Eirik Nikolaisen.
-“The VR experience gives the viewer a completely new impression of our industry, and the vast majority of people are wide-eyed with excitement when they ´come back´ to the real world again,” says Nikolaisen.
Technology in focus
Many may still think of the farming industry as relying on manual processes, but that is far from the truth.
-“We are a high-tech business in all aspects, from the production and processing of the salmon, to the internal and external processes of sales and logistics. We wanted to show this to our existing and future partners, without the need to physically visit our locations,” he explains.
Nordlaks is currently the only player at the fairs to-date who has made this investment.
-“VR glasses provide an understanding of our industry and a feel for our environment, which cannot be communicated with a traditional PowerPoint presentation. At the trade fairs we are already changing the perception of our industry,” says Nikolaisen.
Curious? Here you can see the whole process in virtual reality:
(For the best viewing experience, select the minimum playback quality of 1080p HD)
A great success
Thus far, Nordlaks has taken the VR glasses to Boston, Seoul, Barcelona, Bangkok and Tokyo, and it has generated great interest.
-“Currently, the Norwegian Seafood Council has taken the glasses to South Korea where ambassadors, politicians and journalists will experience the VR presentation. Clearly the project’s success reflects an interest in the industry as a whole not just for us at Nordlaks,” says Nikolaisen.
Over a thousand people from all over the world have «visited» Vesterålen at Nordlaks’ virtually via the VR headset.
-“Of these, between fifty and a hundred have been new customers with which we are now negotiating agreements. With the increased capacity our new facility at Havfarmen has given us, this is an effective tool that can help us expand. “
Marketing cooperation with customers
Nordlaks also has other plans for using virtual reality.
– “Customer events utilizing VR glasses is an obvious possibility, but the bigger goal is to build a digital infrastructure that makes content available to our customers so they can then use in it their own marketing material. For example, a restaurant in Milan can give its guests a VR experience while they read the menu, and then be served salmon from that particular location,” explains Nikolaisen enthusiastically.
We are creating the future
The investment in VR glasses and content that is tailored for this purpose is a strategic move that Nordlaks has made quite deliberately.
– “It puts us on the map as a forward-leaning actor who dares to think differently in a fairly traditional arena, which trade fairs are. Our vision is to help shape the future, and that is exactly what we are doing here,” concludes the sales and marketing manager.