Emerging Trends 16 | SunMatrix Ramble

360 Videos on Facebook

Disney drops you into the Star Wars universe. You can pan around the scene and explore the world in 360 degrees as part of the launch hype for The Force Awakens. It is one of the first big brand uses of Facebook’s new 360-degree video support.

(View the video directly on Facebook by clicking on the above image.)

Next, GoPro pushes the same format into action sports. A 360-degree surf film with Anthony Walsh and Matahi Drollet lets you experience the ride in a more immersive, head-turning way than a standard clip.

(View the video directly on Facebook by clicking on the above image.)

Facebook makes 360 video a native format

In September, Facebook launches 360-degree video support. That matters because it turns a niche format into a platform behaviour. Here, “platform behaviour” means a default interaction the feed makes effortless for viewers. Because the interface gives viewers control over where to look inside the post, the format can carry discovery without asking people to install anything new.

For global brands publishing inside feed-first social platforms, distribution mechanics shape the creative more than the other way around.

Mobile rollout is the unlock

Facebook announces that 360 video support is rolling out to mobile devices, so it is no longer limited to desktop viewing. That is the moment the format becomes mainstream.

Brands should plan 360 video as a mobile-first unit of viewer control, not a desktop novelty.

The real question is whether your story still works when the viewer can look anywhere, not only where your edit points them.

Why brands care. Distribution scale

Facebook’s own numbers underline why marketers pay attention. The platform cites more than 8 billion video views from 500 million users on a daily basis (as referenced in the Q3 2015 earnings context). If 360 video becomes part of that daily habit, it is a meaningful new canvas for storytelling and experience marketing.

Extractable takeaway: When a platform makes a format native and mobile-first, distribution scale, not production polish, becomes the main differentiator for whether your experiment turns into repeatable marketing.

Facebook supports creators with a 360 hub

To accelerate adoption, Facebook launches a dedicated 360 video microsite with resources like upload guidelines, common questions, and best practices.

Practical moves for Facebook 360 video

Design for discovery: Assume the viewer will look away from the “main” action, so build the story world to reward exploration.
Make mobile the default: Treat handheld viewing and quick replays as the baseline, not an adaptation.
Ship where the habit already lives: Prioritize platform-native distribution over bespoke experiences that require new installs.
Plan guidance for creators early: If your team is producing the format repeatedly, document capture and upload rules so it stays scalable.

A few fast answers before you act

What launches the 360 format on Facebook in this post?

Facebook adds native support for 360-degree video, making it publishable and viewable directly in the feed.

Which two examples headline the post?

Disney promoting Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and GoPro publishing a 360 surf video featuring Anthony Walsh and Matahi Drollet.

What changes when mobile support rolls out?

360 viewing is no longer limited to desktop, so the format becomes accessible in everyday mobile usage.

What scale stats are cited to show why this matters?

More than 8 billion video views from 500 million users on a daily basis, cited in the Q3 2015 earnings context.

Where does Facebook publish creator guidance?

Facebook points creators to a dedicated 360 video microsite with upload guidelines, common questions, and best practices.

Klépierre: Inspiration Corridor

One of the biggest problems brick-and-mortar retailers face is that many consumers prefer the convenience of shopping online. So Klépierre, a European specialist in shopping center properties, decides to give customers a unique and personal window shopping experience that simultaneously advertises multiple brands available in its shopping center.

How the corridor turns browsing into a saved journey

The mechanism is a walk-in “inspiration corridor” that is described as using an infrared camera and live detection to adapt the interface to the visitor. The walls then show a curated set of products pulled from real-time inventory, and the visitor can tap items to add them to a personal shopping list. At the end, the selection syncs to the Klépierre mobile app, which then helps locate the chosen products in the mall.

Here, live detection means the corridor reads the visitor in the moment and adjusts what appears on the walls accordingly.

In European shopping centers, the winning retail experiences blend discovery and convenience, giving visitors a reason to browse physically while keeping the efficiency people associate with online shopping.

The result is a browse-first experience that keeps discovery and wayfinding in one flow.

Why this beats “more screens”

This lands because it does not ask shoppers to learn a new behavior. It upgrades a familiar one. Window shopping. The corridor simply makes browsing feel personal and actionable, then removes the “I’ll never find it again” friction by saving the picks and turning them into a navigable list. The stronger move is not to add more screens, but to make physical browsing easier to finish. That works because discovery, selection, and store-finding happen in one continuous interaction.

Extractable takeaway: If your category is losing visits to online convenience, do not fight browsing. Instrument it. Let people browse with their body language and taps, then hand them a saved list that makes the rest of the journey feel effortless.

The quiet business intent

The real question is whether one shared experience can turn mall-level discovery into measurable value for multiple tenants at once.

Klépierre is not only showcasing technology. It is selling a multi-brand promise. One interaction can route a shopper to several tenants, lift discovery across stores, and create measurable signals of interest without needing a single retailer to run the whole experience alone.

What mall operators should borrow

Curate across brands. A mall operator can create value by packaging discovery in a way individual stores cannot do alone.
Connect to live stock. Recommendations feel credible when they map to what is actually available right now.
Make saving the default. “Tap to add” is the key bridge from inspiration to purchase intent.
Close the loop with wayfinding. The experience should end with “here’s where to get it”, not just “wasn’t that cool”.
Design for low friction. The corridor should work in seconds, even for someone who did not plan to engage.

A few fast answers before you act

What is Klépierre’s Inspiration Corridor?

It is an in-mall interactive experience that personalizes product recommendations on surrounding walls and lets visitors tap to save items to a shopping list that syncs to the mall’s app.

How does the personalization work?

It is described as using live detection, for example via an infrared camera, to adapt recommendations and the interface to the visitor in the moment.

What problem does this solve versus standard mall advertising?

It turns passive promotion into active selection. Instead of only seeing brand messages, shoppers leave with a saved list and a practical path to find products.

What is the main metric to watch?

Saved items per session, app sync rates, store visit lift for featured tenants, and conversion from saved lists to purchases where measurement is possible.

What should you be careful about when deploying live detection?

Be explicit about what is being detected and why, keep the experience usable without any personal account setup, and avoid language that implies storing identities or profiling.

WestJet: Ultimate Las Vegas Upgrade

WestJet over the years has passionately given back to their guests with various unimaginable experiences.

Now in their latest campaign targeting Toronto to Las Vegas bound WestJet guests, they got Las Vegas comedian Carrot Top to offer guests a special walk down the red or blue carpet. Those who chose to walk down the red carpet continued on their vacation as they had originally planned. Those who chose the blue carpet went with Carrot Top on an action-filled experience that included a stunning acrobatic display, a world-class DJ, a private airplane hangar, showgirls, and VIP access to the best of the city.

A choice mechanic that turns boarding into a story

The mechanism is a fork in the road with immediate consequences. Here, the choice mechanic is a designed decision point where one visible choice changes the path and the story. You are offered a simple choice, red or blue, with no time to overthink it. The red path is “normal”. The blue path is “something is happening”, and the reveal escalates quickly once the choice is made.

In travel and service brands, surprise upgrades work best when they are structured as a clear decision point that people can instantly explain to someone else.

Why it lands

This works because it gives guests a feeling of control while still delivering surprise. That mechanism works because a visible fork creates ownership before the surprise arrives, which makes the payoff feel earned rather than random. The blue carpet is not a random selection. It is a self-chosen leap into the unknown, which makes the outcome feel more personal and more shareable. The red carpet also matters, because it preserves contrast and keeps the twist believable.

Extractable takeaway: If you want a surprise to travel, wrap it in a simple choice. Choice creates ownership, and ownership turns a brand moment into a story people repeat accurately.

The business intent behind the spectacle

This is a loyalty play disguised as entertainment. It reinforces the idea that flying can include delight, not just transport. It also creates a strong piece of proof that WestJet treats guests as people, which is the kind of narrative that outperforms feature lists in crowded travel categories.

The real question is whether a service brand can turn a routine travel moment into a story guests want to retell.

What travel brands can steal from this

Use a binary choice: two paths create instant tension and clear storytelling.
Reward curiosity: let the “brave” option unlock the best outcome, then show why.
Escalate fast: once the choice is made, deliver the first payoff immediately to lock attention.
Make it filmable: design reveals that work from a handheld camera in real environments.
Anchor to a destination truth: Las Vegas is already a promise of spectacle. The upgrade simply makes that promise feel real early.

A few fast answers before you act

What is the WestJet “Ultimate Las Vegas Upgrade”?

It is a surprise experience for Toronto to Las Vegas travelers where guests choose a red or blue carpet. Red continues as normal. Blue triggers a curated VIP Las Vegas experience led by Carrot Top.

Why use a red vs blue choice?

Because it is instantly understandable, it creates viewer control, and it gives the story a clean structure with contrast between normal and extraordinary.

What makes this effective airline marketing?

It makes service tangible. Instead of claiming “we care”, the brand demonstrates it through a memorable experience that guests can share and retell.

What is the reusable pattern for other brands?

Create a simple decision point in a real customer journey, then attach an escalating surprise to one path so customers feel they opted into the moment.

What is the biggest risk with this format?

If the reveal feels confusing or staged, the audience disengages. The choice must feel real, the payoff must feel earned, and the execution must respect guest comfort.