Virtual reality versus classic presentations of mass media campaigns: Effectiveness and psychological mechanisms using the example of environmental protection

Virtual reality (VR) and 360° VR videos are increasingly important for media advertising campaigns due to their immersive potential. This particularly applies to topics many recipients find difficult to grasp, including environmental protection issues. However, previous research on the effects of 360° VR videos on users' environmental attitudes and behavioural intentions, compared to more traditional media, came to mixed results and lacked a consistent approach regarding the considered presentation modes and mediating mechanisms. To address this circumstance, we compare the effects of 360° VR videos with 2D video, audio, and printed text, and examine the potential roles of spatial presence, narrative transportation, and affect. We presented three environmental protection documentaries in one of the four presentation modes to the participants, who then rated their experiences as well as their environmental protection and donation intentions. We analysed data from 128 participants and examined the main effects of presentation mode (360° VR video vs. 2D video vs. audio vs. text) on spatial presence, narrative transportation, and positive and negative affect as well as indirect effects of presentation mode on participants’ environmental and donation intentions via these four psychological mechanisms. Results revealed that the 360° VR video condition evoked significantly stronger feelings of spatial presence, narrative transportation, and positive affect than the other conditions. We also found significant indirect effects of presentation mode on environmental protection and donation intentions via narrative transportation. These results emphasise the relevance of the narrative for virtual marketing campaigns and the need to consider mediators in VR research.