Google Daydream adds measurements for app install campaigns, in-app behaviors

Dive Brief:

• Mobile marketing firm Tenjin has added attribution and analytics support for apps on Daydream, Google’s mobile virtual reality platform, the company revealed in a press release provided to Mobile Marketer.  
• The move means app developers like The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Hulu, Netflix and others can track the effectiveness of Daydream app install campaigns and analyze users’ in-app behaviors with an eye toward measuring users’ lifetime value and driving return on investment. 
• Tenjin purports to be the first platform to combine advertising cost data with in-app payment revenue and ad revenue to provide marketers with the total ROI for users. 

Dive Insight:

Daydream is Google’s attempt at providing a VR platform with broader appeal for an audience beyond just gamers. The Daydream View headset is made with lightweight fabric so it has a softer look than typical headsets and it pairs with several Daydream-ready phones so the overall investment for consumers is lower to get up and running with VR.

Despite a lot of hype around VR in the past year, it is still struggling to gain widespread adoption. Recent Forrester Research on U.S. online adults found that 42% have never heard of VR headsets and 46% don’t see a use for the technology in their lives.

For Daydream to attract more users, it needs to have a wealth of appealing apps and one way the platform can lure more developers onto the platform is with analytics, hence the significance of the Tenjin news.

Google’s lower price point could end up being an important point of differentiation, at least in the early days of VR. Facebook recently dropped the price for its Oculus PC VR system by 30% to attract more users and developers while several Oculus stations have closed.

Google’s partnership with Tenjin is just one of the ways those who already have a stake in VR are trying to drive the business forward. HTC recently opened a pop-up VR arcade for the Vive headset. Sony is taking a similar approach and will bring its Playstation VR headset to arcades and other entertainment locations in Japan following a slower-than-expected adoption rate.