Beyond the Screen: XR Ads Outperform 2D in Engaging Audiences, Study Reveals
MESON’s Immersive Showroom proves higher understanding, empathy, and purchase intent with spatial experiences.
株式会社MESON, a Tokyo-based company pioneering spatial intelligence with AI and XR, has conducted a pivotal study confirming the superior advertising effects of XR experiences over conventional 2D video ads. Utilizing their proprietary spatial experience platform, “Immersive Showroom,” the research found that XR-based advertisements significantly boost consumer “understanding,” “empathy,” and “purchase intent.” These findings have been formally published as a paper on arXiv, marking a significant step in the evolution of advertising.
This groundbreaking experiment aims to elevate the design of XR experiences, transforming how people interact with products and brands and ultimately driving behavioral change. As XR technology continues to integrate into various sectors, quantifying its impact against traditional methods becomes crucial for its broader adoption in advertising and promotion.
Unveiling Immersive Showroom
Immersive Showroom is MESON’s spatial experience platform, specifically designed for Apple Vision Pro. It transcends the limitations of 2D media by combining 3D models and volumetric video to deliver product and brand stories as rich, interactive “experiences.” This approach deepens understanding and empathy in ways flat screens simply cannot.
Key features of Immersive Showroom include:
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Enhanced Understanding & Empathy: Users actively explore products and scenarios from multiple viewpoints, making it easier to grasp features and usage contexts in a tangible, spatial manner.
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Intuitive Operation: Seamless control via iPad/iPhone allows for easy progression of the experience, simplifying management for presenters.
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Streamlined User Journey: Eliminating the need for eye-tracking or hand-tracking setup, it enables first-time users to dive into the experience quickly.
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Multi-person Engagement: Up to seven individuals can simultaneously view and share the same content, making it ideal for exhibitions, business negotiations, showrooms, and internal corporate briefings where conveying value through “experience” is paramount.
For a deeper dive into Immersive Showroom’s capabilities and potential applications, visit the dedicated website: Immersive Showroom Details
The Research That Proves XR’s Power
The study aimed to quantitatively compare the effects of XR advertising experiences, delivered via Immersive Showroom, against 2D video ads. While XR technology is increasingly adopted in advertising, robust quantitative data on its effectiveness compared to 2D formats has been scarce. This research sought to fill that gap by examining how XR experiences influence user “understanding,” “empathy,” and “purchase intent.”
Experiment Overview
For the experiment, advertisements for architectural and automotive products were created under two conditions: an “XR experience condition” (using Immersive Showroom on Apple Vision Pro) and a “2D video ad condition.” Eighteen participants, independent of any vested interests, evaluated both conditions using a rating scale method. The order of experience was randomized to account for sequence effects.
Advertising effectiveness was measured using elements of the widely recognized CAB model (Cognitive / Affective / Behavioural):
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Understanding (Cognitive): How well participants comprehended the ad content and product features.
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Empathy (Affective): The degree to which participants resonated with the brand story and concept.
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Purchase Intent (Behavioural): The inclination to take action, such as purchasing, using, or inquiring about the product.
The collected data was analyzed using a two-way ANOVA with viewing condition and evaluation metric as factors, along with parallel mediation analysis where understanding and empathy were dependent variables and purchase intent was the objective variable.
Striking Results
The results were conclusive: the XR condition significantly outperformed the 2D condition across all three metrics (p < 0.01). “Understanding” increased by approximately 145%, “empathy” by 146%, and “purchase intent” by 140% in the XR condition compared to the 2D condition. The study also revealed that “empathy” significantly mediated “purchase intent” (p < 0.05), while “understanding” did not show a direct significant mediation.
This research truly highlights how XR isn’t just a visual upgrade; it’s a leap in emotional connection, transforming passive viewing into active engagement that resonates deeply with potential customers. The ability for users to actively interact by shifting their gaze or approaching virtual objects in XR likely makes products and brands feel more immediate and personal than in 2D videos. This active engagement allows for a more profound reception of value and worldviews as an “experience,” contributing to the heightened advertising effects.
While understanding increased, its direct link to purchase intent was not significant in this specific experiment. This might be attributed to the abstract nature of the audio narration used to minimize bias from brand image or specific product recall. Moving forward, incorporating specific information design (e.g., highlighting key points, auditory cues) to convey product appeal and differentiation could further enhance both understanding and empathy, thereby strengthening purchase intent.
The Future of Immersive Marketing
These findings suggest that XR experiences can significantly boost emotional involvement and influence behavioral intentions. MESON plans to leverage this insight to develop experience designs that effectively balance both empathy arousal and understanding support within XR environments. The goal is to expand the marketing potential of XR experiences, communicating product and brand appeal in ways traditional media cannot, and fostering strong emotional connections.
MESON envisions applying this knowledge to various real-world settings, such as showrooms, retail spaces, exhibitions, and corporate briefings, in conjunction with physical environments. This will pave the way for new forms of customer experience and decision-making support, powered by spatial intelligence.
Access the Full Research
The full research paper, titled “Immersive XR That Moves People: How XR Advertising Transforms Comprehension, Empathy, and Behavioural Intention,” was published on arXiv on January 14, 2026. A Japanese abstract is also available as a whitepaper on MESON’s corporate website.
For a more in-depth look, including multivariate analysis and detailed mediation analysis results, please refer to the following links:
About MESON Inc.
MESON Inc. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Yuki Kobayashi) is a startup committed to “expanding perspectives” by integrating XR and AI for spatial intelligence in society. They support the creation of new experiential value through this fusion, assisting companies from the initial stages of problem identification. Their Proof of Concept (PoC) initiatives include mechanisms for quantitatively measuring experiential effects, providing comprehensive support for both technological and business implementation and verification.
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Website: https://www.meson.tokyo/
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X (formerly Twitter) Official Account: https://twitter.com/MESON_TOKYO
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Case Studies: https://www.meson.tokyo/cases/
