”Virtual Reality is going to change the way we live and work and communicate.”
– Mark Zuckerberg, 2016
While the technology has been around for decades, virtual reality – the promise of being able to be virtually transported to a different environment – has been held back by technical limitations. But now, the technology is finally catching up with the dream. 2016 will be the tipping point, where virtual will become mainstream and take its place as a legitimate force in marketing, entertainment and communication.
The immersive nature of the experience makes it a unique and powerful tool for brands to engage with consumers, to educate them and even to directly sell to them. The possibilities are endless.
C2K first recognized the potential for VR in 2013 and has for the past three years been applying its creative savvy in creating ground-breaking work in the virtual reality space, developing projects for such clients as Toyota, AbbVie and Mundipharma.
“Understanding the technology is only the beginning,” says Rod Findley, Executive Creative Director, “The real skill in creating a successful VR piece is in crafting a story that utilizes the strengths of the platform to really engage a user.” C2K, as a hybrid creative agency and production house with offices in LA, Tokyo and Dubai, has the ability to conceive, execute and deliver cutting-edge VR pieces for clients in the US, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
Client Need: To introduce its new Toyota Safety Sense features to consumers in a novel and engaging way.
Our Solution: A virtual reality experience where the user went on a “ride-along” with one of the crash test dummies that developed the system and experienced the safety features first hand in an immersive and visceral way. The Oculus Rift-based VR combined with a Sub-Pac speaker system to give the vibrations of really driving, gave users a true-to-life appreciation of exactly how the features worked in an entertaining three-minute experience.
A Google Cardboard-compatible version was also created to allow distributors to download the app and experience it individually wherever they were.
Results: First debuted at the New York Auto Show in 2015, the experience was a huge crowd pleaser. It was rolled out in 70+ shows across the United States. A European version was developed for the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2015 and Chinese and Japanese versions have been deployed in shows across Asia.
Client Need: To engage with physicians at medical congresses in the Middle East region and show the difficulties of living with Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Our Solution: A game-like virtual reality experience where the user navigated through a realistic home setting all created in CG. With a slightly game-style interface, the user moves through the space using an Xbox controller to find the six hotspots in the environment each representing an everyday activity that would be difficult for the AR sufferer to accomplish, from opening a sliding door, to using a knife in the kitchen to going upstairs to the bedroom.
Results: An immersive window into the world of someone with RA, the piece successfully gave the physician-users a first-hand experience of what an RA sufferer experiences everyday and a good introduction to one option for treatment, Humira.
