Creative Execution

To get people thinking about car safety, we created an interactive installation that let people crash test different cars. Custom-built using Oculus Rift and Unity 3D graphics people became crash test dummies and crashed two cars at 60km/h. One had a 2 star safety rating; the other a 5 star rating. After each crash the car’s performance was compared, showing how one could have saved their life. The crash physics were built using data from decades of crash tests and 50 million insurance claims. The simulator was inside a real car. The virtual action synchronised to hydraulics moving the car.

The biggest result was the number of consumers who engaged with the installation and changed their attitudes towards car safety. The installation saw 930,000 people in foot traffic with user generate social media of the simulator reaching a further 5,200,000 people. Delivering a safety message in this way earned 46,000,000 media impressions, appearing on seven national TV news shows, 127 radio stations, in every national newspaper and online around the world – that’s enough impressions for every person in Australia to experience the installation twice.

2014 started with more deaths on Australian roads than ever before. As the country’s largest insurer we wanted people to start thinking about car safety before it was too late. We created an branded outdoor installation that got people to reappraise the cars they drive and buy based on its safety ratings, rather than cosmetic features (like colour) which we know determine a majority of car purchases. We custom-built a simulator inside a crashed car that let people take different cars on a crash test drive. Using Oculus Rift with synchronised hydraulics, people crash tested cars with different safety ratings, seeing and feeling exactly how a better rating could save their life. The crash physics were built using decades of our own crash test data and 50 million insurance claims. Our audience was car owners, especially people in the car market or driving older cars.