CODRIVER

TitleCODRIVER
BrandCHEVROLET COLORADO
Product / ServiceA VIRTUAL TEST DRIVE PLATFORM
CategoryA02. Creative Innovation (incl. business solutions in association with a brand or creative campaign)
EntrantISOBAR Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
Entrant Company ISOBAR Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
Advertising Agency ISOBAR Melbourne, AUSTRALIA

Credits

Name Company Position
Dave Budge Isobar Executive Creative Director
Brett White Isobar Creative Director
Kara Bombell Isobar Executive Producer
Darragh O'Connell Isobar Art Director
Pascal Van Der Haar Isobar Designer
Michael Punton Isobar Copywriter
Aron Tardini Isobar Designer
Erik Hallander Isobar Business Director
Anton Wintergerst Isobar Designer
Ash Curkpatrick Isobar Animation
Andrew Bednarz Isobar Designer
Lauren Grimes Isobar Designer
Marteen Burger Isobar Executive Producer
Tim Pierce Isobar Director Of Photography

The Brief

In an increasingly competitive marketplace, GM Australia, once a celebrated Australian brand, are struggling to remain relevant with young, worldly audiences due to its heritage of being a working class, performance-focused brand. Our brief was to rethink the test-drive experience, to get people excited about the features of GM cars, especially those with off-road capability that can be hard for customers to experience in a regular showroom or test drive, to ultimately get people to start thinking differently about GM. Our challenge was that a conventional test drive experience would never be enough: we had to find a way to showcase a vehicle in its natural habitat, to demonstrate its full potential. The solution was simple: take visitors on a unique experience they won’t forget, while showcasing all the core features of the car or truck.

The launch of CoDriver at the Bangkok International Motor Show was a huge success, as thousands of visitors to the stand were transported away from the motor show to an unimaginable situation – one in which the Colorado is designed to be driven. It highlighted features that wouldn’t be possible to experience in a normal test drive. The Bangkok launch attracted global media coverage, exceeding all client expectations, so the CoDriver platform is now being rolled out globally across a range of car lines, with their own adventures in markets such as Indonesia, the UAE, South Africa, Vietnam, Australia, and New Zealand. What’s more, it provided GM with genuine innovation experience, shifting brand perception as a powerful demonstration of that innovation.

Introducing CoDriver: a virtual test drive platform. CoDriver combined some of the world’s best immersive technology, allowing passengers to take a seat in a specially-fitted vehicle, to be transported to a virtual environment and experience the vehicle’s true capabilities in unprecedented detail. An extraordinary amount of technology was needed to bring this to life. Behind the CoDriver platform was Oculus Rift DK2 using both CGI and purpose-shot 360-degree 12K resolution video footage, with 3D positional sound recording and in-car vibration simulation using ButtKicker rumble technology, all captured by mounting GM vehicles with a range of the latest technology. Our first execution of CoDriver was the launch of the 2015 Chevrolet Colorado at the Bangkok International Motor Show. CoDriver took Colorado passengers on a top-secret mission through the New Zealand mountainside, to help their driver deliver a mysterious package. The perilous journey involved crossing rivers and powering up off-road tracks, an experience brought to life through sight, sound, and motion.