The Campaign

Virtual’ is no match for ‘Reality’. Though Virtual Reality technology continues to advance in leaps and bounds, it’s still unable to replicate the thrill of actually driving an F-TYPE. To demonstrate this, Jaguar invited the public at an automotive expo to experience the only virtual reality simulation worthy of the F-TYPE. One that turned out to be not-so-virtual. They were promised a next level VR experience in a Jaguar F-TYPE on, what looked like, a large motion simulator platform. A fake VR helmet played a distraction video while the car was secretly lowered and driven on to the adjacent arena by a precision driver. Hidden cameras inside the passengers’ helmets went live and they were taken on an adrenaline-pumping ride before being obliviously returned to the stand.

Creative Execution

The primary design challenges were creating the illusion of a static brand installation (VR) with the capability of transforming into a surprisingly different brand experience (performance driving around a track). All while keeping it completely hidden from the passengers. Key to this was a false-bottomed stage which allowed our purpose-built hydraulic stand to lower the car flush to the stage platform. Special lifting points were fabricated to inconspicuously raise and the lower the car without the public realising their true purpose (the car had to seem permanently fixed), these lowered into recesses built into the stage so there would be no tell-tale bumps for our passengers as the car drove off. As the rear of the stand was opened, the car drove across a platform bridging the gap between back of stand and the adjoining arena. Again, to keep the passengers’ transition to the track as seamless as possible.

Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market

The experiences took place throughout the day, with downtime for resetting and approaching expo patrons as they entered the gates (to ensure they hadn't seen previous 'rides'). Because of the regularly occurring stunts, the Jaguar stand stood out from all its competitors' traditional, static booths and drew the most interested crowds as they waited for the next passenger. Video of the experiences were posted on Facebook and YouTube and were picked up by news media and enthusiast sites, including the country’s most popular content site, stuff.co.nz. F-TYPE sales in 2015 increased by 53% compared to the same time in the previous year. This campaign was the only major in-market activity. This was made all the more impressive considering the total media and production budget had nearly halved.

Virtual reality is the 'technology du jour', especially in the car category - it seems like it's a requirement for every new car launch. But, most of the time, the VR experiences do a better job of selling VR rather than the product it's supposed to be helping promote. It seems like the car brands that are using VR as a promotional tool are relying on the novelty of the technology to make their car seems more interesting than they really are. Sure, adopting new technology makes your brand appear modern, but we took it one step further by subverting it. Making Jaguar feel ahead of the pack