Explorer VR

I have strong feelings about VR in commercial contexts. Specifically, I hate seeing it dragged out as a crutch for bad ideas. False modesty be damned, this particular piece was not a bad idea. Fortunately other people in the know thought so too and subsequently awarded it ‘Best Use of Customer Insight’ at the 2019 Drum Marketing Awards.

What was the insight? Well, American’s weren’t taking their annual leave. Which is a shame, because there are nice things to see in America, and the 2020 Ford Explorer can help you find them. The tricky part was communicating this engagingly and emotionally in an auto show environment where space is a premium. In previous projects we had used motion control platforms to augment a VR experience - it provides that extra sense of motion that can help suspend disbelief - but it can only go so far.

Here we decided to merge a real, physical driving experience with VR content to give guests at the Detroit auto show the best of both worlds… We threw in steep descents which had them straining against the seat belt, aggressively cambered turns their inner ear could feel acutely, assorted road surfaces for that lower traction feeling… and even a motion control platform - but this time engineered for a 2T vehicle.

Auto show halls aren’t pretty. In fact, most auto exhibitors will spend a pretty penny on architecture and drapes so guests don’t see all the visual clutter. A vanilla test drive experience in this environment would be fun - sure, but it wouldn’t effectively transport guests to the most beautiful and rugged places America has to offer in the space of 100 meters. That’s where VR came in - it delivered a narrative that encouraged guests to find their spirit of adventure and get out and explore, take the time to see what life has to offer, and importantly, spend some quality time with their loved ones.

Role
Creative Director

Agency
Imagination Detroit

Technology and Software
S1T2

There is no such thing as ‘off the shelf’ for this kind of work, S1T2 pioneered the integration of inside-out tracked MR headsets with an externally tracked vehicle in a synchronized Unreal VR environment to make the experience seamless and believable.

Behind the Scenes

With a tight turnaround from concept to delivery I relied on the excellent illustration skills of Alex Stead to keep everyone aligned.