Actual Reality
Jaguar New Zealand
Issue 38 | March 2016
Agency
Y&R New Zealand
Creative Team
Creative Directors Guy Denniston Gavin Siakimotu ECD Josh Moore
Production Team
Production Liz Rosby Amanda Sasano 8Com Michael Humphrey Gene Keelan Liquid Studios Jarrod Wright
Other Credits
Other Steve Ketchington James McKee Jono Key Victoria Meo Melanie Cutfield Mike Keen
Date
November 2015
Background
Jaguar needed to refresh its image as a marquee for old, rich white guys.
Many car makers had been using virtual reality technology to showcase their new vehicles. But with the punchy new Jaguar F-Type there was simply no substitute for the raw, visceral experience of actually driving one. The task, then, was to demonstrate that digital technology was still no match for rubber and road.
Idea
Jaguar had a stand at the Big Boys Toys expo in Auckland. Ahead of the event, they invited their Facebook fans to sign up for a "virtual reality" ride in the new car. However, the experience turned out to be not so virtual.
The F-Type appeared to be set up on what looked like a large motion simulator platform. Once the fans had settled inside the car, they were fitted with a fake VR helmet, which played a distraction video. Secretly, the car was lowered and driven out onto the track outside and put through its paces by a trained precision driver. Now hidden cameras inside the passenger's helmet went live and they were taken on an adrenaline-pumping ride before being taken back to the stand.
When they mentioned how real the the experience had seemed, they were shown film of them actually being raced around the Milwaukee Action Area.
The F-Type looked to have been set up as a simulator.
Passengers were fitted with a VR headset.
Secretly, the car was then slipped out of the expo centre and onto the action area outside.
A precision driver put the car through its paces.
Results
Within days the video had been viewed 150,000 times on Facebook. It got 80,000 views on YouTube as well as being reported in car blogs and in news stories around the world.
Our Thoughts
Typical Kiwis! Everyone else is still grappling with how to make VR really work and they are zagging already, doing the opposite and dramatising actual reality.
It may well be a relatively well-worn advertising route (see Paul Arden's book "Whatever you think, Think the Opposite") but the surprise of all the passengers is a joy to watch.
The agency had hoped that one or two people would be duped, so they'd get a half-decent film out of it, but, in fact, every single passenger was taken in.
Nice work from an agency beginning to rediscover its mojo.