Over three decades of being in the game, we have created some extraordinary brand experiences using creative tech. Here are a few of our favourite examples.
The use of cutting-edge creative technology undoubtedly elevates a campaign for both a B2B and B2C audience. Humans are naturally intrigued by the new, and ours is a truly digital world. So, brands and businesses that embrace new technologies are more likely to cut through, get heard by their audiences and be seen as innovative and forward-thinking in outlook.
That’s why we’ve always championed the cause of using relevant creative technologies to connect brands, businesses and consumers, in a way which is memorable and meaningful. This has meant that we have invested in developing an expert team of tech coders and developers in-house at Because. Over three decades of being in the game, we have created some extraordinary brand experiences using creative tech. Here are a few of our favourite examples.
1. A virtual reality home tour using CGI content for hive
Hive Home offers a revolutionary way of controlling and enhancing the space in which you live through a suite of smart products controlled by one, easy-to-use, award-winning app. We needed to wow the seen-it-all-before, tech-savvy crowd at the world’s largest consumer technology show: CES in Las Vegas. So, we created a range of real-life scenarios, and a slick Virtual Reality home tour using CGI content to showcase the Hive products in action.
This two-pronged approach at the Hive Smart Home stand used the best of live selling techniques and slick digital tools to help promote the strengths of the products among the high-value customers, and the tech journalists.
2. A state-of-the-art tech-fueled transportable discovery centre for water care
To educate Aucklanders on the drastic need for the upgrade to their wastewater system, and promote the incredible engineering behind the Central Interceptor – a massive 14.7km-long, 4.5m-wide wastewater tunnel, we created a state-of-the-art, tech-fueled transportable Discovery Centre (DC) for Watercare.
The Watercare Central Interceptor DC is a decked-out, customised trailer that offers an immersive story experience that’s dialed up through smart technology. The trailer is split into two parts: Discovery and Adventure. The Discovery area is where the hands-on, cutting-edge interactive technology is found, including the touchscreen slide puzzle map, Augmented Reality sandbox game and Virtual Reality, while the Adventure area is a mini theatre with huge interactive LED screens on three sides that offer different visual and sensory experiences, like being inside the TBM as it digs its way through the earth, or as a multi-touchpoint ‘classroom’.
Not only does this tricked-out trailer make education about sustainability and ecological topics more fun, but it also helps to spread awareness and increase engagement around the Interceptor among the market that matters: the residents of Auckland.
3. A virtual water world created in Minecraft and a digibus for severn trent water
To help Severn Trent Water raise awareness about the importance of water amongst primary school kids (and their families) – we partnered with Minecraft, the cult video game, to construct a richly detailed bespoke water world based on Severn Trent’s own facilities. This allowed kids to explore the feats of engineering that lie behind each and every precious drop of water, whilst also having fun.
We also created The Digibus, an immersive digital experience that used VR to allow children to explore the sewers and water treatment processes that lie behind each and every drop. These two elements formed the basis of the Wonderful Water VR Roadshow with two interactive touring buses that visited schools in the Severn Trent region. The intricately detailed water world was one of the only examples of a branded Minecraft world globally, an unforgettable and – most importantly – fun way for kids to explore and engage with water.
4. A ‘lashtastic’ virtual media campaign for benefit cosmetics
To help launch Benefit’s innovative They’re Real! Magnet Mascara that draws out lashes to extreme lengths, we used our latest and greatest creative-tech tool, Virtual Atoms.
Virtual Atoms (or VAs) are a form of NFTs that are built on a ground-breaking new platform that allows the distribution of infinite digital tokens virtually. These smart digital assets integrate AR, geolocation, Artificial Intelligence, blockchain, 5G connectivity, and gamification into one unique little pixel product. Sound interesting? You can read more about it here.
In this instance, we used Virtual Atoms’ Augmented Reality technology to create a gamified, covid-safe, at-home experience that rewarded fans in an engaging new way, and drove them direct to purchase. Here’s how it worked: after signing up and dropping a pin to indicate their location, fans were able to use their phone camera to view and collect Benefit’s ‘magnetic surprises’ that appeared in their physical space. Each item they collected were stored in their VA wallet and could then be used to spin-and-win some “powerfully attractive” instant prizes such as virtual beauty consultations, full-size and mini mascaras and product discounts.
5. The full tech suite for centrica
Centrica is a global house of brands that provide energy solutions, and includes household names such as British Gas, Direct Energy and Hive.
To drive lead generation and engagement among high-value customers (HVCs), and help define Centrica and its brands as innovative energy pioneers, we reimagined their live events. Over the course of four years we covered, quite literally, hundreds of different events and venues, and of varying scale, incorporating a suite of innovative tech solutions from Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), interactive touch screens and iTables, to e-CRM, and more. Some highlights include:
- Drone races at trade shows – gamification appeals to one’s competitive nature and has worked time and time again as a very effective hook to draw people onto a stand, and increase dwell time as it’s a participative brand experience
- A Giant iTab for live product demonstrations of Panoramic Power to show viewers how to track and monitor their power consumption – to ensure maximum standout and talkability, it was connected to a prominent building in London in a high-traffic area
- Interactive touch screens with gesture recognition – this is a great way to showcase engaging content, allowing for self-exploration and to bring messaging to life in a much more immersive way than simply using video content
6. A gesture-controlled trampoline game and interactive projection walls for the changi airport group
To showcase innovation, drive engagement and highlight their ambitious growth plans, we turned Changi Airport Group’s exhibition stand at the Singapore Airshow, Asia’s largest aerospace and defence event, into a high-tech interactive showcase.
A gesture-controlled trampoline game which used a bullet rig camera, allowed players to bounce through the airport exploring the different terminals’ highlights, while collecting digital butterflies to ‘release’ back into the airport’s unique Butterfly Garden. At the end of the game, players could pose for a personalised 360° GIF of themselves, designed to be shared on social media to amplify the interactions outside the walls of the show. This approach was so popular at the event, even the President of Singapore, Halimah Yacob, had a go at getting her name to the top of the leader board!
Interactive projection walls brought the Changi Airport Group’s plans for the future to life in an engaging way. When visitors touched certain parts of the wall, animated stories were triggered to deliver key information about the airport, its future goals, and sustainability projects
7. A fully immersive experience for boursin
To give consumers a more sensory experience of Boursin’s products, the indulgent French cheese brand owned by Bel UK, we created The Boursin ‘Sensorium,’ an engaging and immersive virtual reality and sampling experiences.
Consumers were offered delicious Boursin samples, before going on a virtual reality journey through a fridge to experience the best Boursin ingredients up close. The VR was coded to link with a responsive chair and a scent machine for a fully immersive experience.
8. A power-generating dancefloor for agl
As primary sponsors of the Midsumma Festival, AGL, Australia’s leading energy company, wanted to increase awareness of their commitment to supporting the LGBTQIA+ community. The products energy companies supply tend to be very functional, so the brand is often perceived as bland and corporate. We wanted to help AGL shift this perception and demonstrate just how fun, vibrant and inclusive the company actually is, whilst showing their support for the LGBTQIA+ community.
We created a dance floor that used Pavegen technology to harness energy directly from the festival-goers and AGL guests. The energy generated from the dancers ignited a giant heart on a big screen, literally demonstrating in real-time the power of AGL, and their love for the community.
9. A VIP app and an augmented reality table-footy game for news corp
For News Corp’s VIP guests at the Australian Football League Grand Final, one the biggest tickets on the country’s annual social calendar, we created a Club Room app that housed a detailed itinerary, a map to help them navigate the venue, and an Augmented Reality table footy game.
To invite people to play, QR codes were placed on tables inside News Corp’s marquee at the Grand Final, and we had a live leaderboard to show scores and drive friendly banter and competition between attendees.
10. a virtual reality interactive demonstration for echonous
EchoNous is a software development company that specializes in developing intelligent medical tools that “combine emerging AI techniques, with extremely miniaturized ultrasound for a highly frictionless experience.”
To help the sales team showcase how EchoNous Vein works, a tool designed to help medical staff quickly find and assess veins in order to accurately place an IV, we created an interactive Virtual Reality demonstration. With the VR headset, the user was able to use the hand-held device on a virtual patient to try the product firsthand, allowing them to experience its immediate benefit.
It’s tough out there…
With people suffering from chronic information overload, and no more so than at a crowded event, cutting through the clutter and really getting people to connect with your brand or your message is a real challenge at times. If you want to stand out from the crowd, particularly in a competitive B2B expo space, or if you want people to remember your name or your message, do something that’s going to be memorable, immersive or (but preferably and) engaging.
In our many years of experience, we have learnt that creative tech can help you do just that.
Our USP with all of this is we’re a bunch of quasi-technical marketers, and it’s very rare to find a group of folk well versed in both skillsets, able to work globally. Ours is an in-house technology team, dedicated to creating cutting-edge brand experiences, including: Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Touch Screen Technology & Interactive Surfaces, Projection Mapping, Blockchain Platforms (Virtual Atoms) and Image Capture, Manipulation and Content Sharing.
This can be a daunting world to dive into, but we’re an experienced partner, who is happy to navigate you through the wonderful world of creative tech. And the results are well worth it. You’ll see. Ready? Steady? Go!