Special Releases VR activation.
Elusive Expressions is the latest chapter in Diageo's Special Releases, where mythical beasts created by Illustrator Ken Taylor and digital visualisation artist Kevin Tong are unleashed through striking artwork and stories. To support the launch, CircleSquare were asked to help bring these creatures and their worlds to life for the consumer through an immersive experience.
Strategy
Concept design
VR design
Content development
For each distillery the artists created not only a magical creature, but also a fantastical and beautiful world, and it’s this that we drew inspiration from. We wanted to take the user to these mythical places, giving them the chance to explore not only the world they had found, but further worlds beyond. So, we created a beguiling VR ‘hall of worlds’ concept to transport the user there.
Accessed via a QR code on a bottle tag or through a social campaign link, the user steps into the 'Hallway of the Untold', an endless magical pathway sitting below a grand night sky where users can explore the story and habitats of the mythical creatures and discover the legends surrounding some of Diageo’s best single malt whiskies.
Stepping off the path through a gateway, users are taken to the stunning new world of one of the distillery's creatures where they can learn about the unique Special Release and the story behind its creation. Each world contains a series of playable content points exploring the liquid, its story and serves to explore.
The path gently arcs away from the user so the next gateway is always “just around the corner”, giving the users a sense of anticipation and enticing them onwards to discover more. At the end of the hall, users can explore the full family of elusive expressions together. The experience not only built awareness of the campaign and the products contained within, but also drove sales by creating multiple routes to purchase for the user.
