Munich. MINI is planning a global marketing campaign using individual virtual-reality technology. The automotive brand will show two 360-degree short films, which allow viewers to roam freely in virtual space. MINI will therefore become the first brand ever to harness the huge potential of virtual-reality (VR) technology for top-quality storytelling.
This move also underscores the brand’s positioning as an innovative company that explores new directions in communications.
The two six-minute shorts “Real Memories” and “Backwater” have been available on YouTube and the campaign website www.mini.com/360 in more than 20 countries worldwide since 8 September 2015. The films are being promoted through YouTube pre-rolls and on various social-media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
The films were shot in Barcelona using a custom stereo rig with nine RED Dragon cameras offering a combined resolution of 14k. A custom 7 GoPro camera rig was developed specially for scenes inside the car. The films can be viewed directly online in a browser or on any smartphone with an installed YouTube app. They will also be available shortly for Samsung Gear VR and Oculus Rift virtual-reality viewers.
For its global marketing campaign, MINI plans to distribute a total of free 140,000 MINI Virtual Reality Cardboard Viewers worldwide (the viewer is based on the new version of Google Cardboard presented this summer). mini.com/360 provides a list of where these virtual-reality viewers are available.
In addition to the two VR films, the campaign website also features other exciting video content: two trailers, a making-of video, and brief clips of the actors discovering the features of the MINI Connected system during breaks in shooting.