Piaget Polo 360° Experience
Discover & Play polo game like never before
The prequel
In order to support the launch of our new Piaget Polo S watch, it seemed quickly obvious that we should create and build a new digital experience according to:
- Our brand DNA: audacity (a brand which dares, which is always ready to reinvent itself), self-surpassing (a brand which always do better than necessary)
- Our new Piaget Polo S watch: stainless steel (which is new for Piaget)
- Our new Piaget Polo S signature: `play a different game`
Embracing the spirit of real game changers, we decided to pioneer and to be the first ones to create a polo 360° VR experience that allowed fans everywhere to live polo head-on, play Polo with the eyes of a professional player, and make this amazing sport more accessible to everyone.
From storytelling to storydoing
We first aimed to put the users right in the center of the action. This is why they can see horses on left and right hand sides which are running on either sides, and they can practically feel the wind rushing through their hairs.
We really wanted users to feel how the speed and power of the horse are connected completely to the skill and abilities of the human being. We think it is a beautiful connection – and with this film we wanted to capture not only the game of Polo itself, and the lifestyle around it, but also this most powerful connection between human and animal.
The main challenge we faced off
We realized at the very beginning that it was really hard to find the right balance between having an immersive and impressive user experience and at the same time not making users sick (there is a lot of movement when you play polo for real: a galloping horse with seven horses around, hitting the ball at the same time…).
To overcome these huge barriers and offer the best experience as possible, we found the following solutions:
- Rhythm: we combined slow motion with real time speed sequences
- Graphics: As the match happened around, users have some information, guidelines and can see stats on the power and speed of each animal that whizzed by
- Shots: in order to enrich the experience, additional footage was shot by a drone, as well as a buggy, and traditional static rig shots
The teasing phase
In order to generate a `wow` factor before the official launch and drive traffic for the live event:
- We pushed the VR experience on Facebook a week before the official launch
- We created small capsules on Instagram and twitter feed
The Piaget Polo S launch event
Virtual reality can also be a great opportunity outside the headset as a shared, socialized experience. To make it available to everyone during our launch event in NYC, we built a Piaget Polo S VR experience dedicated space where our guests lived the experience and shared their sensations about it with other guests. Guests who weren’t at the event could view the web release of the 360 film or watch the mobile version in Cardboard VR. They could even discover more about the exclusive watch online from the experience.
The results
- Facebook: +347K views, +900 likes
- Awards: FWA site of the day, CSS design award site of the day