Gerolsteiner: Micro VR Kit

Credits & Description:

Advertiser: Gerolsteiner
Advertising agency: DLX Inc.
Geo: Japan
Advertising Agencies: DLX, Japan / Dentsu, Tokyo, Japan
Concept + General Producer: Daima Kawamura (DLX Inc.）
Concept + Creative Director + Copy Writer: Reietsu Hashimoto (Dentsu Inc.)
Art Director + Design: Junya Hoshikawa (BIRDMAN Inc.）
VR KIT Film Production: GEEK PICTURES Inc.
VR KIT Developer: WHITE Inc.
Web Director: Youichi Kanazawa (BIRDMAN Inc.)
Web Production: EPOCH Inc.
CG Production: drawiz inc.
Web and CG Support: PYRAMID FILM QUADRA Inc.
PUBLISHED/RELEASED: April, 2016

[BACKGROUND]
Due to a rather odd push from ad agencies, 2016 became known as “Year 1 of
the VR (virtual reality) age.” Although over 80% of people had heard of
“VR,” less than 20% had actually experienced it, though 70% wanted to. As
in the case of “gamification” and “data-driven” ideas years earlier, ad
agencies had popularized something and then just let it fizzle and
disappear. To actually experience VR, people have to go all the way to an
amusement park and spend about 10 dollars, buy 15 dollars VR goggles on
Amazon, or spend several tens of thousands of dollars on a gaming console.
As employees of an ad agency with effective reach, we wanted to enable as
many people as possible to experience the incredible potential of this
technology easily and casually.

[SOLUTION]
Closer VR with ORIGAMI
Drawing inspiration from ORIGAMI, the traditional Japanese craft of folding
paper, we developed innovative VR goggles made of paper. By using ORIGAMI
techniques to fold the goggles we were able to create VR goggles that fit in
the palm of the hand, one of the smallest in the world. Less than an inch
thick, these goggles are 80% lower in cost and size than those sold on
Amazon. Because they cost a mere 2 dollars, many companies can purchase them
as novelty goods.

[RESULTS]
One week from the launch of the Micro VR Kit delivery service, it was
reported on by over 700 media, creating a PR effect topping $5 million and
triggering over 300 inquiries. As a first step, it was used in an ad
campaign for German mineral water Gerolsteiner.
Using a QR code on the Micro VR Kit attached to the water bottle, users
could access VR content. Even though the users were in Japan, the content
virtually put them in the land of the water’s origin. 94% of consumers who
came into contact with this content gained a deeper understanding of the
product’s unique features, and over 75% experienced an increased purchase
desire. What’s more, the number of people trying the product went up 150%.
In this way, the Micro VR Kit proved to be an effective tool for both
allowing people to experience VR technology and deepening brand
understanding.