Google: Rhomaleosaurus & Giraffatitan [presentation image]

Credits & Description:

Title: Back To Life In Virtual Reality: Rhomaleosaurus & Giraffatitan
Agency: Google Creative Lab
Brand: Google Arts & Culture
Country: United Kingdom
Entrant Company: Google Creative Lab, London
Advertising Agency: Google Creative Lab, London
Production Company: Grand Central Sound Studios, London / Framestore, London
Additional Company: Museum Für Naturkunde, Berlin / Natural History Museum, London
Creative Lab: Google Creative Lab (Google)
Campaign Description:
Our online target audience is used to high tech experiences and content, they often thinks that natural history is a “dusty” subject. To gain their interest, we had to go above and beyond and use the latest technology in a radical way to bring Natural History to life and turn it into something they can get excited about.We created ‘Back to Life in Virtual Reality’. Two experiences where prehistoric beasts come back to life from museum fossils. These can be viewed anywhere using Google Cardboard, as well as in the museums themselves.People can come face to face with extinct animals - learn about how they lived and see how our actions impact species today. Giving them a new way to experience the past and motivating them to help preserve life on our planet for the future.
Synopsis:
When Google Arts & Culture added Natural History to their online collection, we were tasked to create a way to encourage people to discover this world.Collaborating with the Natural History Museum in London and the Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin, we set out to reimagine what Natural History could be for the next generation - to go beyond archiving the past and use technology to bring it to life.
Relevancy:
This work brings the Google Arts & Culture’s Natural History initiative to life through VR experiences which are interactive and participatory by nature. More than 1.2 million users tried the VR experiences, and they drove 250M+ social impressions and 370+ international media hitsThis resulted in more than 2.3M visits to the Google Arts & Culture’s Natural History platform.
Execution:
The VR experiences spearheaded the online launch of Google Arts & Culture’s Natural History collection - driving user interest and media engagement.We created temporary installations in the museums for the launch events that allowed visitors to see the fossils come back to life in-situ.Scientists advised us throughout the reconstruction of the animals to ensure they were as life-like and accurate as possible. Everything from the the size of the eyes, to the texture and colour of the skin was painstakingly researched and recreated. We used laser scanning to capture the historical museum spaces in high definition, which meant we could drop the dinosaurs into a realistic environment they could interact with.YouTube’s Virtual Reality mode provided a scalable solution, available to all online, but allowed for a more immersive experience when accessed in the museums.The project was created over 3 intense months.
Strategy:
Our goal was to use the appeal of dinosaurs and technology to create something that will get a large audience interested in Natural History, drive them to visit the Google Arts & Culture platform & promote our museum partners.We used virtual reality so people can truly feel what it might have been like to stand in these animals’ presence. We used Youtube to make sure the experience was accessible online to everyone but also in-situ in the museum.We joined forces with the Natural History Museum in London and the Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin to help them tell their stories in the digital age. The resulting experiences demonstrate what happens when Natural History meets the latest technology.
Outcome:
1.2 M people have tried the experience to date, they generated 250M+ social impressions and 370 hits across international media including The Times, Daily Mail, Sky News, Huffpost, Wired and Die Welt. The experiences contributed to drive 2.3M+ visitors to the Google Arts & Culture platform.Natural History was the most successful and covered Google Arts & Culture launch ever.