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Audi puts car enthusiasts in the ‘virtual’ driver’s seat of an A4

Audi and FCB are the latest to jump on the 360-degree-video bandwagon, allowing those who don’t know what it’s like to drive an Audi to hop inside the virtual cockpit of an A4 for a tour of its interior.

The video allows people to virtually sit in the driver’s seat and remotely explore the innovative interior features of the car in the front and back seats.

The all-new Audi A4. Drive it. Feel it.Get behind the wheel in our interactive 360° video.

Posted by Audi of NZ on Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Audi marketing director Fiona Woolley says innovation is at the the heart of the Audi brand, so it’s always looking to bring 360-video into its used media.

“Our research shows that the A4 holds appeal for both existing and new to brand customers, some of whom won’t have been inside an Audi before, so this approach allows them to experience the interior as part of their research process.”

While this is thought to be the first 360-video used to promote an automotive brand in New Zealand, FCB media digital director Kate Grigg anticipates other brands will make use of the platform in the future, as Facebook data for the first 24 hours shows that these formats successfully grab people’s attention and get them engaged.

Within the first day of going live, the Audi video had over 600 Likes, 115 Shares and 90 comments on Facebook.

Grigg says for the right brand and task, 360-video offers a “brilliant” combination of immersion and discovery, coupled with the ability to tightly target the right audiences.

“It gives the viewer control over how they experience the ad and – right now – they’ve still got that novelty factor that stops or pauses thumbs.”

FCB is currently working on incorporating 360-videos into a number of clients’ activities across a range of categories.

As well as the latest video, it integrated the 360 function into the pre-roll activity across several MediaWorks’ shows, for example, Grand Designs.

For those looking to do it with FCB, the agency has made it easier and more cost-effective to produce by investing in 360 technology in-house, Grigg says.

In a similar vein to this initiative, except promoting an energy drink rather than a car brand, Augusto teamed up with V Energy to create a 360 promotional video featuring drifter Cole Armstrong. The clip is educational as well as entertaining, as Armstrong describes how he is wielding the vehicle as he careens through the twists and turns of the track. 

Last year Augusto also created AIG’s Haka 360-degree experience, which created quite a buzz during the 2015 Rugby World Cup and when coupled with Google Cardboard, which turns smartphones into VR headsets.

360 technology was also recently put to use in an Easter campaign for Vodafone, with the creation of a virtual Easter egg hunt in the Auckland winter gardens which appeared on Facebook.

The video can be viewed here.

  • To see our previous story on how other Kiwi brands are having a crack at 360-video, click here.

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