Singapore is not a happy country. At least, that is what a lot of surveys, reports and so forth keep telling us. Whether it’s the stress of modern living, providing for the family or anything in between, we live a stressful life. Fiji and their national airline Fiji Airways want Singaporeans to get away from the stress of it all. However, instead of the usual means of tv adverts and social media pushes, they have chosen something else. For the next week, from 19 to 23 September, anyone can get a chance to experience Fiji in VR. In a country which, according to a survey run by Fiji Airways, nearly half of all Singaporeans would change their job for more holiday time, the calming nature of the experience and the country would really be put to the test.
image courtesy: Fiji Airways
Feeling Fiji in a VR ‘Rehab’
Located in Millenium walk near Raffles Boulevard, everyone can get a slice of two rare experiences. Firstly and most importantly, you can experience a very directed VR experience. Highlights of what you can do in Fiji play around the environment. Everything from scuba diving to skydiving is given the VR treatment. The whole experience ends with a very pleasant live video music performance. Before and after the experience you need to take a survey. Included in this is a measurement of happiness, once before the experience and once after.
The second is the sheer capability of what the HTC Vive can create. More importantly, how this modern piece of technology can really help with brand recognition. Speaking to the creative technologies director of Isis, the company that made the experience for Fiji Airways, the technological capabilities of the headset elevate it above all other VR experiences used by marketing companies so far. If you stand up, it triggers different experiences then if you sit down. If you look down, you will be completely submerged in water. However, if you don’t, then the water will never go above your knees (to avoid the sensation of drowning). Fiji Airways has on their hands a unique experience, unlike any other airline.
try to be a bit more elegant than I was though
A lasting impact?
Franc Zvonar, GM for Marketing and E-commerce at Fiji Airways spoke more about what this VR experience could mean for the company and for Fiji itself. “Actually making any emotional connection, you cannot do that in a brochure,” he says. “We cannot bank on spending a lot of money on a tv campaign. So to inject content into your mind, the VR rehab is best, because Singaporeans love travelling.”
Franc Zvonar. Image Courtesy: Fiji Airways
This is the first time Fiji Airways is doing something along these lines, but it is not the first VR experience that Iris has made. The very high level of polish of this experience leads to the sensation of calm and awe, which is what Fiji Airways is after. However, is it effective? Zvonar is not sure yet. “When the week is over we will measure the impact of this event. Not just the eyeballs, but the engagement as well.” Zvonar did add however that this experience is transportable, and will be shipped around the world to destinations that Fiji Airways flies to. He believes that this is where the cost-effectiveness can be found.
coming soon to many places
As a final thought, we asked Zvonar if Virtual Reality would become part of the Fiji Airways brand. “The content is the average day in the life in Fiji, from sunrise to sunset,” he says. Zvonar believes that these experiences do not have a timestamp, and can be used forever. This, combined with the forward thinking nature of using a VR experience, is why Zvonar feels that this will be a major part of Fiji Airway’s marketing from this point onward.
A success?
image courtesy: Fiji Airways
Whilst I didn’t feel like immediately jumping on the plane to Fiji later on in the day, this VR experience has done the job of making me want to experience Fiji for myself. Anyone who wants to get the slice of life, or just experience the HTC Vive at its fullest, should take the time this week to try it out for themselves. At the very least, it was a really fun experience that is not replicable anywhere else in Singapore.
