Last year global drinks manufacturer Diageo entered the virtual reality (VR) sphere with an experience aimed at educating the public on the dangers of drink driving. Now the company has announced plans for a second VR installment, this time focusing on the dangers of binge drinking.
Scheduled to be released it 2018, it’ll be a first-person, multi-perspective story looking at the importance of responsible decision-making when drinking. The new program around binge drinking is being spearheaded by Diageo’s Digital and Technology Partnerships teams in collaboration with Jaunt, which will help with the creative vision, production, development and distribution of the experience.
“We made the choice to break into VR with our social responsibility program because it gives us the proper medium to explore numerous dangerous drinking situations in a very real way,” said James Thompson, Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer, Diageo North America in a statement. “Telling people about the effects of irresponsible decision-making when drinking is one thing – but giving them the opportunity to see, hear and feel what can happen because of even one bad choice is a potential game changer. ‘Decisions’ and its portrayal of the impact of drunk driving stuck with viewers, even after they removed their headsets. Now, we’re aiming to prevent binge drinking with the same high impact intervention.”
Diageo’s previous 360-degree experience Decisions placed consumers in the front seat of a fatal drunk driving crash. Stats released by the company show the video accumulated almost 14 million views in the four months after release, with 73 percent of viewers surveyed after watching the film saying they are now more likely to stop other people from drinking and driving. Additionally, 75 percent of viewers said they will prevent drinking and driving by planning ahead with a designated driver.
VRFocus will continue its coverage of Diageo, reporting back with its latest immersive experiences.