Fifty Shades Darker (2017)
JAMIE DORNAN and DAKOTA JOHNSON return as Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele in Fifty Shades Darker, the second chapter based on the worldwide bestselling “Fifty Shades” phenomenon.
Credit: Doane Gregory/Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures and Maxus Global leverage OmniVirt’s 360VR Network to Power Fifty Shades Darker 360° Video Campaign
VR advertising startup OmniVirt powers Universal Pictures’ latest 360VR advertising campaign for the Valentine’s Day blockbuster Fifty Shades Darker. Fans around the world can become part the film entering the world of a 4-minute lavish masquerade ball.
Universal hoped to distribute the experience beyond YouTube and Facebook. Leigh Godfrey, VP Digital Marketing Universal Pictures noted “we created this amazing asset and wanted to explore innovative ways to get this content in front of our fans.
”Maxus Global, the agency behind the campaign, was tasked at finding the solution. “OmniVirt’s platform allowed us to seamlessly integrate the 360VR experience into our existing media plan, target the film’s specific audience across web and mobile platforms and measure the impact of the creative” notes Keith Baker, Director of Integrated Media at Maxus Global.
“We are always eager to support innovative and forward thinking clients,” notes Michael Rucker, Chief Operating Officer of OmniVirt. “Universal Pictures and Maxus had the strategic foresight to not limit the experience to a standalone VR app.” OmniVirt distributed the experience as 360° display ad units, 360° pre-roll units, and 360° vertical video experiences across premium publishers, including People.com, HelloGiggles, Style.com, Snapchat, and more.
The campaign wrapped at the end of the week, and the results were very strong for this innovative 360VR ad format. “We witnessed a 10x uplift in engagement across mobile display placements when compared to the control ad unit, and saw viewers spending around 2 minutes in this experience on mobile devices,” says Baker.
Check out Sexy Women 360 Degree Video Archive
360VR content is quickly becoming a staple of the agency toolkit and with distribution no longer a barrier, we should see more marketers looking to this immersive media as a new ad format that captures audience’s attention in 2017.
About OmniVirt
OmniVirt is 360 Video and Virtual Reality advertising platform founded by former Google and YouTube employees. The company has received funding from top venture capitalists including Andreessen Horowitz, Greycroft, BDMI, Horizon Media, First Round Capital and many others. OmniVirt’s technology distributes 360VR advertisements through existing exchanges and networks. These experiences are customizable and interactive, with detailed performance reporting showcasing where audiences are engaging in the immersive experience. The company has powered multiple high profile campaigns for clients like Toyota, Infiniti, Samsung, Chevron, and Johnnie Walker with publishers like the The New York Times, AOL, Time Inc, Wall Street Journal, Vice Media and more.
About Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures is an American film studio, owned by Comcast through its wholly owned subsidiary NBCUniversal, and is one of Hollywood’s “Big Six” film studios. Its production studios are at 100 Universal City Plaza Drive in Universal City, California. Distribution and other corporate offices are in New York City. Universal Studios is a member of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). Universal was founded in 1912 by the German Carl Laemmle (pronounced “LEM-lee”), Mark Dintenfass, Charles O. Baumann, Adam Kessel, Pat Powers, William Swanson, David Horsley, Robert H. Cochrane, and Jules Brulatour. It is the world’s fourth oldest major film studio, after the renowned French studios Gaumont Film Company and Pathé, and the Danish Nordisk Film company. Six of Universal Studios’ films; Jaws (1975), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Jurassic Park (1993), Despicable Me 2 (2013), Furious 7 (2015) and Jurassic World (2015) achieved box office records, with the first three (which were directed by Steven Spielberg) all becoming the highest-grossing film at the time of its initial release.
About Maxus Global
Maxus Global is a global network of local media agencies that embraces technology and innovation to deliver tangible business benefits for clients. Maxus has a clear vision: to lead clients into change and the brilliant opportunity that change creates. Maxus delivers meaningful business results through a mix of smart organic growth and by strengthening and expanding its specialist services. Clients include NBCU, L’Oréal, Church & Dwight, BT, Huawei and Aldi. Maxus is part of GroupM, the world’s largest media investment management group, responsible for nearly one-third of all media investment worldwide and serving as parent company for all of WPP’s media agencies. Founded in 2008, Maxus employs around 3,000 people across 55 countries in 70 offices and has been the world’s fastest growing media network for six consecutive years, according to RECMA.
