Music mastermind deadmau5 brings earth-shaking nights to fans everywhere around the world. Because Absolut aims to make every night unforgettable, the brand wanted to invite electronic music fans and partygoers everywhere to drop a new track with deadmau5. But they had to get him to the gig on time.

This mobile-first VR experience brings an immersive adventure to the hands of fans—they can “hang out” with deadmau5 on their mobile devices. We begin in his studio where he’s putting the finishing touches on his new track, then follow him through a variety of challenges as he makes his way toward the gig. We help him locate his car, then join him on a race through the city. Fans and bouncers try to get in his way, but ultimately we help him arrive on stage in front of a screaming crowd. Our reward? Hearing the track for the first time.

Absolut’s brand mission is to bring unforgettable nights to people everywhere. By partnering with one of the leading artists in EDM and inviting fans to experience something they’d always remember, the brand was able to delight fans and reimagine their battle cry.

Fans of deadmau5 know his every idiosyncrasy, and we couldn’t allow the experience to disappoint. We motion captured each character’s performance and then our team of 3D and motion artists applied their movements to CGi characters, breathing life into their game personas (even his cat!). The specific graphic style was chosen to pay homage to deadmau5’s love of video games of the past.

We built the entire experience from scratch in a Cinematic Game Engine, allowing us to create the most immersive experience possible. Rather than observing an adventure unfold, we invited the user to be the catalyst through every interaction. The unique third person POV allows the user to feel like they’re really hanging out with deadmau5.

Oftentimes, VR experiences are only accessible to people who attend a specific event. We wanted every fan to experience Absolut deadmau5 right on their mobile devices. It was a challenge to hit the frame rate on mobile, but it’s proven to exceed expectations with how rich and immersive the mobile experience feels. deadmau5 shared the experience with his unwavering fan base that follows him on his social networks.

deadmau5 fans were able to pre-order a customized Google Cardboard viewer featuring his signature mau5 head. The VR app is available for iOS, Android, Samsung Gear VR and Oculus Rift, as well as linear film versions for YouTube 360 and Facebook 360.

• Reach: PR and paid Media: 150 million impressions, including stories in The New York Times, Fast Company, Fortune, Vice, Billboard, Mashable, Forbes, AdWeek and Creativity.

• Engagement: Number of downloads: 250,000 downloads across iOS, Android, Oculus and Samsung Gear.

• Sales: Revenue was generated through sales of 10,000 Limited Edition Google Cardboard headsets, making this a great example of “monetizing the marketing.”

• Impact: Downloads x Average Time Played (20 minutes)= 5 million minutes of consumer engagement

Impact: We believe this could create a new artform where other artists will create their own immersive VR worlds for their fans to interact with them - this is the music video of the future.