ADT, named US’ most trusted home security provider, is losing share of attention to Nest and Ring, whose self-install, self-monitor systems are more desirable to first-time homeowners. But they trivialize home security into small and regular “peripheral dangers”, such as parcel theft, unaware of life-threatening threats including carbon monoxide and fire.

To remind smart home security intenders that ADT monitors for all type of threats 24/7, we built an approach to education content that reinforced the brand as the most trusted provider with the strongest connections to first responders.

Our objective was to compel action with 28-35-year-old homeowners researching smart home security monitoring. Typically, they’re unlikely to conduct discovery and evaluation over the phone; therefore, ADT’s current buyer journey needed to become more digitally-focused. As direct mail AOR, our KPI was activating a digital journey from a physical activation to compel dismissive millennials to better connect with the brand.

We created an immersive narrative, teleporting viewers into an intense home fire, to convince them to take fire safety seriously – establishing ADT as the authoritative brand.

Teleported into a bedroom at 2am, we follow a distraught young mother as she receives a call (from a calm, decisive ADT professional) and moves around the home, observing as she struggles to evacuate. We see the power die, beams collapse, and a vulnerable family saved by firefighters as destruction ensues. Powerful statistics highlight the very real need to prepare for the worst.

Authenticity was ensured by casting an experienced firefighter. His input even helped direct the reaction of the young girl to the first responder busting through the door.

An 8k VR camera rig was placed around the home to allow the viewer to truly feel every moment of panic up close. We made the unimaginable, imaginable by triggering heightened “reptilian” responses.

Meet persona, Shelby, “The Smart Protector”. They quickly discount ADT through ignorance of their home automation credentials. Especially as they devalue professional monitoring. Because they want the latest technologies and customization, their research leads them to Nest and Ring, whom simplify discovery and serve their desire for connected devices.

During experience mapping research, we discovered critical underserved needs in Shelby’s buying journey. As first-time homeowners, they lack support to assess risks and determine the best specifications for their home security system.

We asserted we could divert Shelby to ADT with compelling content that demonstrates serious risks in her new home (e.g. carbon monoxide and fire). And by offering expert installation and professional monitoring – we can convince her to reject Nest and Ring as insignificant.

Our multichannel approach of activation with dimensional mail and social, and the VR content, was built to earn attention within Shelby’s “decisioning” journey phase.

Early in January 2019, to launch our creative experiment, we activated VR across social and direct mail. Over the month, we mailed 85,000 Google Cardboard Dimensional Mail Kits to select Shelby targets – acquired by matching key data attributes within new mover lists – which drove to YouTube. Instructions were included to guide assembly of the branded viewer ... as folded Google Cardboards are not regularly mailed by brands.

During the same period, we took advantage of Facebook’s 360 integration with orchestrated posts. Matching our mail targeting, we identified a wider Shelby audience to provide scale and to test and learn effectiveness of post styles – promotional versus experiential.

And at CES 2019, ADT’s PR and Activation teams drove interest with a press launch and booth experience with Oculus Go headsets. This helped position the brand as innovators and drove coverage in PR Week, DM News and home security publications.

We focused on measuring a different buying journey for Shelbys. Therefore, our reporting compared multi-touch interactions in standard response-driven mail programs – which drives to call center – with our new digital interaction leveraging the VR experience.

35% visited our campaign page, 26% of visitors viewing on YouTube. Therefore, our VR mailer created 51X more digital interactions than standard mail recipients†.

One Facebook 360 post had >425K views. Reach of >1.6m and generated >5.4m impressions.

This proved that early in their home-moving “moment”, and still in their “decisioning” journey phase, we can drive longer consideration behavior for ADT by offering highly-compelling, highly-affecting content.

But we also saw significant improvements in “buying” metrics too – supporting our assertion that “activating the amygdala” persuades audiences to search for protection from threats, sending them straight to ADT.

In January, we recorded 27% YOY increase in calls. And 24% YOY increase in sales.