We came up with an event concept that allows for a brief and hassle-free, 2-minute experience of the cabrio through virtual reality, paired with further elements appealing to all senses: there is a wind machine blowing the drivers’ hair, the smell of summer is in the air, and passers-by were invited to hang out at the summery stand.

The user immerses in another world, sits down in the passenger seat of the smart fortwo cabrio and experiences the feeling of driving the smart cabriolet in summer-time Miami in 360° virtual reality.

The innovative 360° movie technology allows to perfectly translate the campaign’s message “Let your city in.” into a movie, as the participants are right in the middle of the action that put a smile on their faces no matter what the weather is like.

The new smart fortwo cabrio was launched in February 2016. The campaign started in the end of February with a focus on the location based experience. The primary objective of the campaign is to bring the product to the target group: city centers, trade fairs and online at home using virtual reality cardboards.

The live event has a special setup: The new smart fortwo cabrio is surrounded by a summery setup, including a photo wall, summery smell, a DJ, deck chairs, an information counter, hosts, and elements from the 360° movie. The passers-by sit down in the smart cabrio and experience the 360° movie with virtual reality headsets.

After watching the movie, each participant receives a goodie bag with a pair of cardboard virtual reality glasses and the users have the opportunity to make an appointment for a real test drive in one of the smart centers.

Until now the live event took place in Berlin, Brussels, London, Rome, Zurich and Beijing (next week) and we are moving forward.

As you can observe in our case film, the virtual reality test drive wows the users and puts a smile on their faces. It's a success that will be continued: The five previous tour stops reached more than 2,5 million people and we counted over 3000 test drives. The virtual test drive is a key element for the urban target group to get in touch with the new smart model.