The impact of a stroke is devastating, not only to the victim, but to all who care about them. Our client, Boehringer Ingelheim, markets a drug, Pradaxa, to help prevent stroke in people at risk.

Every year, cardiologists from around the world attend congresses to learn about the latest developments against stroke. It’s a competitive environment where many treatments fight for attention, often using one-off gadgets to do so.

Our aim was to create a showpiece for the Pradaxa booth at the 2014 European Stroke Congress (ESC) in Barcelona. However, we refused to be led by technology. Rather, we identified an insight that sparked an idea that could only truly come to life using technology.

The insight was: no matter how close a doctor is to patients, they don't truly understand how devastating stroke can be.

To address this, and raise the importance of protecting patients with Pradaxa, we created an immersive experience from the point of view of Robert, a victim of stroke. It was filmed on location with a state-of-the-art 360-degree recording system. 3D glasses with a motion sensor allowed doctors to look around inside the film, in real-time. The sonic chair provided sound immersion.

We turned the viewer into the victim.

The immersive experience debuted at the 2014 European Stroke Congress (ESC) in Barcelona. Over 30,300 cardiologists attended the five-day event.

The creative is centred around the story of Robert, his wife and wider family. During the opening couple of minutes, Robert experiences a stroke, which, as the viewer looking from his point of view, you experience too. The rest of the film follows Robert's journey after the stroke, from travelling to hospital, rehabilitation, life at home and even how he interacts with his extended family. The film helps doctors empathise with stroke victims. Stroke prevention treatment is important. Choosing the right one is even more so.

The key feature of the film is motion tracking – when the viewer moves their head, they move Robert's head in the film. It’s also worth mentioning that our case study video features a cut-down version of the stroke experience film.

Thanks to its success and popularity, the client has showcased the immersive film at other congresses and events around the world, including the US, UK, Germany, Turkey, internal events and was even set up at the Boehringer Ingelheim global headquarters in Frankfurt for World Stroke Day.

Doctors provided testimonials just after they watched the film. All said they were moved by what they saw. When asked, many said they would reconsider their usual care pathway when they saw a patient at risk of stroke.

Over the five-day congress, over 750 people completely engaged with the film. Considering the film was over five minutes long, and fast-paced nature of the congress, the client agreed this was an incredible number.

It will also live beyond the booth. We have adapted the film for a section of the Pradaxa website, retaining the ability to 'look around' as Robert.