30/01/2017

ANZ Launches Giant Immersive VR Gaming ‘Breakpoint’ Experience At Australian Open

Tennis fans and game lovers at the 2017 Australian Open experienced the excitement, thrill and constant movement of playing a dynamic, energetic tennis game in a virtual world of obstacles and goals called ‘ANZ Breakpoint’.

 

This large format digital virtual reality experience, developed in partnership with Deloitte Digital for the Australian financial group, was set-up in the Grand Slam Oval (something of an entertainment hub for tennis fans) and made available to those attending the tournament in person.

 

ANZ Breakpoint is a vast, 54 square metre interactive installation.

 

The activation builds on ANZ’s current ‘mobile payments’ campaign which runs under an umbrella theme of encouraging users (and players) to ‘keep moving’ and overcome obstacles in order to achieve success.

 

One key objective for the activation is to leave a memorable impression of the ANZ brand and the experience starts as soon as a player enters the immersive space.

 

To start playing the game, fans simply pick up what looks like a normal tennis racket and begin playing the immersive interactive game.

 

The game sees multiple players compete simultaneously and also aims to provide an enjoyable, highly watchable spectacle for those waiting in the queue.

 

‘ANZ Breakpoint centres on three 18 square metre projected booths, creating an experience designed to be as immersive for the individual players as it is for the audience,’ explains Daniel Cheong-See, national creative director at Deloitte Digital.

 

‘Fans play the game intuitively – swinging furiously to keep up with the bombardment of digital tennis balls – whilst trying to smash through any obstacles in their way,’ adds Deloitte Digital motion lead Rob Weir.

 

Familiar to many Australian sports fans, the voice of Craig Willis guides the player through the gameplay as the experience aims to capture the #KeepMoving message of the umbrella ANZ campaign.

 

At the end of each game, players are rewarded with their score and the opportunity to strike a victory pose for the camera: each then receives a video of their experience via email which they can share through their own social channels.

 

The initiative was not only promoted on site at the tournament itself, but also amplified across digital and social platforms such as Facebook,

 

 

Twitter,

 

 

 

and Instagram.

 

 

The experience was launched at the beginning of the Australian Open on 16 January and run through the tournament until 29 January.

 

This was just one central pillar in a comprehensive ANZ’s Australian Open activation programme that also included a ticket giveaway,

 

 

a Snapchat Lens initiative,

 

 

support for ANZ’s tennis ambassadors Novak Djokovic

 

 

 

bringing Apple Pay to the tournament and promoting the new service with tennis legend Henri Leconte,

 

 

and offering priority services on-site for ANZ customers.

 

 

 

A further strand of its 2017 tennis activation is its ongoing title partnership of the ANZ Tennis Hotspots primary school kids tennis programme which links to the Australian Open itself by enabling a lucky few programme participants to play at on the major courts of the Melbourne tournament venue during the Australian Open.

 

 

 

 

It was back in 2014 that ANZ became a sponsor of Tennis Australia’s fast-growing, children’s starter program – ANZ Tennis Hot Shots.

 

First launched in 2008, the grassroots Hot Shots is now one of the most popular sports programs for primary school children in Australia, with more than 500,000 children experiencing the program in the past 12 months alone.

 

As well as working with Deloitte Digital on Breakpoint, ANZ has also worked on its Australian Open activation and connected umbrella campaigns with ad agency TBWA and sports and entertainment agency Octagon.

 

Comment:

 

With more than 1000 fans each day queuing for up to 45 minutes each to play, the VR game was a major draw at the event.

 

Indeed, ANZ, which has been a major sponsor of the Australian Open since 2010, has actually produced several notable engaging and exciting brand experiences at the Grand Slam Oval since it first signed its partnership deal in 2009.

 

This year’s programme follows on from last year’s ANZ activation built around a series of Novak Djokovic fronted spots

 

 

 

and the sponsor’s admirable and innovative #HeadbandForGood cause campaign (see case study).

 

ANZ is an Associate Sponsor of the Australian Open: the Melbourne hosted tournament is held annually in January is perhaps Australia’s biggest yearly global sports property and is known as the Grand Slam of the Asia Pacific.

 

In addition to its strong Australian heritage, it has widespread appeal as regional event across New Zealand, the Pacific area and Asia.

 

After initially penning three-year partnership in 2009, ANZ extended its Australia Open sponsorship for a further five years in January 2014.

 

Along with Rolex and Jacob’s Creek, ANZ is one of three second-tier associate sponsors of the event that sit beneath main sponsor Kia.

 

ANZ is also the Official Bank of the Australian Open.

 

ANZ primarily uses its sponsorship of the event to target consumers in Asia.

 

Indeed, 2017 saw ANZ run Chinese-language displays in its allocated courtside branding slots – especially when Chinese star Li Na took to the court.

 

Overall, ANZ now tends to take a holistic approach to sponsorship and doesn’t see partnerships playing a separate role from marketing.

 

It aims to leverage its sponsorship across every possible touch point and structurally marketing and sponsorship strategy sit together in its global marketing team.

 

As well as its Australian Open sponsorship, in tennis the banking brand also backs the Shanghai Rolex Masters and it uses these ‘international’ properties to both drive preference and consideration and build awareness in newer markets.

 

The growing popularity of tennis across Asia makes its Australian Open sponsorship a good way to connect with its key targets in new markets.

 

Other ‘regional’ properties in its portfolio range from the ANZ cricket series and a partnership with New Zealand Cricket, plus the ANZ Championships (netball) and these objectives behind these property partnerships are more focused around customer and employee engagement and the introduction of market-specific products/services..

 

While ‘local’ sponsorships – such as Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras and Sydney Now lifestyle festival – are more focused on building local relevance.

 

ANZ also claims to only partner with groups and organisations that reflect its own brand values and communicate these to our existing and potential customers in a meaningful way.

 

Links:

 

ANZ

https://www.yourworld.anz.com/sporting-life/keep-movinghttps://www.yourworld.anz.com/sporting-life/keep-moving

http://www.anz.com/about-us/our-company/profile/sponsorship/portfolio/

anz.com/tennis

https://www.facebook.com/ANZAustralia/

https://twitter.com/ANZ_AU

 

Deloitte Digital

http://www.deloittedigital.com/au

 

Octagon Australia

http://www.octagon.com/australia

 

TBWA Australia

http://www.tbwa.com.au/

 

Australian Open

http://event.ausopen.com/event-guide/partners/anz/

http://www.ausopen.com/

https://twitter.com/australianopen

https://www.instagram.com/australianopen/

https://www.facebook.com/AustralianOpen

http://sports.sina.com.cn/tennis/ausopen17/index.shtml



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