Virtual Drift challenged a professional driver to race a real car in a virtual reality helmet. Developing world-first tech, we turned an actual vehicle into a giant game controller, allowing our driver to take on a menacing virtual racetrack and demonstrate performance driving, powered by Castrol EDGE, like never before. Blind to the real world, our driver had to rely on his instincts and the performance of his vehicle to reach a beacon and escape the world. By identifying cultural interests like VR, we looked to harness a growing appetite for tech in an innovative way, from a brand that prides itself on breaking boundaries.

By extracting data from the Ford Mustang, we were able to track everything from the steering angle and wheel spin, to the dynamic damping and throttle position, allowing us to simulate the vehicle with near perfect accuracy in the virtual world. This data was synced with our driver’s Oculus Rift helmet, making a previously sit-down, stationary experience, now a mobile experience in a moving vehicle.

The track was designed using multiple game engines. We wanted the racecourse to feel alive, forcing our driver to constantly react to his environment. Collapsing tunnels, falling boulders, sheer cliff drops and a nemesis vehicle (in the form of global racing icon Ken Block), all stood in the way of our driver reaching a beacon and escaping the world.

Immersing a driver in the virtual world required months of testing and training. This was crucial in the development of the technology and overcoming latency issues.

Castrol’s first ever simultaneous global campaign launched in four operating units and all key markets in the same week.

We captivated a global audience:

+ 274 million global views

+ 1.4 billion online impressions

+ $14 million earned media

Our content was featured in many of the world’s leading media publications and sites including BBC Click, The Discovery Channel, Tech Times, The Sun Motors, The Wall Street Journal and Top Gear.

We ‘significantly exceeded brand and Titanium Strong message uplift targets’ (Millward Brown U.S. Analysis June 2015)