Samsung and NASA joined forces to open the Moon to all as the 50th anniversary of the Lunar Landing approaches. 49 years ago, the world held their breath as Armstrong stepped on Moon. It was hailed as a “giant leap for mankind”. In reality, only 12 astronauts have walked on the Moon. By pushing the limits of what a phone can do, we opened up the moon to all.

- We made it possible for everyone to walk on the Moon. We brought together world-class VR creators, engineers and NASA, to create the most accurate experience of walking on the Moon, on earth

- Our rig registers your weight in real-time and lifts you as if you were one-sixth of your mass

- The Moon landscape matches NASA Lunar topographical data

- The user is challenged to explore the surface, see the earthrise and plant their own custom designed flag

The first activation of the 4D VR lunar gravity simulator ‘A Moon for All Mankind’ happened in Samsung's home country during the Winter Olympics. A full experience was set-up in the Samsung Olympic building on its VR Floor.

The second iteration of the experience was at the Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona. This time we had not one, but two Lunar gravity simulators and a huge play area in Samsung’s flagship event space. With registration opening at 9am on a daily basis, the experience sold out by 9.30am each day.

Following successful rollouts in the Winter Olympics in Seoul and Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. A Moon For All Mankind now rolls out to other cities around the world at Samsung’s Flagship stores starting with the 837 space in New York in July and followed by London and Tokyo.

2,500 people became Lunar astronauts.

27,000 people reached at Mobile World Congress, Barcelona.

Daily slots for experience were filled in under 30 minutes on average.

Over 1,000 online news reports.

Samsung is now rolling the experience out to flagship stores across the globe.

Beyond an advertising comms campaign, Samsung Electronics needed to prove to potential consumers that their flagship Galaxy S9 and Note8 smartphones, together with their Samsung Gear VR headset, were capable of delivering experiences that let you “Do What You Can't” – Samsung Mobile’s brand promise.

We created an immersive virtual reality experience: A Moon for all Mankind – a game experience like no other.

The timing of the launch of A Moon For All Mankind could not have been better as the 50th anniversary of the Lunar Landing approaches in 2019. The halo-effect of our consultation and partnership with NASA – something no other competitor has – gave the experience an incredible amount of authenticity as it mirrored the training rig that NASA astronauts train on.

We wanted to engage global consumers who were Samsung users as well as other smartphone brand users. To Samsung users, we wanted to reinforce their positive disposition towards the brand through a VR experience that could not have been achieved on any other smartphone and VR headset combination. To non-Samsung users, we wanted to demonstrate the hardware and software edge that the Samsung S9 and Note8 have over other smartphones.

Situation

Only 12 American male astronauts have ever walked on the Moon. Through our technology, our creativity and our products, we want to democratise the Moon and excite the next generation about ultimate human endeavor – the exploration of space. When people experience the Moon for themselves, they’ll be inspired to reach for the stars and take an active role in human progress - as scientists, mathematicians, engineers and yes, even astronauts.

Brief

We were tasked to deliver a virtual reality experience that would be considered a "VR masterpiece" – something never attempted or seen before. An immersive experience that, in the client's own words, “lets you do what you've only dreamt of”. A Moon For All Mankind was our response to the brief.

Objective

In the spirit of #DoWhatYouCant, we wanted to push the limits of what a phone can do and open the Moon to all.