Hive Flight VR Experience
Back to workVirtual Reality hits the sweet spot for mānuka honey marketing
Hive Flight is an immersive Virtual Reality experience we created for The True Honey Co. in 2020. The world was changing then. COVID-19 was spreading around the globe and cities everywhere were moving into lockdown.
The True Honey Co’s Jane Willersdorf knew that when the world opened up again, they needed to do something different to get people to take notice of their brand – a small yet incredibly mighty mānuka honey from the ends of the earth. Their marketing actions needed to stand out and be instantly memorable. With her eyes set on the 2021 World Expo in Dubai, Jane spoke with our founder and director Dan Browne about the potential of VR.
THE BRIEF
Jane wanted to showcase their remarkable honey at the World Expo and was interested in the possibilities of virtual reality. She needed a story with impact and cut-through. The True Honey Co. mānuka honey is premium, extremely rare and among the highest grade found anywhere in the world. The lengths the company goes to in crafting this unique honey sets it apart from others. The liquid gold is sourced from pristine and remote New Zealand forests and crafted to exceptional standards.
OUR SOLUTION
We knew we needed to get people up close on the incredible journey it takes to produce the honey. Dan joined The True Honey Co. founder Jim McMillan on a helicopter flight to the remote hive locations in the far north of New Zealand. The locations are so top secret that Dan had to pretty much sign away his firstborn child to accompany Jim on this voyage (sorry Tilly).
With footage captured of Aotearoa’s stunning scenery and the far-flung hive locations, we created a VR story that took people to the source of The True Honey Co.’s extraordinary honey. The journey starts at a helipad before you join the crew on a helicopter, soaring above the ocean and dense forest. Touching down on a cliff-top clearing, you’re steps away from beehives and apiarists at work. This is an immersive experience that gets you as close as you can to one of New Zealand’s most premium exports.
THE RESULTS
Hive Flight had an amazing response when it showed at the expo in Dubai. Word spread quickly about the video experience and had people queueing to have their moment in the headset. But while the VR piece was created for this one-off expo, it took on a new life that The True Honey Co. team hadn’t predicted. Four years after production, Hive Flight is now a crucial sales tool and training resource.
The True Honey Co. Head of Sales, Jason Yank takes the VR headsets wherever he goes, as the experience tells a powerful story in a highly-immersive three minutes that would otherwise take multiple meetings and numerous PowerPoint presentations. “I’m no tech head and at first I was hesitant about travelling globally with this technology. But Dan and the team have been there to troubleshoot any problems and Hive Flight has become an indispensable sales tool for me when talking with distributors.”
In 2022, Hive Flight was recognised with The True Honey Co. receiving the Bayley’s Hawke’s Bay Primary Sector Innovation Award.
WHAT DID THE CLIENT THINK?
“Hive Flight transports you to this mystical place and connects with everybody who watches it. It takes the idea of a story and gets people to feel it with almost every sense. And the experience makes it memorable in just one engagement. We had a vision of what was possible and Indelible delivered exactly that.”
Jane Willersdorf, CMO at The True Honey Co.Interested in how VR can help your business take flight? We’ll talk you through the possibilities. Get in touch.
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