Samsung has opened a dive store in Alice Springs - 1200km from the ocean - as part of its campaign to celebrate its virtual reality product, Samsung Gear VR.
For the campaign, Samsung's creative agency Leo Burnett Sydney teamed up with surf director Taylor Steele to capture underwater footage of great white sharks near Port Lincoln in South Australia. The footage resulted in a 360-degree film called The Dive, create specifically for Samsung Gear VR.
To celebrate the film, Samsung then opened a Dive Shop in Alice Springs, inviting locals to experience the shark drive using the Gear VR.
Leo Burnett Sydney chief creative officer Andy DiLallo said the agency pushed itself to find an interesting way to showcase the new technology.
“Working with new devices rewires how you think – and we relish the creative and technical challenges of these types of projects. Thinking about how content works when a story plays out all around you requires a different mindset,” he said.
“It's not just about being first to do something – it's about finding the magic and the hidden potential within an innovative technology that will make those new experiences feel truly remarkable.”
Samsung Electronics Australia CMO Arno Lenior said the potential of the technology is what excites the company.
“Beyond the technology itself, what really excites us about the Gear VR is that it's enabling completely new kinds of experiences, and putting them in the hands of our customers,” he said.
“The potential for this platform is huge and we wanted to create something that would bring some of that potential to life.”
