The Drum Awards for Marketing - Extended Deadline

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By Laurie Fullerton, Freelance Writer

December 15, 2015 | 2 min read

Virtual technology hit the road in 2015 and highlighted the potential of the headset Oculus Rift with the Bosch Xperience Mobile Tour. The road trip was intented to train automotive technicians and featured the first-ever use of the headset Oculus Rift for automotive training and ultimately for B2B marketing.

Fusion Marketing of St. Louis, MO was tasked with creating a training video for technicians on engine and brake technology. They decided to take advantage of new technology by taking the technicians through a virtual tour of the vehicle systems.

Bosch provided three box-trailer trucks that served as a mobile stopover in more than 40 cities during the second half of 2015, where over 9,000 technicians had the VR experience and were awarded points for their grasp of the training. Fusion gleaned over 85 per cent email leads from the tour and the road trip included a celebrity stopover.

Fusion Marketing describes the strategy, explaining; "we took education to the future, becoming one of the first to use the Oculus Rift headset in a non-game format. It was featured on the online program 'Jay Leno’s Garage', and the campaign hit the right chords with the right crowd."

During the training the technicians were immersed in vehicle repair scenarios in a virtual shop, where a virtual car drove into a service bay with a customer complaint associated with it. Using the VR technology, technicians get to look at different components of the engine and diagnose the problem. The box truck-style units where they sit during the video are outfitted with racecar stadium seating for six and a checkerboard floor. This is where Jay Leno does his feature for his show, and although he initially walks in as if he is looking to order a hamburger from the lunch truck, his knowledge of mechanics is clear as he plugs the virtual reality video idea for Bosch - providing an entertaining diversion and a celebrity endorsement.

As Fusion Marketing notes, "when Bosch asked Fusion to help promote their innovative new gasoline direct injection system and quiet cast brakes, we knew the only way to promote the future of the automotive industry was with the most advanced technology possible."

Video Jay Leno Automotive

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