The British Army turns to virtual reality for latest recruitment campaign
The British Army is using Oculus Rift headsets for its latest recruitment drive to give wearers the experience of a 'real-life scenario' of volunteering.
The wraparound headset, which is being used at a recruitment event in London’s Waterloo Station today, will immerse members of the public into a live fire exercise with the Army Reserve on Salisbury Plain.
The experience places the user in a Challenger 2 tank as a crewman with tanks surrounding them engaging enemy positions using laser sights, as well as communicating with other soldiers in armoured vehicles driving alongside them.
Major General Chris Tickell, director-general of the Army recruiting and training division, said: "By using the virtual headsets, people will be able to step straight into an exciting real-world scenario of volunteering with the Army Reserve and the huge variety of challenging roles there are to choose from.
“Introducing virtual reality technology is just one of the ways that the Army is transforming the way it recruits.”
The experience was created by virtual reality company Visualise in conjuction with JWT.
A TV ad (see above) focuses solely on inspiring potential candidates to sign-up to the Army Reserve, contrasting normal everyday life with life as a soldier. Capturing various exploits in slow motion, the creative darts between soldiers learning how to repair equipment underwater to night time missions and more to show the breadth of skills recruits can learn as well as the relationships they forge during service time. It aims to show that a career in the Amry Reserve can be just as rewarding as the Regular Army despite the shorter service period.