The story behind Circles.Life’s first-ever 3D billboard in Australia
The campaign won in the Best Technology-led Innovation category at The Drum Marketing Awards APAC 2023.
Circles.Life, a mobile provider serving Australia, sought to stand out from other companies in the country. So, its next campaign had to engage with consumers in a way they’ve never seen before.
What Circles.Life came up with was ‘Be the main character,’ Australia’s first three-dimensional billboard, which leveraged technology and data to reimagine the country’s leading content creators and gaming influencers as avatars in a metaverse-inspired world.
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The Brief
Australian telco providers have a reputation for providing subpar service. Circles.Life didn’t want to fall into this category, so the brand sought a campaign that would both promote its mobile offerings and make its customers feel like the main character. This would require going beyond the static, two-dimensional world of advertising and entering uncharted territory: creating Australia’s first-ever 3D billboard, replete with virtual avatars of the country’s most influential content creators and gaming influencers. In terms of brand messaging, the campaign would elevate positive themes of love, diversity and inclusivity through these Australian influencers, thus amplifying the message that Circles.Life is for everyone.
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The Idea
To deliver Australia’s first 3D billboard, Circles.Life first enlisted the creative agency Invnt APAC then formed a team of digital designers, motion capture specialists, cinema 4D and Unreal Engine experts and CGI specialists. The brand then gathered a diverse group of influencers to represent its consumer base. The group comprised tech and gaming influencers from all walks of life, from maximalist design duo Josh and Matt to AJ Clementine, who is known for sharing her journey as a transgender woman on social media.
Some challenges the team had to overcome included having a final pixel that had next to no post-production and working with influencers who were used to showcasing their content on social media. Avatars of each influencer were made for a 3D virtual stage on top of the Emporium shopping center in Melbourne, located at the corner of Lonsdale Street and Swanston Street. There, their every move and word was projected for passersby.
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The Results
This particular activation went where human interaction and technology had never been before in Australia, turning a 2D billboard into a virtual stage for some of Australia’s leading influencers to spread messages of love, inclusivity and diversity. Following the launch of the campaign, consumer awareness of Circles.Life skyrocketed. Within the first week of execution, site traffic grew by 30%. The brand also saw app downloads surge by 60%. At the same time, 13 news articles garnered a global PR reach of 13,751,420 impressions.
This campaign won at The Drum Awards for Marketing APAC 2023. Find out more about The Drum’s Global Awards program or head to our case studies hub to read more award-winning stories.