Vodafone, the Official Connectivity Partner of The Championships, Wimbledon, has unveiled an industry-first 3D Piccadilly Lights activation which sees teenage tennis sensation Emma Raducanu brought to life as a digital avatar. The multi-screen immersive 3D experience, inspired by Wimbledon Uncovered in 360, Powered by Vodafone and created by Ocean, is the first ever motion-capture computer generated (CG) avatar of an athlete to appear solo in DeepScreen™ on the Piccadilly Lights.
Visitors will look up to see a mobile phone appear in 3D with Vodafone ambassador Emma as a full CG avatar on Wimbledon’s Centre Court. She hits a ball which comes out of the mobile screen, and out towards the viewer in 3D then follows it and reappears in 3D, looking around Piccadilly Circus then turning to pick up the phone and take a selfie with the real-life crowd. The lifelike avatar created by Berlin-based Mimic Productions will then climb out of the phone screen into the 3D space that’s been created in DeepScreen™ with Piccadilly Screen’s unique angle and 3D optical illusion making people feel like she is right there with them in the iconic London landmark.
Maria Koutsoudakis, head of brand, Vodafone UK said: “This summer we set out to help the UK #FeelTheConnection in partnership with some of Britain’s most loved events and using iconic sites like Piccadilly to bring this experience in 3D to life, is a key part of our strategy. The opportunity to take a quintessentially British brand like Wimbledon, the power of Vodafone’s connectivity with Wimbledon Uncovered in 360, and a British star like Emma to such a recognisable site is a big brand moment and one we’re immensely proud of.”
The OOH activation, live from Monday, June 27 until Sunday, July 3 to coincide with the first week of Wimbledon, is part of Vodafone’s new #FeelTheConnection summer campaign. The multi-platform campaign focuses on using connectivity to bring fans different experiences of Wimbledon and was kicked off earlier this month with Vodafone’s official Wimbledon ad featuring Wimbledon Uncovered in 360, Powered by Vodafone.
In addition to the Piccadilly Lights activation Vodafone has partnered with the All England Club and Westfield London on flagship activation The Wimbledon Experience W12, located at Westfield Square and delivered by Ocean.
Open for a fortnight from Monday 27th June to Sunday 10th July and offering free entry from 11am daily, the experience will allow tennis fans to watch the official BBC broadcast of all matches from The Championships live on a large screen set within an English garden themed landscape with lawns, flower beds, livings walls and refreshment areas. It will also offer visitors the chance to try out Vodafone’s Wimbledon Walk of Champions, a virtual reality experience that allows fans to retrace the steps of Wimbledon Champions and finalists. Fans will walk the same path as previous champions, through the historic corridors of the Clubhouse and onto Centre Court.
Wimbledon Walk of Champions is also available onsite during the course of The Championships at the Vodafone Connection Experience or as a mobile experience for fans at home by visiting www.wimbledon.com/vodafone.
The fully integrated #FeelTheConnection campaign is running now across TV, radio, OOH and social.