The Brand Agency saddles up with The Races WA to create a Royal Show virtual racing experience
The first day of the Perth Royal Show saw the launch of a fun virtual racing experience, enabling show-goers to experience the thrill of being a jockey for themselves. The virtual experience was created for The Races WA by The Brand Agency’s brand experience division, BrandXP.
The giant six-metre-round digital racecourse lets guests compete against on-screen competitors by riding their own hobby horse.
Adventurous types can also mount-up and test their ability on a horse simulator used by professional jockeys to improve their fitness and technique.
Racing and Wagering Western Australia General Manager Racing, Charlotte Mills, said: “As the gates open for the Perth Royal Show, the timing fits in beautifully for the spring racing season to follow, with the starting gates opening on October 9. Like the annual show, spring racing is a traditional and cherished part of life in Western Australia. We’re looking forward to cheering on families as they make the circuit of our virtual racetrack at the show.”
The virtual racing videos are both exciting and playful, with some showing leading Western Australian jockeys like William Pike and Jade McNaught swapping horses for Pogo-sticks, Segways, Quokkas and Chickens!”
Katrina Clayton, BrandXP lead, said: “It’s been a joy to help bring to life the spirit of the races with this engaging and interactive experience. Nothing gets your heart pumping more than the races, and that’s exactly what this activation sets out to do.”
Dean Hunt, The Brand Agency ECD, said: “This fun experiential creative shows how racing’s better with real horses by showing digital jockeys racing anything but. This unique experience allows guests to get a taste of Spring Racing fun, but if they want the real thing, with the added racehorses – the ‘actual’ races is the place to be. Big thanks to Nate, ZAC Creative, Brand XP, the tech team and The Races WA.”
And with news hot off the press, the experience has been so successful it has taken home a Commercial Exhibitor Award for the ‘Best Presented Site’. (Cannes who?!)
The digital racecourse is open from 10am to 6pm daily at the Perth Royal Show, with related attractions including carnival videos from Ascot Racecourse, photo opportunities with life-sized racehorse model Henry and Off the Track WA activities.
Client: Racing & Wagering WA (RWWA)
Head of Marketing: Katie Roberts
Marketing Coordinator: Sophie Ferguson
Agency: The Brand Agency
BrandXP Lead: Katrina Clayton
Executive Creative Director: Dean Hunt
Head of Art & Art Director: Nathan Teoh
Copywriters: Dean Hunt and Dan Debuf
Head of Design: Dan Agostino
Designer: Emma Lilliman
Studio: Julian Farnan, Nicola Commons, Paul Connelly, Christopher Markle
Business Director: Lauren Britton
Senior Account Manager: Stephanie Gotch-Martin
Account Executive: Lexi Mary
Animation: ZAC Creative Animation Team
Animation Director: Nicholas Kempt
Creative Producer: Troy Zafer
Signage Production:
All Flags
Audio Visual Production:
TLS Productions
11 Comments
Great idea! Get em into gambling as early as possible. Maybe some virtual pokies and virtual online betting too?
Surely this isn’t legit or even legal? Encouraging kids to have a ‘Races WA experience’.
Did they hand out Mystery Bet showbags and Swanny pints too?
If there’s a sportsbook running I’ll have a tenner on the 6-year old in pink.
Finally somebody is teaching kids how to make a living on the gee-gees
I find that idea of blatantly promoting gambling and gambling culture to children absolutely abhorrent. By admission, this is designed to encourage children to believe “the ‘actual’ races is the place to be”. If parents want to get their kids excited about horses, there are, surely, plenty of other fabulous ways to do that at the Show. Release the comments, Kim.
Agree Mel. This is ludicrously inappropriate. The abject cruelty of horse racing, which only exists to generate money through gambling – being promoted to kids! FFS. As a creative, I would 100% refuse to work on this brief. Shameful.
What’s done is done. But there’s a good lesson in here for those willing to listen.
What sort of relationship does your agency demand of its clients? Does it work for or with them? If it’s the former then perhaps we can understand why work like this appears in our world.
Of course, working with your clients means you hold them, and they you, to account. Working with clients means harder conversations. It takes conviction, it means sometimes you have to take a stand. So look around, what kind of clients relationships is your agency striving to keep? Get that right and I guarantee everyone involved will see better outcomes.
Barry Walker please expand? Keen to hear more on this topic.
Regardless of who’s decision it was, this is irresponsible advertising to children, and someone should have recognised it well before the briefing stage. Tough position for the agency staff though. Not sure how receptive senior management would be to conscientious objectors? I notice no one has stepped up to defend the work yet?
People in our industry need to stop hiding behind anonymity to have these important conversations. Thanks Mel, Barry and Sue for stepping in with names. I commented on the post on LinkedIn to open up the discussion, but even less people were willing to discuss it there.
Barry, I love what you said.
This activation left me extremely uneasy and I would love this discussion to remind us all to be part of the solution when we are working with clients (not for them as Barry so eloquently put it). I share your views Sue and Mel. It is just not OK.
Emma, no one wants to discuss it, because it’s unjustifiable. Brand were more than happy to take the client’s money and it would seem no one there even questioned whether the whole concept was ethical. Only now that they’re seeing negative comments, would they be second-guessing the moral consequences. In regards to anonymity, Perth is a small town, not everyone is comfortable openly opposing large agencies.
Some inspiration for us all from Derek Walker – stop living in fear…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVeW7xbm1z0