The (virtual) ride of your life

MOTOR ACCIDENT COMMISION OF SA • BRANDING, ART DIRECTION & DESIGN

The Motor Accident Commission approached Fusion to create a campaign around the importance of being visible whilst riding, to be incorporated into Australia’s largest cycling event, the Tour Down Under. The solution was a simple message: Be Safe, Be Seen.

The challenge was bringing this safety message to two wildly different audiences: young riders who are just starting out and accepting of advice, and also the serious and experienced cycling community, who are typically less receptive to safety messaging.

Our approach was to partner with Australian cycling legend Anna Meares – an aspirational figure who is looked up to by both audiences. We used 360º filming techniques to develop a virtual reality riding experience. At the tour village, riders could jump on an actual bike equipped with a virtual reality headset and hit the streets of Adelaide alongside Anna as she doles out safety tips. They’re then transported on to Anna’s very own competition bike in the velodrome, where they get a taste of what it feels like to ride like an Olympic gold medallist.

Being able to zip around the track appealed to both amateur and serious cyclists, and people could bring the experience home via a mobile app and branded Google Cardboard VR goggles. Neon reflective slap bands were also given away, so people could put the campaign messaging into action immediately. Over 50,000 were snapped up.

I played the role of art director and visual designer for the entire campaign, which included printed promotional material, event signage and online material. I was also responsible for writing, storyboarding, and art directing the 360º video component.