JCDecaux unveils VR videos of London Heathrow

Advertising firm JCDecaux has partnered with virtual reality (VR) specialists Visualise to create four 360º immersive videos of Terminals 2 and 5 at London Heathrow Airport.

JCDecaux Airports UK, a subsidiary of parent company JCDecaux, claims that the iExplore videos are a first-of-its-kind for the out-of-home (OOH) advertising industry. The VR video experiences allow potential advertisers to experience the effectiveness of airport advertising without having to take a physical tour of London Heathrow.

The VR experience uses binaural audio to direct viewer attention across the breadth of the location and a dynamic voice over that responds to the direction the viewer is looking in. It was shot using robotic and remote camera systems to give the viewer the sense of traveling through the environment and includes a 360-degree time-lapse in order to show the flow of footfall through the space.

Alan Sullivan, managing director of JCDecaux Airport UK, said, “We are delighted to have worked with Visualise to produce such an innovative, ‘media-owner-first’ virtual experience.

“The airport is a unique environment with key advertising benefits that can be extremely difficult to showcase in real life due to time and security restrictions at the airport. We can now make it possible for potential advertisers to understand the benefits in an impressive and impactful way without having to leave their office.”

Henry Stuart, founder and CEO of Visualise, said, “This project really showcases the power VR can have when it comes to marketing and advertising a project or service. We utilized a raft of technologies to deliver the experience required to really highlight the powerful message advertising in an airport can offer. We’re thrilled with the result and look forward to seeing the reaction.”