As well as snowsports, the Skipedia team is also fond of the occasional game of cricket.
So when we saw that England sponsor Yorkshire Tea were offering a chance to try some virtual reality cricket, we stepped up to the crease immediately.
Oculus Rift
As with our recent blog about virtual reality experiences, the go-to hardware is the Oculus Rift – in this case branded with the Yorkshire Tea logo.
Facing England’s highest ever wicket taker
The programme gives users the chance to face three balls in 3D from Jimmy Anderson – England’s most successful ever bowler.
80mph bowling…
The experience is suprisingly realistic. Anderson (and the unseen wicketkeeper) do their best sledging to put you off and you have to fend off some 80 mph bowling.
An opportunity missed…
So far, so good for Yorkshire Tea. What a great brand experience, and here I am sharing it now, as no doubt many of those who tried it out have also done.
Yet while the branding on the device and in the background is perfect, this came across to me as a missed opportunity.
I was only able to get these photos because someone offered to take them for me. I saw no official hashtag, nor any suggestion to share your experience socially.
The overall reach of this campaign could have been greatly increased if there had been a system in place to take photos and then email them, complete with embedded links to share on Facebook and Twitter.
Neilson at forefront within travel industry
The Oculus Rift is – in terms of technology – the brick mobile phone of the late-90s. This technology is going to improve exponentially over the next 10 years and it will be interesting to see how the travel industry takes advantage of it.
Neilson Holidays have been in the vanguard to date, with their recent use of virtual reality in shopping centres to allow people to try out skiing down an Andorran ski slope or windsurfing in Greece.
For further updates on two of the most exciting technologies in travel – the use of drones and virtual reality – keep following Skipedia on social media.