REI Find Out
REI was about to open their first store in New York City, at a famous location in Soho. To get New Yorkers excited about the outdoors, we had to find a way to let them truly experience outdoor environments that REI could help bring to them. So through an augmented reality app, we let people in New York unlock a world of hiking trails, ski slopes, and camping destinations within a short drive from Manhattan. They were fully panoramic outdoor scenes that helped to remind city dwellers that the great outdoors was actually closer than they realized.
It was the largest opening of an REI store to date.
While VP of Digital and Brand Strategy at BBDO, I worked with our digital team to come up with an innovative idea to help launch a store opening. Before augmented reality became mainstream, we came up with an idea to unlock new outdoor experiences through your mobile phone on the streets of NYC. The team included Cabot Norton (CD), Harley Jebens (UX) and Matt Silliman (PM).