The racing-inspired Honda Civic Type R has never been available in America. But that hasn’t stopped people from driving it. For years, hardcore Type R fans have turned to the only place they could get behind the wheel of one in the U.S.: video games. So to launch the Type R in the U.S., we held a one-of-a-kind race that bridged two diverse fan bases: racing enthusiasts and gamers. R vs. R was a mixed reality race between a real Type R driven by a pro IndyCar driver, and a virtual Type R driven by a pro gamer. PRESS: It was picked up by over 100 news outlets in over 30 countries, including The New York Times, BBC Top Gear, Yahoo!, MSN, PSFK, Ad Age, VR Scout, Motor 1, The Drive, and Drive Mag.
RESULTS: 123MM+ PR impressions / 136MM+ Media impressions / 10MM+ Video views / Sold out the first two production runs of the Civic Type R.
Clio Sports Bronze
One Show Merit
Webby Nominee
Shorty Awards Winner + Finalist
FWA
Bestadsontv
Gold Addy
2 x Silver Addy
RESULTS: 123MM+ PR impressions / 136MM+ Media impressions / 10MM+ Video views / Sold out the first two production runs of the Civic Type R.
Clio Sports Bronze
One Show Merit
Webby Nominee
Shorty Awards Winner + Finalist
FWA
Bestadsontv
Gold Addy
2 x Silver Addy
YouTube pre-roll, social videos, GIFs, Twitter polls, and Instagram stories, amplified through our creator network, drivers and enthusiasts, drove people to watch the race.
To make the race possible, the real Civic Type R was outfitted with a custom augmented reality windshield. It used data from several sources (Microsoft Forza, Google Earth,
and military-grade GPS data) that allowed the race car driver to see the gamer’s position on the track in real time.
and military-grade GPS data) that allowed the race car driver to see the gamer’s position on the track in real time.
We worked with Microsoft’s Xbox and Turn 10 Studios to launch the Civic Type R in Forza, a week after the race.
We challenged gamers to download the virtual Type R and try to beat Rahal’s time.
We challenged gamers to download the virtual Type R and try to beat Rahal’s time.
Many bedroom racers got pretty close, with some even eclipsing Rahal’s, time, spurring on even more conversation on social media.
The poster I made using mixed media. Acrylic, pen, and colored pencil over photograph with CGI elements.