Dad was in Queensland. Mum was in Perth. Samsung Gear VR live streaming virtual reality “put Dad in” the delivery room.

Jason (Jace) Larke was in remote Queensland town, Chnchilla, when his wife, Alison, went into labour – in Perth. He was a ‘fly in, fly out’ electrical contractor, and had already faced the hard decision to honour a work commitment that placed him 4,000 kms away from his wife on her due date.

But Leo Burnett, Samsung Australia and production company, Rapid VR, had been working behind the scenes to make sure that Jace wouldn’t miss his baby’s birth.

They livestreamed 360 degree footage of the birth from Perth to Chinchilla And Jace was able to view it using a specialised Samsung Gear VR headset. It meant that Jace was “present” in the delivery room, supporting his wife Alison every step of the way. He was able to look around the room to experience every moment as if he were actually there. Late on Friday February 20, 2015, he witnessed the birth of Steele Larke.

It’s too important to be called a stunt, so…let’s not. This powerfully emotive part of Samsung’s LifeLIVE campaign gives Samsung ownership of abilities that matter. In a world of gizmos, that’s a very appealing bird in Samsung’s hand.

Arno Lenior, chief marketing officer Samsung Electronics Australia, explained, “The Samsung Gear VR technology is exciting, but what we are even more proud of are the amazing, emotion-charged experiences made possible by eliminating physical and geographic barriers and delivering new ways to experience immersive content. We are connecting people in ways never before thought possible to ensure Aussies don’t miss those significant moments which life is really all about.”

Andy DiLallo, chief creative officer Leo Burnett Sydney, added, “This goes beyond what the technology does and how it works – it’s about how it touches and changes people’s lives in new and compelling ways by allowing them to be part of experiences that they would otherwise miss. In Jace and Alison’s story, that was sharing the miracle of birth through the miracle of technology.

“This technology gives people the ability to ‘be there’ to experience life-changing, life-defining or life-affirming moments that would previously have been missed, and make emotional connections that would not otherwise have been made. This is about harnessing the potential for truly remarkable shared connections that are at the core of the human experience.”

The film was watched 1,185,254 times in its first three days on YouTube.

Credits

Above the line creative: Leo Burnett

Media agency: Starcom

Public relations: Edelman

SAMSUNG:

Chief marketing officer: Arno Lenior

Head of marketing communications:  Ian Bell

Group marketing manager: Ana Vrinat

Marketing manager, TELCO: Bianca Da Silva

LEO BURNETT:

Chief creative officer: Andy DiLallo

Worldwide chief creative officer: Mark Tutssel

Executive creative directors: Vince Lagana & Grant McAloon

Creative directors: Sharon Edmondston & Misha McDonald

Art director: Vince Lagana

Copywriter: Grant McAloon

Executive Producer:  Jeremy de Villiers

Design:  Bruno Nakano and Jason Young

Client services director:  Amanda Quested

Business director:  Laura Dowling

PRODUCTION COMPANY: Rapid VR

Director (Perth):  Dave Klaiber

Director (QLD):  Taylor Steele

DoP (Perth):  Earle Dresner

DpP (QLD): Ben Nott

Executive producer:  Susannah DiLallo

Casting Director: Toni Higginbotham Casting

VR Specialist: Dan White

MUSIC:

Music Soundtrack:  All I want

Band: Kodaline

Sound Mix: We Love Jam