2020 Brand Experience & Activation

SPACEBUZZ: VR EDUCATION PROGRAMME FOR CHILDREN CREATING EARTH’S AMBASSADORS

Short List
TitleSPACEBUZZ: VR EDUCATION PROGRAMME FOR CHILDREN CREATING EARTH’S AMBASSADORS
BrandSPACEBUZZ
Product/ServiceSPACEBUZZ: EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION PROGRAMME
Category D05. New Realities & Voice Activation
Entrant MEDIAMONKS Hilversum, THE NETHERLANDS
Idea Creation MEDIAMONKS Hilversum, THE NETHERLANDS
Idea Creation 2 SPACEBUZZ Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
Production SPACEBUZZ Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
Additional Company UNBRANDED Hilversum, THE NETHERLANDS
Additional Company 2 THE OTHERS Amersfoort, THE NETHERLANDS
Additional Company 3 MAAK Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
Credits
Name Company Position
André Kuipers SpaceBuzz Astronaut

Why is this work relevant for Brand Experience & Activation?

SpaceBuzz is a non-profit organization focusing on revolutionizing education to teach our new generation about the planet and the environment. SpaceBuzz literally lets children experience the Overview Effect, leaving a lasting effect through a concept that combines education and experience. Only a number of people were able to experience the Overview Effect themselves, we want to give this opportunity to children around the world to create new ambassadors of planet earth.

Background

After seeing Earth from space, astronauts consistently report a shift in the way they see our planet and how important it is that we take care of it. This profound change is known as the Overview Effect, and it’s something so powerful that Dutch astronaut André Kuipers wanted all children in the world to experience it. With SpaceBuzz, he wants to give children the opportunity to experience the Overview Effect firsthand and inspire them to become champions of our planet.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

SpaceBuzz is an innovation in education—bringing integrated classroom learning to the next level with a 4D VR experience. Led by Dutch astronaut André Kuipers, children are taken aboard a spaceship and given the opportunity to experience the Overview Effect, a shift in perspective towards the Earth. This Overview Effect is known for causing a cognitive shift in the handful of people who have experienced it themselves from space. We recreated this experience by bringing the rocket to schools around the globe giving children the opportunity to complete missions before they were able to enter the rocket with VR experiences that simulate the Overview Effect. Children were able to see the world as one, and all that is good and bad about it.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

The foundation for the VR spaceflight is an integrated education program that teaches children around the age of 11 how to look at Earth before they go to space. From research, we knew that our story had to be positive and inspiring. The tone of voice is really about the beauty and wonder of the planet, noting the fragility but letting the kids draw their own conclusions. By letting kids experience the Overview Effect with their own eyes through VR, we were able to change how they view Earth in a fundamental way.

Describe the execution (30% of vote)

SpaceBuzz is crafted from launch to landing in 4D. The experience happens inside a physical and digital spacecraft looking out over a computer-generated universe with the highest possible realism. Before entering the spacecraft, the children are guided through several pre-flight lessons. They will then board the spacecraft, experiencing the installation as one giant user journey. André is the on-board presenter and pilot of the VR spaceflight, inspiring kids with his amicable tone and personality. During the VR spaceflight, children see earth while being guided by virtual André, narrating and pointing out key places on earth. Complemented by 4D effects, like moving chairs, shaking, smoke, lights and sound the experience is as close to a space ride as you can get. As their final mission, children give interviews about what they have experienced, just as real astronauts do.

List the results (30% of vote)

Thanks to the Overview Effect Foundation, over thousands of children around the globe were able to experience the Overview Effect for themselves. Despite incredible results and being fully booked until 2021, rolling out to four more countries very soon, we are very proud to say that this experience has changed the way that many children look at our earth for the rest of their lives. We indeed have created new ambassadors of planet earth.