To stand out with shoppers this Christmas, Jurong Point Shopping Centre gave shoppers a chance to shop and hop on board Santa’s Magical Sleigh for a Virtual Reality rollercoaster ride.

Riding on the popularity that Pokemon Go has generated around mixed-reality environments, the exhilarating VR ride was conceptualized in Isobar Singapore by Chye Yong Hock and takes mall visitors on a Santa sleigh ride around the mall. Whilst onboard Santa’s sleigh, they were challenged to shoot Christmas baubles at as many shopping bags as possible to win prizes.

For a fully immersive experience, the Isobar team built the mall interiors in 3D modeling from scratch, using photos of every corner of the mall to replicate the environment in the ride experience. They then incorporated a sleigh that flew around the mall and created variations in the track movements to add an element of thrill and excitement even for repeat riders. Finally, they worked on the mechanics of the game such as the scoring system.

As it is the season of giving, shoppers who rode Santa’s Sleigh also received a charming limited edition Christmas paper craft, which was also designed by Isobar.

“Santa’s Magical Sleigh” VR experience is part of the ongoing “Christmas Takes Flight” campaign that Jurong Point Shopping Centre is running. The campaign is being promoted in print, broadcast, and social media.

Challenges

One of the biggest challenges was creating the 3D model of the mall. We had to create a 3D model of the mall from scratch, which meant that we had to take photos of every corner of the mall to replicate the environment in the VR experience. We also had to create a 3D model of the sleigh that would fly around the mall. We also had to create variations in the track movements to add an element of thrill and excitement even for repeat riders.

Another challenge was creating the mechanics of the game. We had to create a scoring system that would allow users to shoot Christmas baubles at as many shopping bags as possible to win prizes. We also had to create a scoring system that would allow users to compete with each other and show their scores on a leaderboard.

Results

I had a lot of fun working on this project, and I'm proud of the final product. Everything was delivered on time, and the client was thrilled with the results. The VR experience was a huge success, with a lot of people riding the VR experience during the Christmas season. The client was thrilled with the results and the positive feedback from shoppers.

The campaign was also featured in multiple marketing publications, including The Drum, The little black book, and more.