Take On The Machine
- Brand
- Scion
- Year
- 2010
- Objective
- Engagement
- Industry
- Automotive
- Mechanic
- Racing & Sports
- Platform
- AR & VR
- Agency
- ATTIK
- With
- North Kingdom
Objective
Scion needed to launch the 2011 tC coupe to a young, mostly male driving audience ahead of its October 2010 dealer debut. The campaign cast the new tC against a menacing 'machine city,' and the goal was to get people behind the wheel of the car before it ever reached a showroom.
Solution
The player goes to TakeOnTheMachine.com, opens the Augmented Reality section, and prints out a paper marker — or tears one from a print ad in a car magazine. Holding the sheet up to a webcam like a steering wheel, the player tilts it left and right to steer a virtual tC through a hostile, mechanical cityscape; the car accelerates on its own, and hitting obstacles costs speed. A run ends on the clock, with the fastest time saved. Players without a webcam or printer can drive with the keyboard instead, and a short video tutorial shows newcomers how to hold the marker. Finished runs post through Facebook Connect to a leaderboard, so a session ends with a time to beat and a rank against friends.
- 1
Players find the Augmented Reality section on TakeOnTheMachine.com, the campaign hub built around a dystopian "city that is a machine." It lists what's needed to play — a browser, a webcam, and a printer — and notes the game can also be played with a keyboard alone.
- 2
To get a physical steering marker, players either print one from the site or pull a die-cut version bundled into September print ads in magazines such as Inked, Giant Robot, Juxtapoz, XLR8R, Dsport, and Modified.
- 3
A short video tutorial shows how to hold the printed sheet up to the webcam; once the browser is granted camera access and recognizes the marker, players hold the sheet with both hands like a steering wheel, tilting and turning it to steer the on-screen Scion tC — the marker is the control input itself, not a start button.
- 4
The race drops players into "Machine City" behind the wheel of a 2011 Scion tC that accelerates on its own to top speed; the only input is steering around a single fixed course as city obstacles appear with split-second timing, and any collision slows the car and costs time.
- 5
Each run ends with a finishing time, which drops with a cleaner, collision-free run.
- 6
Players can connect via Facebook Connect to save their time, compare it against friends, and place on a global leaderboard.
- 7
Beating set time thresholds unlocks custom paint jobs for the tC to drive in later runs, giving players a reason to replay the course.
- 8
Months later, Scion Canada auto-show visitors could play the same game live on-site, then keep playing online at home to climb a combined standings, unlocking further virtual cars and competing for Scion Gear and a real 2011 Scion tC as the grand prize.
