AOL announced yesterday that it has partnered with property/casualty insurance group American Family Insurance (AFI) and media agency Mindshare for the creation and distribution of video content produced with 360° video and virtual reality technologies.
The campaign taps into the capabilities of RYOT, a company partnered with AOL and associated with
The Huffington Post that leverages 360° and VR tech to produce immersive video journalism. It will run from late October until the end of the year.
“At American Family we believe dreams are the most important things anyone will ever own,” American Family Insurance CMO Telisa Yancy said in a release. “It’s why we’re so excited to use 360° video and virtual reality to bring to life stories of everyday dreamers who are pursuing their passions. Partnering with AOL and using their innovative storytelling tech is the perfect way to spread a real, relatable message of inspiration – one that we hope empowers people to overcome their own obstacles and dream fearlessly.”
Through the partnership, AFI will be the first to access AOL’s range of new solutions and services as well as utilize AOL’s premium network of over 500 million monthly global consumers, a release said.
A company release detailed that the campaign will involve the following:
- A dedicated editorial platform on The Huffington Post, celebrating, rewarding, and recognizing individuals who are passionately pursuing their dreams.
- A three-part branded video series that will highlight the men and women who relentlessly pursued their dreams and achieved happiness and success as a result of being fearless. The 360° video series will be accessible across screens and enable viewers to experience the action on the HuffPost RYOT app or through a VR headset.
- New 360° video that will be enabled across AOL’s pre-roll, out-stream, interstitial and expandable ad formats for desktop and mobile.
- AOL research around the development of metrics for 360°/VR consumer and advertiser engagement.
“This is a pivotal moment for AOL and our partners, as we continue to double down on developing the largest content creation platform in the world for brands,” said AOL EVP and president of content and consumer brands Jimmy Maymann. “Engaging storytelling is at the core of what we do, and our work with American Family Insurance demonstrates our ability to create immersive content, putting consumers in control of their viewing experience, tapping into new technology like VR.”
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