Rip Curl and Tourism Fiji surprise surfers with virtual competition

Turns out you weren't the only one to catch that wave. 

The above video details a campaign led by VMLY&R for surfing goods company Rip Curl and Tourism Fiji that unknowingly entered surfers in a competition based on their smartwatch data.

Those who used the Rip Curl Virtual Pro watch during the 10-day competition had their data logged and analysed by an algorithm looking for distance paddled, surf time, total waves surfed, top speed, longest waves and the number of surfs, culminating in a final score.

The data sets were then turned into a video contestants could download and share with their social
communities – pitting their surfs against others. Once they did, they were entered with the yet-to-be-announced winner and four mates given a free surf trip to Fiji.

“Brands are always searching for ways to utilise data," said Jake Barrow, Group ECD, VMLY&R Australia. "The Rip Curl Virtual Pro is something with meaning that connects with surfers and leads to more engagement with our product. I love that any surfer whoparticipates can effectively surf against mates, strangers or even the pros.”

CREDITS

Client: Rip Curl
Head of Brand & Marketing - James Taylor
Chief Customer Officer - Michael Scott
Membership Manager - Sam Hopgood
Head of Content - Zoë Neilson
ANZ Brand & Marketing Manager - Angus Forrest
Digital Producer - Lucy Hinneberg
Marketing Production Manager - Johnny Hawken
Content Creation Manager - Emily Vines

Client: Tourism Fiji
Head of Global Marketing - Srishti Narayan
Global Marketing Specialist - Anaseini Bakaniceva

Creative Agency: VMLY&R
Chief Creative Officer – Paul Nagy
Chief Strategy Officer – Ali Tilling
Group Executive Creative Director – Jake Barrow
Creative Director – Jack Delmonte
Managing Partner – Katherine Chen
Senior Digital Project Manager – Julie Galinas
Strategy Director – Clancy Walsh
Account Director – Charissa Martin
Executive Producer – Rachel Rider
Integrated Producer – Maddison Fricker
Lead Editor – Alek Janev
Editor – Opie Sayner-Hassall
Design Director – Elliot Owen
Head of Design – Lewis Brown
Designer – Brock Willis
Head of Experience Design - Mark O'Brien
Data Director - Vipul Hiray
Creative – Zander Williment

EyeJack
Lukasz Karluk - Technical Director
Alex Neville - Digital Producer
Conner Meehan - Creative Developer
Milosz Karluk - UI Designer