Level Up Virtual Reality (SAFE Youth)

SAFE Work Manitoba is a public agency dedicated to preventing workplace injury and illnesses in Manitoba. One of SAFE Worku2019s target audiences is young workers who are looking to enter or have just entered the workforce. Youth often are not aware of their rights in the workplace or of potential hazards and they are more likely to be injured at work. Our youth-targeted messages raise awareness and encourage them to ask questions and use workplace safety tools to stay safe. To cut through the clutter of marketing messages aimed at youth across digital and other channels we stay abreast of current trends to weave them into our SAFE Youth campaigns. <br><br>The Level Up campaign encouraged youth to u201clevel upu201d their safety knowledge before they head to their first job interview or first day of work. While we had previously developed SAFE Youth campaigns and resources using interactive websites and online games, we wanted to find a new technological edge to reach youth.<br><br>We collaborated with a local interactive digital media company to create the Level Up VR game available on a variety of platforms u2013 in a VR booth (experiential marketing); for download to play on a mobile phone with a VR viewer such as Google Cardboard; and online (a first-person point-and-click version). <br><br>The experiential marketing component of this campaign included two pop-up booths at movie theatres to generate interest and collect footage for advertising materials. We also worked with one of SAFE Worku2019s partners, SAFE Workers of Tomorrow, to train their staff to set up the booth at the events they attend throughout the year, with a potential reach of over 25,000 young Manitobans.<br><br>The website had over 7,000 visits during the four-week campaign and reached 500,000 Manitobans on Facebook. The campaign video was viewed over 36,000 times on YouTube.