Accenture pushes innovation with Behind the Style VR experience

By

Robin Driver

Published
Feb 26, 2018

Global professional services company Accenture has teamed up with Specular Theory to produce an immersive extended reality (XR) experience called "Behind the Style", picking up VR Fest’s Best VR Branded Entertainment award.

 
The experience mixes technology and v-commerce with fashion through an interactive VR story based around a fashion shoot. Consumers can make purchases during the immersive experience which features interactive branching choices.
 
Behind the Style beat out over 450 other nominations to claim the Commercial/Branded Entertainment award at VR Fest, which was voted on first by the public, before being judged by a panel of VR experts who selected the best experiences in each category.

“Behind the Style is a perfect example of the kind of experiences that brands can deliver to engage customers in new ways, giving them a chance to influence the storyline and interact directly with products,” stated Raffaella Camera, Head of Extended Reality Go to Market for Accenture in North America in a release, “We are thrilled to receive this award at VR Fest, and look forward to delivering new immersive experiences that further connect brands and consumers around the world.”

The Accenture Extended Reality Group uses augmented, virtual and mixed reality technologies to create XR products, supporting companies throughout the development of immersive reality experiences.
 
Specular Theory is an immersive content studio based in Venice Beach, CA best known for their work in v-commerce and their cinematic pieces, which have been shown at the Sundance and Tribeca Film Festivals. The company was also awarded the first ever Streamy Award for Best VR for their work on the Game Lab in 360 series.

As brands try to leverage new technologies to enhance consumer experience, extended reality has been gaining traction in the fashion and beauty industries, opening the door to innovative collaborations and services. AR technology has proven particularly popular in the cosmetics sector through make-up try-on apps such as YouCam Makeup, while Amazon made headway with a more apparel-centric approach through the launch of the Alexa-enabled Amazon Echo Look last year.
 
With an increasing number of companies investing in extended reality technologies, and more fully immersive experiences such as Behind the Style receiving positive attention, it would appear that consumers can expect to see XR initiatives multiply over the coming months.
 
VR Fest took place in Las Vegas, from January 9 through 12.