Paco Rabanne, the leading fashion house and fragrance brand, have partnered with Starcom Worldwide and Bidstack to launch a branded virtual reality challenge. The campaign features Tim Howard and the world’s leading VR platform for elite athletes, Rezzil, to promote Paco Rabanne’s iconic fragrance, Invictus.

As a fragrance, Invictus embodies power, heroism and a drive to win and the campaign provides a unique challenge that allows players to test their athletic ability and become the in-game hero. By partnering with Bidstack, and Tim Howard, an athlete that embodies those characteristics, Paco Rabanne has created a unique activation that converges the real world with the virtual world, bringing their brand to life for gamers. 

The activation will see a branded ‘Reaction Wall’ challenge added to Rezzil’s Player 22 VR game. Players will have the opportunity to test their athletic merit and improve their throwing technique, vision, reaction speeds and heading ability in-game surrounded by virtual Invictus branding that blends in seamlessly with the training environment. Players can also win a signed jersey from Tim Howard and their own bottle of the fragrance by sharing their results on social media with the hashtag #InvictusInGameChallenge.

Bidstack, the leading in-game advertising technology platform, worked with human experience company Starcom Worldwide to develop the concept for the ‘Scent of Victory’ campaign. Player 22, which is available for VR gamers using Quest, Quest 2 and Oculus Touch devices, offered an entirely new touchpoint for Paco Rabanne. The partnership with Tim Howard helped to combine the concepts of a legendary champion from a real-life sporting context and converged that with the game’s virtual world creating an authentic and interactive experience for gamers.

It is the first time a fragrance has created a playable sporting challenge in a VR environment, which encapsulates the innovative approach Paco Rabanne is taking to reaching their target audience for the 2021 holiday and gift-giving season.

Of the campaign, Tim Howard said, “I’m really excited to be a part of this partnership. I’m always looking for ways to encourage people to strive to be the best that they can be, in everything they do. Invictus, a fragrance for men, is designed for people who will take on any challenge and strive to be victorious. As a former athlete, that is a motto that I have lived by throughout my life and career.

Platforms like Rezzil that utilise technology for real-life conditioning and training through gamification are the future. It’s great to see companies like Paco Rabanne, Starcom and Bidstack help lead the charge in making this a reality and I’d like to thank them for inviting me to be a part of this project.”

Adam Fisher, Head of US Sales at Bidstack added, “Paco Rabanne continues to be a fantastic partner of ours. We love collaborating with them and exploring new and innovative ways to reach consumers through gaming.

For a brand like Invictus that represents determination, athletic merit and a winning mentality, we felt that our partner Rezzil was a great fit. Their VR platform helps individuals improve their physical and cognitive abilities through a wide range of sports and the icing on the cake in this activation was getting the opportunity to collaborate with Tim Howard.

Tim is a hero and legend in the world of soccer and encapsulates everything that Invictus is about.”

Andy Etches, Founder and Director at Rezzil said, “we’ve loved working with Paco Rabanne on this in-game activation for Invictus with Bidstack and Starcom Worldwide. As a platform designed to train elite athletes it was fantastic to be able to work with Tim and put his skills to the test with our in-game challenge.

Creating branded experiences like this within the metaverse offers a glimpse of the future potential for brands. Our aim is to deliver world class training games that improve fitness and reaction times whilst also delivering a great user experience. With this campaign we’re proud to have been able to deliver on our core product offering in a way that respects and enhances the player experience.”