According to the brand’s global marketing manager, Mncedisi Junior Jekwa, virtual reality (VR) is trending as the most exciting technology driving brand activity and the entertainment industry. He points to Samsung's S7 launch, CES 2016, Ridley Scott’s VR movie, and the Oculus Rift fandom as leading the new wave.

Now joining the front-runners is Amarula, which has produced a first for the local alcoholic beverage industry, an immersive experience unlike any seen on the continent before.

“Africa has always been rooted in the brand’s DNA. This exciting technology allows us to bring the Amarula story to life in a more visceral manner,” Jekwa says. “We believe strengthening the link between Amarula and Africa will enable us to grow the brand further as the world is starting to look to Africa for creative inspiration.”

FCB Cape Town executive creative director, Mike Barnwell, said VR was chosen as the medium ahead of traditional channels as it was the perfect fit and vehicle for such an immersive experience.

“The technology itself was the creative treatment,” Barnwell says; “It fitted the job at hand perfectly because it would allow Amarula to take consumers on a journey to locations they would probably never otherwise travel to, and allow them the opportunity to experience these as they would in real time.”

The 3 minute and 45 second, 3D-360º experience will be rolled out using Samsung Gear VR headsets and Oculus Rift units around the world in travel retail, focusing on duty free shops in major airports.

The video unlocks the story of the product and how it is truly made from Africa; from the marula trees growing wild, to the maturation houses and eventual product experience – each scene offers the consumers a step in the Amarula brand story and the Amarula process.

A 2D-360º experience will also be available on Amarula's YouTube channel and Facebook page so that consumers can immerse themselves in the majestic tour at their own leisure.

Partnering with FCB Cape Town to produce the experience was Deep VR, a South African virtual reality film production company specialising in 360° video to be relived in 2D and 3D. It uses in-house design proprietary camera systems to capture spherical video content in a variety of environments.

“The shoot to capture the footage we needed took us two weeks but from conception to final product took just over five months, because the process of stitching the images together for VR is a lot more involved and labour intensive compared to traditional film,” says Deep VR CEO, Ulrico Grech-Cumbo.

“If after experiencing Africa in 3D, consumers are unable to make the trip to the continent, the best way to experience Africa is to taste it, with a tall glass of Amarula,” Jekwa concludes.

For more information, visit amarula.com. Alternatively, connect with them on Facebook or on Twitter.