Peugeot are bringing out the big guns in a bid to build anticipation for their new 208, due to be revealed next year. They decided to hold a rather special event on December 8th in Rio de Janeiro where they combined a cutting-edge 3D video projection show with an interactive element that allowed the audience to control some of the action.
With its reputation as party capital of the world Rio was a natural choice, and the large buildings in Cinelandia Square were ideal for projecting the eye-catching video. Thousands of spectators were on hand to watch the pulsing lights and video action, some parts of which were controlled by a central character as he ‘drives’ a virtual 208 using technology very similar to the Kinect system on the Xbox 360.
The interactive elements of the show were enhanced even further with little surprises such as water spraying into the crowd and real lights shining out from behind the projection. At one point in the show the audience was given a chance to bring the ‘Let Your Body Drive’ signature to life by collectively swaying to the rhythms of the music and pulsing of the lights. Clever stuff!
Of course, it wouldn’t make for a very successful publicity campaign if it was only witnessed by the people who were there on the night, and so Peugeot have released it to a worldwide audience on their YouTube channel. Below is the finished video and judging by the reactions of the crowd it was quite an event.
The new model will have international reach and will be manufactured in France, the Czech Republic and Brazil with staggered launches between March 2012 and March 2013.
If the Peugeot 208 is as good as its publicity campaign it’s going to be prove to be a big hit when it goes on sale in 2012.