See How Patrón Is Using Virtual Reality for Education and Engagement

Patrón tequila kicked off a four-city “Art of Patrón” event series Wednesday at LA River Studios with more than 500 guests. The events are intended to bring to life the brand’s five pillars—tequila, mixology, bottles, music, and cuisine—through a variety of art-focused activities, live music, custom cocktails, and catering. The centerpiece of the events is an Oculus virtual reality video that allows guests to feel as though they are flying above the agave fields of Jalisco, Mexico, and inside the Hacienda Patrón production facility. At the event, guests could don Oculus Rift headsets at one of four stations to experience the video.

“This was born out of necessity to tell our story in a unique and memorable way that reinforces and educates people about our small-batch process,” said Adrian Parker, Patrón’s vice president of digital marketing. "We choose quality over convenience, artisan over automation. So the people you’ll see in this video, we didn’t cast. These are the actual men and women who cut, chop, cook, distill, and package every bottle of our tequila."

The video, developed over seven months by creative agency Firstborn, combines live-action footage and computer animation. It was filmed using a custom-built drone equipped with seven GoPro cameras and allows guests to feel as though they are a bee, the brand’s logo, as they fly above the agave fields and into the distillery. The experience lasts about two and half minutes.

“It’s just long enough that you forget you’re human and you become a bee but not so long that it totally disorients you. We found that to be about the right sweet spot for an introductory virtual reality experience,” Parker said. As guests watched the video, a camera recorded their facial expressions and displayed it on a split screen along with the actual 3-D video. Kiosks at the party showed a split-screen view of the 3-D video and the attendees. After the experience, guests received a link to their video, which they could share on social media.

Upcoming Art of Patrón events will take place in New York, Miami, and Chicago. Patrón is providing its sales and distributor teams, both in the United States and around the world, with Samsung Gear virtual reality goggles so they can use the video in events in additional markets. A 2-D version of the video is available online, and in the next few months the company will be launching an iOS app that uses the device’s accelerometer and gyroscope to create the sensation of flying while viewing the video. “The 3-D is by far the most immersive and most memorable way to experience the video, but we definitely want to make sure consumers can touch the experience on their terms,” Parker said.