Global insurance giant AIG has created a virtual reality experience based around the famed Haka dance by New Zealand’s All Blacks rugby team, marking a keen interest in the burgeoning VR space from a less expected segment of the sports industry.
The Haka 360° Experience offers an immersive look on the squad’s Maori ritual and is designed in part to tie into the Rugby World Cup being played in Europe. To help bring the effort to more of a mainstream audience, AIG is distributing more than 15,000 units of branded cardboard virtual reality headsets. The headsets are used in conjunction with a special mobile application developed for the iOS and Android platforms to create the Haka 360° Experience.
AIG also will conduct on-site demonstrations of the VR technology during the Rugby World Cup. AIG is an existing sponsor of the All Blacks.
Speaking of the Haka dance, AIG global head of sponsorship Daniel Glantz said, “This is arguably one of the most significant rituals in all of sports, and we are very excited to have a new level of immersion for fans of the All Blacks.”
“And for us, we pride ourselves on innovation, and this allows us to experiment in a really exciting and growing space.”
Beyond branding and experimentation, Glantz said practical applications for virtual reality are emerging in AIG’s core insurance business.
“We think this could be very important for our own business, such as helping identify risks and process claims,” Glantz said.
