Outside readers are able to experience a virtual reality journey through the Himalayan mountains of Nepal with athlete Renan Ozturk, which is sponsored by The North Face. As brands and publishers continue to partner for VR pushes such as this, The North Face is keeping an edge on the competition by tapping into Outside?s consumer base that aligns with its own. 

"In many ways, partnering with The North Face on this campaign showcases what Outside does best," said Sam Moulton, content marketing director at Outside. "The North Face is continually pushing the boundaries of exploration and, now, filmmaking, and we're excited to help to share both those stories with our readers and fans.

 

"To do that, we worked with The North Face and Jaunt to craft a custom behind-the-scenes article that explains how they video was captured and the potential of VR filmmaking," he said.

Subscribers of the magazine are receiving Google Cardboard viewers alongside their December issues of Outside, prompting them to view the experience through their mobile devices. Users insert their smartphones into the viewer and are treated to a 360-degree view of Nepal and the Himalayas. 


Footage of climbing the Himalayas

Jaunt Inc. is the developer behind the virtual reality film, along with many others. Mobile users can log onto its application to view the film. The film features Mr. Ozturk taking viewers through the country of Nepal and up the Himalayas, while conveying his emotion for the location. 

The footage shows cobblestone streets of Nepal and the journey of climbing the Himalayas, all the while allowing users to view wherever they would like in the film. Google Cardboard users can simply turn their head to look anywhere in the footage. 

The combination of the publication, brand and film content aligned well to serve readers, with the experience likely to be of interest to them. The film taps into consumers? love for adventure and promotes The North Face as a brand that values similar principles. 

Since Facebook and YouTube introduced 360-video along with hardware devices from Google, Samsung and Microsoft, marketers are stepping up efforts to leverage virtual reality to connect with consumers, showing the technology's potential beyond gaming (see more). 

Similarly, GE and vehicle manufacturer Mini transported New York Times subscribers into fully immersive brand experiences as sponsors of the publication?s first virtual reality film, which is being released via a smartphone application (see more). 

"[The film] highlights a place near and dear to our heart, Nepal, and hopefully inspires The North Face fans and Outside readers to go there and experience it themselves," Mr. Moulton said.  "Which, at the end of the day, is at the core of everything both brands do.

 

"Then there is the obvious fact that it was fun to give some of our subscribers an unexpected and very bool surprise, a VR viewing experience delivered right into their homes," he said.