AR Innovation: Bell's TVV Aircraft Showcase
Marketing
Key takeaways
Bell faced significant challenges in showcasing its TVV aircraft to potential customers due to the high cost and logistical issues associated with transporting aircraft to client locations or live events. To address these challenges, Bell partnered with Sector 5 Digital (S5D) to create an innovative business development application.
S5D developed an augmented reality (AR) application for tablets that allowed users to view scalable, miniature models of the AH-1Z Viper and UH-1Y Venom aircraft in their physical environment. The application featured clickable hotspots on the helicopters, highlighting the contributions of TVV partners to the aircraft. Users could select either aircraft and view it overlaid on the real world, learning about the features and functionality of TVV partner technology.
One of the key features of the application was the ability to compare the Viper and Venom aircraft, showcasing their differences and commonalities. Additionally, the app included a "Raid/Escort" scenario, depicting the aircraft in a rugged mission environment to demonstrate their real-world operation.
Developed using Unity, the application ran on the Apple iPad Pro, providing a versatile platform for S5D to prototype innovative ways to display the aircraft in 3D. This approach not only saved Bell and its partners significant costs from a logistical standpoint but also provided a highly engaging and interactive experience for customers.
The TVV AR application was highly successful in communicating the unique selling points of TVV's partner technology, highlighting the aircrafts' 85% commonality, and demonstrating realistic combat scenarios. Its success with both internal and external stakeholders led to subsequent phases of the project, adding more scenarios and updates to showcase the Viper/Venom platform's versatility.
Overall, the TVV AR application revolutionized the way Bell showcased its aircraft, providing a cost-effective, engaging, and informative experience for customers, while also demonstrating the innovative capabilities of AR technology in the aerospace industry.
