Acura’s all-new ILX compact luxury sedan continues its debut with a novel interactive virtual test drive application integrated into Facebook. The app, created by Acura’s long-time agency of record, rp&, allows potential ILX drivers to take a spin through the African jungle, dinosaur-filled forest, and an alien-infested coastline, among other far-out locales.

The robust app taps the user’s webcam or an uploaded photo and superimposes an image of the user in the driver’s seat of an ILX. As the car zooms along, an adventure envelops the surrounding terrain, sometimes bleeding into the vehicle itself. In the alien scene, a swarm of flying saucers buzzes about and shoots death rays from above, even as one of the invaders materializes in the ILX’s passenger seat. Users can share it with their Facebook friends and Twitter followers.

Visit rp&

Credits
Client: Acura
Title: “The ILX Joyride”
Launch: July 2012

Agency: rp&
Executive V.P., Executive Creative Director: John Hage
Associate Creative Director/Art: Matt Orser
Associate Creative Director/Copy: John Guynn
Interactive Producer: Elizabeth Goldstein
Technology Manager: Rick Campbell
Associate UX Director: Jane Chang
Associate UX Architect: Irene DeBerry

Digital Production Company: Stopp LA
Creative Director: Zachary Richter
Technical Director: Bo Gustavsson
3D/VFX Supervisor: James Lee
VFX Artist: Markus Rosén
Lead Developer: David Robbins
Web Developer: Jin Kim
Executive Producer: Jesper Pålsson
Producer: Kristina Nilsson, Fredrik Montan Frizell
About rp&
rp& is a full-service marketing communications division of RPA, headquartered in Santa Monica, Calif. Established in 2008, rp& has been responsible for the development of all Acura National, Regional, Online, Direct Mail and Event Marketing communications. For more information, visit http://rp-and.com/.

More info: TRUST 646 452 3388 (NY) 310 451 5153 (LA) trustcollective.com