It seems every day now we hear about another brand or sporting organization, regardless of size, jumping into the virtual reality space with their own bespoke experiences. However, Movistar, a brand under the Telefonica umbrella, decided to turn this trend on its head and called in tennis player Rafael Nadal to help out.
In a video recently released, the brand fooled fans into thinking they were demoing a new game featuring “The King Of Clay” in VR. However, to their shock, Nadal, was actually present during filming.
During the filming sessions, fans wore VR headsets while Nadal mimicked participants’ movements behind a background featuring moving tennis balls, in order to prank fans into thinking they were just playing a VR game. Towards the end of the video, the fans who took part found out that it was, in fact, Nadal in front of them.
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The continuing partnership builds on Nadal’s appointment as an official brand ambassador by parent brand Telefonica in 2014. In October of last year, he also opened the “Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar” in his hometown of Mallorca in the Balearic Islands in Spain. Meanwhile, Movistar has increasingly delved into VR, launching Spain’s first festival focusing on this technology in February.
Nadal, who has 14 Grand Slams to his name, last won a major championship in 2014 and more recently has suffered a number of long-term injuries. However, he is currently competing in the French Open and has reached the semifinals where he will play Austrian Dominic Thiem on Friday.