THE TRIP:
A travel-themed immersive escape-room experience that’s actually an anti-drug campaign.
Getting the the attention of youths with a traditional anti-drugs public education campaign wasn’t going to work. So instead, we lured them in by promoting a fictional travel destination called Larspura, an idyllic drug-friendly beach paradise where rules don’t apply.
Through a series of immersive escape rooms, youths experienced how peer, social and cultural influences can distort the way they think about drugs, and discovered how to stay Uninfluenced.
One of my longest projects at Ogilvy, taking about a year from pitch to launch, and easily one of the most challenging and fun. Where else do you get to write drug-themed escape rooms, from house parties to a trip inside an addict’s brain to a full-on Narcos-style cartel bust?
Writing for actors in a gameplay setting was a whole new challenge too. And to top it off, we even handmade every otter plushie, spray-painting wooden yo-yos, cutting them in half and gluing them ourselves.
How did we lure the youth to Larspura?
We told them the story of Ben.
Two years ago, you were supposed to go on a trip to the sun-soaked archipelago of Larspura with your friends but had to miss it. You’ve heard some things about what went down and rumours that your friend Ben hasn’t quite been himself since. But you haven’t seen any of them since the trip.
Uncover what happened on that mysterious island in three free-to-play immersive Escape Room challenges:
The Birthday Party, Ben’s Brain and Operation Larspura
THE BIRTHDAY PARTY
A house party themed escape room with real actors playing ben’s friends, some are high, some are drunk — can you find the mysterious new drug everyone seems to be on?
BEN’S BRAIN
Ever wondered what goes on in the mind of an addict? Take a step into Ben’s brain and find out why he’s hooked.
OPERATION LARSPURA
Go undercover to infiltrate this drug syndicates HQ and retrieve their marketing plans.
Borrowing from the tropes of typical tourism ads, we created a travel video, brochure, postcards, luggage stickers and even a cute mascot, all driving to what was supposedly a tourism site for Larspura.
CREATIVE TEAM:
CD: Troy Lim, Sudhir Pasumarty
ACD: Rachel Chew, Alan & Shang
Senior Art Director: Zac Tan
Copywriter: Udit Goswami
Events Agency: Motion