Case Study

Apollo Moon Landing VR Experience

JSC Federal Credit Union, one of the largest credit unions in Houston serving over 123,000 members, was the main sponsor of the 50th Anniversary celebration of the Apollo 11 landing held at Space Center Houston. Expecting over 60,000 people in attendance over one weekend, the credit union needed a line-attracting experience to create brand awareness, attract new and potential members.

The Apollo Experience

JSC Federal Credit Union enlisted LaPraim to recreate the Apollo 11 Moon landing as a virtual reality experience to feature in their booth at in the STEM Research Zone. The spotlight was on Houston and NASA as the world celebrated the Apollo 11 lunar landing. A moment that changed the world 50 years ago.

This opportunity to engage residents proved a great success with a massive social reach.

JSC Federal Credit Union Apollo VR Experience Headset First Person View — Viewers take on the perspective of astronauts landing on the Moon, looking at the Apollo 11 rover while standing on the Moon. Beyond the Moon, participants also caught a glimpse of the Earth at an accurately measured distance.

Apollo Experience live booth floorplan — Apollo Experience User Flow Live Booth Floorplan Diagram

Apollo Experience VR First Person View of Apollo and Earth — Interactive Screenshot of Apollo Experience VR First Person Moon View of Earth

Virtual Reality Experience

JSC Federal Credit Union Value Impact KPI's

Social Media Engagement

80,000 Shares1,100+ participants in the "Apollo Experience," creating a potential social reach of over 80,000.

Financial Metric

+5.2% Equityin equity from 2018 to 2019 ($112,760,429)

Member Growth

+4.2% Deposits in total deposits from 2018 to 2019 ($79,800,448)

Source: 2019 Annual Report

LaPraim NASA Oculus Quest — UI/UX Director David Chiem (Left) and Full Stack Developer Samson Blankenship (Right) Hold Up Oculus Quest in front of Houston NASA Space Center

Unity Real-time Development Platform / Oculus

The Build

The “Apollo Experience” was built using Unity, the world's most popular development platform for creating 3D, 2D, VRand AR multiplatform games, interactive experiences, and visualizations for games, auto, transportation, animation, architecture, and engineering. To meet the credit union’s desire to create a shocs-stopping virtual experience, LaPraim presented their creative idea for the "Apollo Experience."

Cultural Impact

The Experience Encapsulated

While the experience was to have just one headset, it quickly expanded it to two headsets due to high demand after day one of the four-day event.

According to Houston Chronicle, "[this celebration] was a particularly special day in Houston — home to the nation's human spaceflight program, where astronauts have lived, worked and trained, since 1961." Being a part of the community, the credit union understood how important it was to provide an opportunity for all generations to experience this lunar phenomenon first hand.

Known to replicate such a culturally defining moment of walking on the Moon, the "Apollo Experience" had a line that went to the other side of the building. Trying to limit people to three minutes on the VR headset was a great challenge.

Branding for the credit union was placed on both headsets using a vinyl sticker. While participants used the VR headset, their friends and families took photos of them and shared them on various social media outlets. Over 1,100 people used the VR experience, resulting in a massive social reach.

By tying a positive, life-impacting memory and experience to any brand, the credit union gained potential consumer and community trust. This emotional connection matters –creating loyal champions for the brand.

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