Air New Zealand
Cabin viewer
Created at Front Page
My first project with Air New Zealand explored how emerging technology could help people better understand what they were buying before committing to a long-haul flight. We worked on a Google Cardboard app and custom viewer that allowed customers to virtually step inside the aircraft and look around different cabin classes.
The idea was simple. Using a smartphone mounted inside a low-cost cardboard headset, users could experience a 360° view of the cabin interiors. The app split the screen for each eye and used the phone's gyroscope to respond to head movement, creating a surprisingly immersive sense of space. It wasn't VR for novelty's sake. It was a practical way to take the guesswork out of booking, letting customers get a feel for layout, comfort, and atmosphere first.
Google Cardboard was a big part of the thinking. Rather than treating VR as something futuristic and exclusive, it made the whole thing cheap, approachable, and easy to hand out. An early example of new technology actually helping people make a decision.
The second project moved away from product experience and into brand-led communication. The Bet You Didn't Know campaign was built around a simple insight: many travellers didn't realise Air New Zealand flies direct from London to Los Angeles. Instead of leading with the route, the campaign leaned into curiosity and surprise.
Running predominantly across London Underground stations, the creative used unexpected facts to grab attention ("babies can't dream", "lobsters taste with their feet", "mangoes get sunburn", "bees do have knees") before revealing the airline's daily direct service. The tone was light-hearted and slightly irreverent, designed to feel human rather than corporate.
Two very different projects with the same approach underneath. Don't shout louder. Make the product clearer, more tangible, and easier to remember. Whether through VR or a poster glimpsed on a platform, the goal was to help people understand what makes Air New Zealand different, and remember it when it mattered.