Tis the season for innovation! German fashion brand Hugo Boss recently launched a whimsical holiday campaign introducing a set of quirky new brand ambassadors, the “Bossbots.” The “Your Time to Shine” WeChat campaign plunged users into a virtual reality experience designed to highlight the Hugo Boss holiday collection, collect valuable user data, and identify the most influential users on the official account by observing sharing trends. Part treasure hunt, part virtual shopping experience, the interactive campaign invited users to explore a virtual Hugo Boss boutique collecting “Bossbot” parts in order to activate the mechanical mascots. With each “Bossbot” part, users discovered a key piece in the collection and uncovered holiday looks for different occasions. The two-part campaign also asked users to complete a member card for a chance to win a “Bossbot.” This last step was designed to collect additional user data and bind to the brand’s CRM platform using phone number verification. Virtual reality has been a major innovation trend in 2016, moving beyond the gaming industry and seducing some of the biggest names in fashion and retail. From virtual runway shows at New York Fashion Week, to Alibaba’s virtual shopping experience, “Buy+,” VR has become an integral part of the new consumer experience. For brands looking to adopt the trend, WeChat is the perfect vehicle, allowing marketers to experiment with a lighter version of the technology, minus the hefty budget and clunky hardware. The result is the same, an innovative and exclusive customer experience designed to give users the feeling of an in-store experience from the comfort of their own WeChat account. Contact CuriosityChina at BD@curiositychina.com to receive a quotation for your next WeChat campaign.