As Usain Bolt prepared to run his last ever 100m race, Virgin Media celebrated the fastest man on the planet by using state-of-the-art projection technology to beam Bolt onto the streets of London for a virtual victory lap to mark his record-breaking career.
The activation was delivered by CURB, CSM Live’s creative technology and innovation specialists.
The activity was all captured in a cutting-edge video which shows Bolt running through well-known locations and across famous landmarks, while taking in some of his favourite haunts in the capital.
Bolt, who has been a Virgin Media ambassador since 2012, crossed the finish line for the last time in a 100m final just after 21:45 Saturday 5 August, picking up a World Championship bronze.
Bolt’s Victory Lap begins in Brixton – home to one of largest Jamaican communities in England – and saw him projected onto the Electric Brixton, where he was poised, ready to begin his race.
As Bolt set off on his lightning-fast journey, he raced from Brixton Recreation Centre, under Brixton Rail Bridge through to Cold Harbour Lane. He then sprinted through the Southbank with the world famous Tower Bridge as a backdrop and across the front of the iconic Tate Modern. The film shows him crossing the river past Embankment Underground Station, where he made his way to East London, towards Brick Lane, which marks the location where he DJ’d after his gold medal winning success at London 2012.
Bolt then headed back to the West End, where he was projected dancing above clubs in Soho, where he famously celebrated his 30th birthday last August.
The video culminated with Bolt finishing his victory lap at City Hall with an epic shot of the London skyline, where the hashtag #ARunningLegend was projected onto the building to close the film.
Kerris Bright, Chief Marketing Officer at Virgin Media, said: “The fastest man on the planet goes hand in hand with the fastest broadband and Usain is super-fast and super entertaining; the perfect embodiment of Virgin Media. Beaming Bolt’s epic ultrafast victory lap is a unique and fitting way to mark his last ever 100m final and celebrates our long and continued association. Usain Bolt is a true running legend.”
Adam Azur, Managing Director at CURB, added: “When it comes to honouring Usain Bolt, you can’t do anything less than extraordinary. CURB wanted to celebrate his relationship with London by telling a story that was delivered using the latest projection technology and which allowed the great man to run London one last time.”
CURB creates extra-ordinary consumer experiences built around innovation and disruptive value creation. As part of CSM Live, CURB’s pushes the boundaries of how technology, science, people and space can be integrated to help clients bring big ideas to life. Founded in 2008, its unique approach to out-of-home media innovation, online/offline content creation and consumer experience has delivered over 200 media firsts for clients worldwide.
