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From Virtual to Reality
The GT Academy is based on the "From Virtual to Reality" concept developed in 2007 by Ericsson Business Consulting in North Western Europe. David Kutena, Ericsson's Director of Innovation, working with David S. Muir, Sean Jefferson of Mindshare Performance and Ian Forbes, the Managing Director of SRO Marketing Services, conceived the concept as part of a broader digital strategy being discussed between Ericsson and WPP.

The concept called for gamers to race against each other in the virtual GT race, with the winners taken to Silverstone to compete against each other in real cars as part of a race driver training program. Ultimately the winner of this series would then go into an intensive driver training program to gain their racing license and the chance to drive a real GT car in the FIA GT series.

The concept was openly discussed and shared across the broader production and advertising industry as a way of show casing Ericsson's multimedia technical capability. Ericsson's original plan was for the concept to be produced by IMG in conjunction with SRO as part of developing a digital contextual advertising platform for WPP to use with its motoring brands.

The concept aimed to test four specific areas
 * The aspirational value and ease of access to becoming a racing car driver would drive the creation of an audience beyond traditional motor sport enthusiasts.
 * If the platform would create a deep relationship to a well defined "mainly male, mainly young" market segment
 * The level of engagement and dialogue between "fans" and associated "brands".
 * The multimedia experience and technical delivery capability required.