Bloomsbury uses 'immersive' hologram technology to promote Ukrainian schoolgirl's diary

Bloomsbury is using “immersive” hologram technology for its Christmas marketing campaign for You Don’t Know What War Is by Yeva Skalietska, in what is described as a first for publishing.

The campaign will showcase the first-ever interactive 3D holographic marketing experience in London this Christmas, the publisher said. Leveraging 8K Ultra-HD 3D technology, the "HyperGram" will bring 12-year-old Skalietska’s journey from Ukraine to Ireland to life, via a multi-sensory animation that will float in mid-air. Additionally, consumers will be able to hear Skalietska’s own words through narration by actor Keira Knightley, who has also voiced the audio edition of the book.

The “cinematic, immersive experience” is the result of a partnership between Disturbed Media Group, Ingage Media and Bloomsbury Publishing. The activation will launch on 1st December in the Atrium at Westfield London (White City) and also be viewable from 16th to 18th December, at London’s King’s Cross Station. This is the first time in history that a publisher has engaged with this technology, Bloomsbury said. The animation will also feature Bloomsbury’s charity partnership with UK for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.

Introduced by Michael Morpurgo, You Don’t Know What War Is has been compared to Anne Frank’s diary for its "powerful insight" into what conflict is like through the eyes of a child. The book launched in the UK and Ireland in October with a marketing and PR campaign across all channels, including high-profile media, consumer advertising which drove donations for the charity partner, and a Bookshop.org campaign to support independent bookshops. Over the next 12 months, Skalietska’s story will be published in 19 countries worldwide, in 14 different languages.

Alesha Bonser, head of marketing at Bloomsbury Children’s Books, said: “Working with Disturbed Media Group on this unique and ground-breaking new advertising format gives us the opportunity to bring Yeva’s journey and Anastasia Stefurak’s iconic cover art to life with an immersive experience that we hope will stop shoppers and commuters in their tracks during the busy Christmas period. For just over one minute, the creative shows the war in Ukraine through the eyes of Yeva, a 12-year-old girl, and is an urgent and immediate portrayal of leaving your home behind to escape conflict.” 

Leo T H Jacobs, director of Disturbed Media, added: “Talking initially with Bloomsbury and finding out about Yeva’s incredible and courageous story, we were keen to create something special to support all involved and bring her journey to life in a way where we could touch the hearts of the nation. By introducing HyperGram to the UK in the run-up to Christmas, we hope to allow brands to break through the clutter and engage consumers in an innovative and interactive manner. We are delighted to be working with Bloomsbury to share Yeva Skalietska’s exciting, powerful, new, creative voice through the promotion of this remarkable book, You Don’t Know What War Is. We hope that consumers and commuters experiencing this for the first time will be touched and that it will bring the conflict far closer to home than they ever could have imagined.”