'Arlo' the Virtual Koala for NRMA

Project: Arlo the Virtual Koala

Client: NRMA Insurance

Overview:

Arlo the Virtual Koala was a charismatic chatbot designed to drive brand awareness and engagement for NRMA Insurance through storytelling. Arlo started by educating users on the effects of deforestation on "his" home and the homes of his koala friends. The bot allowed users to pledge to plant a tree (with NRMA planting a physical tree for each pledge), included a 'koala spotter' function where users could upload photos of koalas spotted in the wild, and engaged in discussions about environmental issues and current events.

Problem:

NRMA Insurance wanted to raise awareness about environmental issues, particularly deforestation and bushfires, and foster a deeper connection with their audience. They needed a creative and interactive way to convey these important messages and drive user engagement.

Solution:

Arlo the Virtual Koala was developed to meet this need. Following the devastating bushfires in Australia in 2019, Arlo's focus shifted to discussing injured koalas. Partnering with the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital, the campaign included TV ads, press releases, and more, developed in conjunction with the advertising agency 'The Monkeys.' Users could navigate through various digital storytelling journeys where Arlo shared real stories about his injured friends and their recovery, encouraging donations to the koala hospital.

What I Did:

• Design Discovery Workshops: Conducted workshops with NRMA, IAG, and The Monkeys to gather insights and brainstorm solutions.

• Persona Development: Developed Arlo's persona, including conversational small talk, jokes, and humour, to make interactions engaging and relatable.

• Journey Design and Wireframing: Designed and wireframed all 40 user journeys, ensuring a seamless and interactive experience.

• Content Creation: Wrote all content and bot responses, aligning with Arlo's persona and the campaign's goals.

• Bot Flow and Disambiguation: Built out the bot flows and disambiguation points to handle various user intents and queries effectively.

• NLU Training: Trained the bot's journeys with Natural Language Understanding (NLU) to enhance its conversational abilities.
  

Results:

• Award Recognition: The Arlo project won a Stevie Award for innovations and was featured in the 'Gruen Project.'

• High Engagement: Arlo experienced unexpected and unprecedented conversation engagements and return user engagement.

• Case Study Selection: Nuance selected Arlo for a case study due to the unique nature of the project and its success.

This project highlights the power of combining storytelling with chatbot technology to create meaningful user interactions and drive brand engagement.