Holition

Holition is a London based technology company that specialise in the development of retail Augmented Reality (AR). Set up as part of a joint venture between Holts Lapidary and Inition, Holition secured investment in 2009 and began work on designing applications that allowed users to virtually ‘wear’ products using AR technology. As part of Holition’s AR programme, users are able to ‘try on’ products including rings, watches and trainers from their own homes using basic items such as a computer and webcam.
Holition are by no means the first to use the technology. Apple’s iPhone has numerous AR applications, including ‘The Nearest Tube App’ which allows users to access information regarding which London Underground station they are closest to. The app, using the Smartphone’s GPS settings, directs the user to the station using real time video. The most famous Augmented Reality device, however, is the ‘SixthSense’, a device developed by Pranav Mistry at the MIT Media Lab, which allows users to virtually interact with any surface using finger caps.
As well as creating web based applications for various clients, Holition’s AR team have also developed in-store installations which have been used throughout both Europe and Asia.
Clients
BMW - Aug 2009
BMW initiated an online Augmented Reality campaign to promote the launch of the BMW Z4. Holition worked with the interactive marketing agency Dare to create a unique interactive online brand experience, supporting the TV campaign- in which a roadster is steered across a blank canvas with the tyres providing paint trails and colourful ‘expressions of joy’.
Users were able to test drive a virtual 3D Z4 and record their paint trails via the webcam and upload videos of their creations to YouTube. This activity helped invest BMW‘s leading approach to communicating technical prowess with a relevance targeted directly at younger affluent car buyers.

This campaign was rated Number 1 in a run-down of the best AR campaigns by both Brand Republic and Revolution magazine. In the first two weeks of the launch, BMW also reported that more than 10,000 visitors to their site had viewed the clip.
IBM - Jan 2010
In the first month of 2010, Holition provided IBM with a platform which explored a futurist retail application which allowed the user to virtually ‘try on’ watches, jewellery and footwear as part of the future of the retail experience. The model was presented at the annual Retail Federation Show in New York, the world’s premier retail exhibition.
This was recognition indeed from one of the world’s leading technology corporations; an acknowledgement from IBM that, when it comes to Augmented Reality, Holition are making a major contribution to shaping the landscape.
Tag Heuer - Apr 2010
Luxury Swiss watchmakers Tag Heuer approached Holition in late 2009 in a bid to improve customer experience. As a result, Holition developed the first UK version of the Augmented Reality Experience for watches in April 2010; generating interest purely through viral activity and PR support rather than through traditional print advertising.
The application allowed users to virtually ‘try on’ watches from Tag Heuer without the need to go in-store. Customers could simply download and print off the settings from the Tag Heuer website and, using a standard webcam, could see themselves in real time wearing the luxury item. Interaction is also available as users can adjust the size of the product at will.
Tissot - May 2010
Holition designed and deployed a bespoke Augmented Reality application for Tissot, allowing consumers to experience the company’s T-Touch collection online in full interactive 3D.
A branded tip-on was designed and printed for insertion onto a Tissot print advertising campaign across a variety of media, including GQ magazine and T3 magazine, driving readers onto Tissot’s website to experience the AR application for themselves. The activity was accompanied by a data-capture mechanism, allowing Tissot to build a B2C database for future marketing projects.
To take the experience direct to consumers, the application was fitted on a window of Selfridges’ department store in London’s Oxford Street, allowing consumers to ‘try on’ the watches while standing outside the shop.
The application was a huge success. The Tissot store in Selfridges saw an 85% increase in sales after the app was launched. This was accompanied by a 600% increase in PR activity, with over 50,000 people viewing the YouTube clip in the first two weeks alone.
De Beers - Jul 2010
To celebrate 120 years of work in the diamond trade, De Beers launched an exhibition in the world famous Isetan department store in Tokyo, Japan, to showcase some of their most iconic products. Holition, working alongside 3D film partners Pointy Stick Film, produced an Alioscopy screen which allowed images to be projected in 3D without the need for specialist glasses.
The technology was seen as cutting edge and a significant innovation for the 3D industry. In the first four days of its launch, over 100,000 peopled stopped and viewed the screen, giving huge PR exposure to De Beers.
The Team
Jonathan Chippindale - CEO
Jonathan started Holition in 2008 after previously holding the position of Managing Director for the De Beers Group, as well holding senior retail marketing roles in luxury brands such as Asprey and Garrard. His experience gives Holition insider knowledge of the world’s best known premium brands. His main focus lies in identifying how potential clients can improve their businesses by taking advantage of Holition’s Augmented Reality and 3D applications.
Lynne Murray - Brand Director
A graduate of the Royal College of Art, Lynne’s involvement in Holition began as part of a government funded research project aimed to increase the UK’s competitiveness on a Knowledge Transfer Partnership programme. Her pioneering approach to the project brief- ‘‘How to better sell jewellery on the shop floor’- resulted in the founding of a joint venture, Holition. She was awarded KTP Business Leader of Tomorrow 2009 for her contribution to the venture.
Adrian Leu - CTO
With a strong specialist knowledge and passion for everything 3D, Adrian has over ten years experience in innovative, ground-breaking start-ups, as well as more established companies. He has a PhD in Computer Graphics and Data Visualisation (Volumetric data) and an MSc in Electronic Engineering.
Alexandra Paton - Producer
Having graduated from the University of Glasgow with an MA in Art History, Alexandra gained her production experience with some of the leading production and post-production studios in Los Angeles; including animation and motion graphics projects for Disney, The Discovery Channel, MTV and BBC America. On her return to the UK she produced the VFX sequences for an award winning documentary series for the History Channel, as well as promo spots for the BBC and Channel 4.
Stuart Cupit - Executive Director

Stuart has built an impressive portfolio of technical and creative skills through some 20 years experience at the cutting edge of the computer graphics industry. He has grown Holition’s sister company, Inition, into the world’s leading provider of everything 3D, including technologies and services such as MistVR, ICTS, iBox, ATC trainer, and Allergan Botox simulator. Stuart was previously Technical Director of specialist Virtual Reality Company and brings to Holition an industry-leading knowledge of interactive Augmented Reality, helping to drive our collective understanding of new technologies.
Charles Bonas - Chairman
Charles is the fifth generation of his family to head the world’s most respected diamond consulting and broking firm, counting many of the world’s leading and most important diamantaires as clients, supplying between them over a quarter of the world’s diamond jewellery at retail. Educated at Brown University, Charles has an intuitive understanding of the fundamentals behind driving luxury brands and is a widely renowned and respected opinion former in luxury goods marketing.
Jason Holt - Executive Director
The concept of Holition was born from an idea Jason had in 2005 to explore a way in which customers could ‘try on’ products before they purchased them online. Jason invested in several years of research which culminated in the founding of Holition. Previously a lawyer, he has since developed his family business, winning prestigious awards from the industry and central government. Jason has been advisor to the Secretary of State for Business on small business policy and was recently made a Freeman of the City of London and The Goldsmiths Company. Jason holds the Queens Award for Enterprise for his commitment to the UK Jewellery industry. He brings to the table an entrepreneurial enthusiasm for the development of the Jewellery industry and pioneering new ways of merging tradition with modern business methods.

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