Situation:

One of the biggest wireless carriers in the US is in the process of rolling out a mobile 5G network in the U.S. The company’s marketing team was looking for tangible ways to demonstrate the power of 5G to consumers—many of whom likely were unfamiliar with the technology and the capabilities it could enable.

Brief:

The brief called for an innovative “tailgate” experience before an NFL (American Football) game. The experience would be set-up upon entry into the arena. The activation should demonstrate the 5G technology, while delighting consumers and connecting them to the new technology at the event and beyond.

Objectives:

- Create industry/market buzz around 5G prior to its launch

- Showcase how 5G can enhance a consumer’s life though connectivity, utility, & entertainment

- Learn which 5G messages most resonate with consumers

- Influence the industry to develop devices and applications that leverage 5G’s unique capabilities

5G will be a ground-breaking technology, but it can be challenging to communicate how revolutionary it truly will be—and how it will benefit them in their daily lives. To achieve this, we used our unique immersive AR technology.

The “Dance Cam Hologram” activation featured two custom-built volumetric capture stages, which captured people in 3D, creating “3D selfies” or holograms. In the 360-degree stage, attendees were encouraged to show off their best end-zone dances.

Using a demonstration of 5G technology, the dances were live-streamed in augmented reality (AR) to eight iPads placed around on a miniature football field viewing table. Fans were able to see their 3D dances in AR, complete with a number of entertaining 3D objects, including a branded blimp and even goal posts. Through AR and 5G technology, we virtually transported tailgate fans onto the field and into the game—and showed consumers how 5G could truly transform entertainment.

Target audience

The target audience for this activation was consumers, specifically football fans—people of all ages from a very wide range of demographics and backgrounds. Importantly, the vast majority of attendees had a minimal understanding of 5G technology, how it works and the impact it will have.

Approach

To that end, the approach was to deliver a memorable experience that generated press, educated consumers and advanced the client’s 5G story. Separately, we aimed to create something that felt relevant—employing human connection so that users understood how 5G could enhance their lives. We also wanted to create an activation that was both iterative from past events and futuristic, showcasing a best-in-class experience to demonstrate capabilities unique to 5G. Finally, we wanted to create something that felt adaptive—tailor-made for the fans at this particular football game.

The activation occurred on November 18th, 2018 directly outside the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta preceding a football game between the Falcons and the Dallas Cowboys. Inside the event tent were two capture stages.

Attendees were provided with a branded coaster, which allowed us to match individuals with their holograms—and also served as a take-home memento of the experience.

The event featured a miniature football field table tailor-made for AR content.

Attendees placed their coaster on the field and leveraged one of eight iPads to see their holographic dance. Custom graphics underscored the use of 5G to deliver these assets.

Following the event, attendees were sent a link to a web app to view and share their holograms on Facebook.

There was event branding inside/outside the tent with custom banners, including four TV monitors playing a video meant to explain, inspire and inform attendees about volumetric capture, AR and 5G.

The activation was open for two and half hours pre-game. More than 700 visitors engaged with the activation. Thousands viewed our branding on the event tent and watched our custom video describing the experience. During the event, we created nearly 300 unique holograms—with many of them including more than one attendee.

In the days following the activation, we saw 67% engagement with the “take-home” web app through which attendees viewed/shared their holograms on social. A highlight reel of the event was posted on Twitter, resulting in more than 100K engagements post event—a 140x increase over foot traffic to the event.

Through a post-event survey, we found that 95% of participants enjoyed the experience, while 81% indicated that they shared the experience with family and friends. 53% indicated they could see themselves using 5G technology for communication and another 43% indicated they could see themselves using 5G technology for streaming entertainment.