Then we created TV events where we created the world’s largest beach ball and piñata (approved by an on-site Guinness book of World Records adjudicator) and unleashed them on the public. Web geocentric banners and radio drove the public to witness the events. We also filmed it and streamed it live so people could see it online. Adjacent tented areas nearby recreated the fun events on a cruise where branded gear was handed out. Finally, we created an interactive aquarium in Carnival’s six key markets. The aquarium utilizes computer vision technology, flash animation, vocal recognition and mobile gaming software. As pedestrians walked by, the background would react to human motion -- plants would sway, schools of fish would scatter and bubbles would float around. And when people called in to an 800 number, they could use their voice to create their own customized fish.

Our events generated $330,000 in PR value in every medium and spawned 70,000 viral video views and more than 450,000,000 overall impressions. And in a tough economy where people are cutting back, Carnival bookings were actually UP eight percent.