60% of people don’t even see a need for a voice assistant in their lives. We consider that a problem.

The Google Playground was our solution. 6,000 square feet of playful interaction with Google Assistant, showcasing all the different ways to use it. Everything from checking the weather, to ordering a drink, to playing trivia games.

But how do we get people there? In one of the flashiest markets in the US during one of the largest conferences of the year, how could we break through?

Design for the journey, not the destination.

We could turn Las Vegas into our product showcase. Every media placement was a context for the Google Assistant. From the airport to the tram to the hotel, each could demonstrate how the Assistant might provide a little help during your time in CES and a gentle nudge to learn more at our installation.

With only four days to make our mark, we took over Vegas with over 50 units of out-of-home media.

We welcomed everyone with airport dioramas in every terminal.

Using the monorail as the tour guide - we wrapped it inside and out. “Hey Google, make me a reservation at Sushi Roku.” “Hey Google, will I need sunglasses tomorrow?” Ten different audio spots were triggered by landmarks along the way.

En route to the heart of Vegas, we created a hand-selected network of digital screens, including an unmissable billboard at the intersection of Tropicana and Swenson.

We created custom MGM hotel units related to their amenities. “Hey Google, what time is the Bellagio water show?”

We even had voice-activated gumball machines, encouraging users to use their voice to interact with Google to receive rewards.

Finally, the monorail pulled into the Google Playground, creating the perfect connection moment of media to experience.

Google dominated the press that week with over 200 press stories. PR coverage of our CES presence crowned Google Assistant as the winner of not just the Virtual Assistant category, but all of CES 2018.

We also saw over 565,000 social conversations, with 100,000 happening on the first day.

The Google Playground attracted 41,500 visitors. The three gumball machines alone had over 5,000 interactions, for free gumballs!

Most importantly, 80% of survey respondents leaving the Google Playground said they would use the Google Assistant again.