The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has been an American tradition since its inception in 1924. At a time when digital devices have disconnected people from each other, people needed a reminder of what brings them together.

This year’s parade presented the rare opportunity for technology to bring families closer.

The brief:

Get: millions of at-home viewers

To: feel more connected to the parade than just watching on TV

By: creating a new spin on a classic tradition.

The objectives

Broaden exposure: last year 8 million people tuned in to Verizon’s coverage of the parade. This year, we had to beat it

Deepen positive engagement: Own #1 Share of Voice during the parade and increase positive sentiment year/year

Drive sales: The Thanksgiving Day Parade was the cornerstone of Verizon’s Black Friday/Cyber Monday campaign, one of the most important sales periods of the year. Leverage this opportunity to heighten brand exposure.

Throwback Thanksgiving

92 years ago, 250,000 people lined the streets of NYC to watch the inaugural Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

86 years ago, the parade was first broadcast on local radio stations.

And since 1948, millions of Americans have tuned in, hoping to catch a glimpse of their favorite balloons.

With each passing year, the tradition of the Thanksgiving Day Parade becomes more and more meaningful, invoking strong feelings of nostalgia.

If you think about it, you could easily have three or four generations of parade watchers in your house for Thanksgiving (e.g. from your kids to your grandpa). Just the people in the room could have experienced at least 70 years of the parade—and maybe all 92.

Each year has felt magical. But each in its own special way.

Creative idea: How can we bring to life all of the moments that have connected us year after year?

Celebrating memories of years past through a new lens.

Some things stay the same – getting together with family and friends for Thanksgiving, the family gossip, eating too much, and of course, watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.

But some things change (cue media landscape). Families no longer share the experience of gathering around the TV, instead opting for more individual experiences, like second-screening on their phone.

To break through, we needed to connect the experiences we share with how we experience them.

Comms opportunity: Takes a solo activity (browsing on your phone) and turned it into a moment to connect

• More connected to the parade: make the “frame” more interactive (mirrors how we view mobile-first content today)

• More connected to each other: make it more compelling (talking about experiences, etc)

Eight 360º cameras brought epic views. We built five throwback floats in augmented reality. Two celebrity hosts kept us entertained. A live tweet board got people at home involved. And early access to sweet tech deals hooked viewers up.

With 360º cameras streaming in 4K planted along the parade route, Verizon gave viewers across the country (and regardless of carrier) a better way to watch: Our YouTube livestream offered a perspective unlike anything they could experience in-person or on the traditional broadcast.

We built augmented reality versions of the most iconic balloons of the past 92 years, and complemented them with AR billboards and on-screen factoids. Our two celebrity hosts kept the energy high during the stream, and created conversation on social media.

- Broaden exposure: 10.5 million viewers tuned in to the livestream, an increase of 16% over last year. Viewership for the TV telecast, by comparison, fell 2% vs 2017

- Deepen positive engagement: 92% Share of Voice; 3,900+ mentions; 62% Positive Sentiment, 107% higher than the 2017 parade

- Drive sales: The campaign generated a 12% lift year-over-year in gross adds and upgrades, exceeding forecast by 20%