2008 Ex Award Winners: Best Consumer Environment/Exhibit

Best Consumer Environment/Exhibit

Ex Award
Campaign: Halowood
Client: Microsoft
Agency: Zed Ink

If Halo 3 is one of the bestselling video games of all time Halowood its Beta Preview Launch has to be one of the best celebrity parties ever. The launch party took over several Hollywood soundstages transforming the space into a large-scale destination for celebrities tastemakers and the media. From the exterior approach to the interior experience Halowood was most definitely an affair to remember especially by the A-listers who attended.

“The celebrities we attracted to the event weren’t just there for the free things ” says Mark Harper senior global event manager at Microsoft. “They were fans of the game so we really tapped into those people which made it real versus a staged event. When they talked to the media about Halo 3 it came from the heart. They were excited about the release.”

An elite list of 200-plus actors and luminaries including “Napoleon Dynamite’s” Jon Heder comedian Dane Cook “Desperate Housewives’” Jesse Metcalfe footballer Matt Leinart and the omnipresent Paris Hilton got to play the beta experience before anyone else. And they got to do so in a sci-fi futuristic environment that exemplified the brand.

Every element of the Halo spirit infused the event. As they arrived guests encountered the soundstage campus glowing in Halo blue. A red carpet with all the panache of a Hollywood premiere led to an entrance wall made with military crates the Halo logo and lighting effects for a three-dimensional step-and-repeat branding space. “The environment we created was really great really photo friendly ” Harper says. “The red carpet experience was very dimensionalized and different from anything we had done before.”

The mood continued as a long mysterious tunnel drew guests into a futuristic realm toward a haunting projection of Halo 3 teaser artwork at the far end of the path. Character art vehicle designs weapons character armor and tools added a realistic touch along with tall wire fences mounds of sand aircraft-type seating desolate trees and glowing blue military water containers.

Several 40-inch Sharp monitors with Xbox 360s attached and 32 gaming stations within futuristic military lounges encouraged group and standalone game play. Guests videotaped messages to the world in interactive “confessionals.” Throughout the night an original music score from the game pulsed a sense of mystery and anticipation while a dj spun mash-ups of Halo music.

All in all 400 guests rather than the expected 250 showed up with 200 cars arriving within the first 45 minutes. That buzz and the red carpet photo ops helped Halo 3 achieve the highest-grossing launch day in entertainment history earning a whopping $170 million the first day after its official release on Sept. 25.

“It’s amazing to me that when a photo of a celebrity appears with that title in any one of the pop culture magazines how much that does to drive excitement and interest ” Harper says.


Gold Award
Campaign: Altoids Anti-Love Valentine’s Day Chocolate Shoppes
Client: Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co.
Agency: Gigunda Group  

If you didn’t get enough on pg. 79 here’s some more love: The Altoids Anti-Love Valentine’s Day Chocolate Pop-Up Shoppe was the ultimate destination for anyone seeking a little rebellion against the oppressions of Valentine’s Day.

The shoppes opened Valentine’s Day week in Chicago Miami and New York City (with additional sampling programs in Seattle and San Francisco). Inside was a full-service coffee bar serving complimentary coffee lattes and espressos—regular or Altoids-flavored. Punked-out baristas set the mood. Bistro seating was designed in rich chocolate and red. Naughty cupcakes from Billy’s Bakery were available for the taking and each visitor walked away with a subversive needlepoint kit.

Roguish anti-love sculptures handcuffs and other paraphernalia were placed throughout.
Say It With Altoids kiosks allowed visitors to create un-Valentine’s Day cards and to submit clever slogans of their own to altoids.com.

There were regular Love Lost poetry readings burlesque performances and fashion shows throughout the run and the entire space was expanded and transformed into a nightclub in the evening. 

The pop-up succeeded in delivering 800 000 samples in five markets in seven days with 20 858 visitors an average of 98 customers per hour. The average in-store experience lasted more than 28 minutes. There were 75 000 “Say it With Altoids” postcards distributed and 40 000 users logged onto sayitwithaltoids.com. Plus 14 000 coffee drinks were served—an average of 2 000 cups per day. Altoids Curious and Original Chocolate Shoppes generated a total of 25 897 937 media impressions.


Silver Award
Campaign: Taste of Lexus
Client: Lexus
Agency: AMCI

Taste of Lexus was completely revitalized for this year becoming more than just an upscale ride-and-drive but a destination in its own right. Modeled after retail destinations like Rodeo Drive and Fifth Avenue the Lexus Promenade was the centerpiece. It comprised a 200-foot-by-50-foot esplanade surrounded by product salons lifestyle activities and restaurants and embedded with interactive Lexus product displays throughout.

A streamlined registration process provided each guest personalized attention with on-site arrival and check-in modeled after a luxury hotel experience. The free-flowing event path allowed guests to choose the activities most interesting to them.

Partner “storefronts” included Wired magazine’s Gadget Lab complete with Lexus technology and Dwell magazine’s sustainable living ideas in conjunction with Lexus Hybrid technology. Lexus Cinema allowed guests to watch award-winning short films and the Kids Zone created a dedicated space for engaging in fun educational activities. Through it all product specialists were available to answer detailed product and brand questions.

New on-site technology eliminated the traditional wait for test drives by implementing an appointment-based system that freed visitors to experience more of the Lexus Promenade activities.

An exit survey allowed attendees to share opinions and opt in for dealer contact.
More than 41 000 attendees experienced the event with 85 percent spending between one and three hours there. Plus 73 percent of guests said their knowledge of hybrid technology had been increased by the event and 76 percent said their perception of the brand was increased. The event rated an average of 4.6 out of five.