Best Multi-Venue Event (Consumer)

Program Name: Adrenaline Tour
Client: Hyundai
Agency: Jack Morton Worldwide

Hyundai’s heart-pounding Adrenaline tour put drivers behind the wheel and the Korean automaker top of mind among new car buyers as it generated test-drives, media and consumer attention, interest and brand perception for the high-performance 2010 Genesis Coupe.

In February 2009, Hyundai announced its partnership with Rhys Millen Racing and Red Bull Energy Drink as part of a strategy to connect the Genesis Coupe to drift racing, the high-energy motor sport best known from Universal Studio’s “The Fast and Furious” film series. The excitement continued with the eight-city Adrenaline Tour, a fast and furious experience that put consumers inside the 2009 Genesis Coupe and the competitive motor sports world in ride-and-drives that spoke to the performance excitement of the brand.

Rather than being a part of a larger lifestyle event, the tour comprised a series of invitation-only experiences that gave Hyundai maximum control over the environment while surrounding guests with the Coupe and the exciting, high-performance culture of drifting. Before the event, a dedicated microsite, coupeadrenalinetour.com, served as home base, delivering information about the tour along with photos and videos featuring the Genesis Coupe and a special racing section highlighting its performance in competitive Time Attack and Drifting events. A Coupe Performance Parts Sweepstakes drove traffic to dealerships and dangled a package of high-performance components for the Coupe valued at more than $6,000.

Every component of the Adrenaline Tour experience built excitement for the car. A Formula Drift Series Coupe was the focal point of the “Drift Lounge,” an area celebrating the car’s dive into motor sports. On-track videos of the Coupe whipping around the track, animations of the car in a drifting dreamscape, a “flipbook” giveaway and an interactive iWall that engaged guests with computer animations and product information revved up guests’ interest. Every hour, on a closed driving course, professional drivers delivered tire-screeching, tread-smoking drifting demos that sometimes included guests on their wild rides. The climax occurred as guests chose between a four-cylinder Turbo or a 306 HP V6 Coupe to drive around the course with a professional driver riding shotgun to describe the car’s acceleration and handling attributes. Everyone who registered for the event received a follow-up email that reinforced the experience.

The tour results were as heart-stopping as the rides themselves, delivering 7,258 test drives and 190,000 positive word-of-mouth conversations; 55 percent of post-event survey respondents indicated they were highly likely to recommend the Coupe to others; 36 percent opted to receive further information. Somebody call 911!
 

Program Name: AMP UP for What’s Next
Client: Pepsi-Cola Co.
Agency: PGW Experience

Set on differentiating itself from the nearly 150 energy drinks in the market, AMP targeted key influencers in local markets to get out its message. To pique the interest of the 18- to 25-year-old male consumer, the brand teamed up with celebrity influencers and local tastemakers, such as artists, djs, bloggers, musicians and fashion trendsetters. To connect with these influencers’ lifestyles organically, AMP created the What’s Next campaign, which infiltrated the targets’ lives by tapping into their passions. 

Leading the campaign’s strategy was a select group of 250 socially networked consumers chosen for their power to influence people in their market. At the heart of the campaign was a sampling effort in 26 markets targeting consumers at select events and lifestyle locations. For example, one mobile marketing unit in each market worked the streets six days a week from April through October visiting beaches, nightclubs and lifestyle events. In each market, “Boutique Network Seeding” offered 300 top streetwear shops and action sports retailers branded refrigerators filled with samples for their shoppers.

More than 7,500 events took place throughout the program’s run. The campaign distributed more than five million samples, and generated 40 million consumer impressions.

Program Name: TD Bank New England Brand Launch
Client: TD Bank
Agency: PierceSmartfusion

When TD Banknorth’s locations in New England and upstate New York joined its Mid-Atlantic and Florida operations (previously Commerce Bank) and changed its name to TD Bank, it needed to get the message out. The solution was a campaign celebrating the bank’s motto “America’s Most Convenient Bank,” which included a two-part experiential program.

The first component was a tour that provided customers with “convenient” complimentary services like its Eco Cab Tour, which in October visited fairs and festivals providing folks with free lifts wherever they needed to go. The brand gave thousands of rides to people at fairgrounds, town squares and city streets. Afterwards, each passenger received literature on the bank.

For part two of the program, TD Bank took over office building lobbies and surprised workers with free pizza slices during lunch hour. The bank delivered more than 15,000 free large pizzas and 30,275 cups of coffee to 482 businesses.

 By the time the last cab went off duty and the last slice had been eaten, the program had generated a total 542,549 consumer impressions.