Best Use of Technology

Program Name: Project Supercar
Client: U.S. Air Force
Agency: GSD&M

Signing up recruits during time of war is a challenge that the U.S. Air Force is overcoming by reaching its target (17- to 27-year-olds) through engaging experiences and cutting-edge technology. Its mission is to educate potential recruits about all aspects of the Air Force and show them that the Force is about much more than flying fighter jets.

The program, called Project Supercar, paired Air Force mechanics with Galpin Auto Sports (featured on MTV’s “Pimp My Ride”) to create two high-tech vehicles—a Ford Mustang “X-1” and Dodge Challenger “Vapor”—that showed young men and women how a career in the Force is like a career working on the sleekest and most technologically advanced vehicles on the market. Thanks to Galpin’s participation, the campaign gained instant street cred with its target audience. And the technological aspects of the program facilitated drive data collection that has helped the Air Force meet its recruitment goals early.

The main target for this particular program was a category the Air Force calls “Tech Tinkerers,” who thrive when given the chance to work with mechanics and technology. The experience started in a non-traditional way—it collected data first, before consumers entered the footprint. Attendees registered by taking a “What’s your ride?” survey, a fun interactive quiz that matched their personality with a type of car. The survey segmented kids into three buckets based on their level of technical propensity, and they got colored wristbands based on that information. They could scan their wristbands at a digital rewards kiosk or send content to their phone, including ringtones, car specs and wallpapers. Recruiters could also engage with them based on their wristband color.

Inside each mobile tour was a 42-inch touch-screen TV that visitors could use to explore videos documenting the building of the supercars. Guests could then explore Air Force careers using five touch-screen kiosks that navigated like iPhones. The experience extended online to a robust website that provided fans with more behind-the-scenes video and downloadable content, like stickers, posters, DVDs of the documentary and much more.

The on- and offline program was a success with more than 16,000 people having face-to-face contact with the cars in six months; 4,834 (30 percent) of those turned into qualified leads. And 65 percent of visitors who experienced the tours last year claimed to have an increased perception that the Air Force is technologically advanced; 40 percent reported learning more about the variety of mechanical careers offered by the Air Force. The program also crossed continents and has been covered by more than 130 media outlets in six countries.

Program Name: Create a Crush and Reflections
Client: Absolut Vodka
Agency: Aspen Marketing Services

To connect with highly educated and socially active 21- to 29-year-old urbanites, Absolut Vodka created the integrated Create a Crush and Reflections campaign. The program incorporated sampling using the new Absolut Juicer, which allowed consumers to personalize concoctions using freshly-squeezed ingredients. After consumers customized a drink, they named it and posed with it for a photograph, which was emailed to them on the spot. Upon retrieval, consumers had the option to share the photo with friends and download it. They were also encouraged to host a brand-sponsored party to show off their personalized drink.
Once emails were captured the brand could follow up with seasonal information on the benefits of Absolut, like tips for hosting a summer party. The brand also created a holiday sampling program called Absolut Reflections in which people could create their perfect holiday cocktail, pose for a photo and the brand would send it out to friends and family with the cocktail recipe and a holiday resolution.

Over the course of the campaign, the brand distributed 1,717 samples (an average of 35 per account); collected 832 emails (an average of 17 per account); and sold 491 bottles (an average of 10 per account).
 

Program Name: Heart Rhythm Society
Client: Medtronic
Agency: Group Delphi

For its presence at the Heart Rhythm 2009 convention in Boston, Medtronic wanted an innovative tool that would entice attendees to visit its booth and position the company as a leader in technology that helps improve peoples’ lives.

An electronic multi-touch wall was the centerpiece of the 11,000-square-foot exhibit space, which included product areas, a hospitality zone, meeting areas and a theater. At the time of the show, multi-touch was just taking off so Medtronic benefited from the curiosity the technology generated among attendees. The main attraction was a 16-foot by five-foot touch screen and multi-touch tables that carried the same experience as the wall but in a more intimate setting. The strategy attracted people into the booth with the big screen, allowed them to explore the information using the wall or the tables and then steered them to the product areas to talk with the experts.

The space remained comfortable but with a tech-savvy innovative edge that drew in sizeable crowds.