The Situation
As the title sponsor the #29 car driven by Kevin Harvick, Budweiser was heavily invested in NASCAR. Coed Millennials, Budweiser’s target consumers, were… not.
So the ask was clear – can you make NASCAR cool?
The Solution
Strip away the culture of NASCAR, and show off what makes it so exciting to begin with – the SPEED. Using a breakthrough technology, I figured out how to put consumers inside the #29 Budweiser car in a groundbreaking way that had never been done before.
The Budweiser 360 Experience App put you inside of the Budweiser stock car as it raced along at 200 mph, inches away from the concrete walls of Charlotte Motor Speedway. The revolutionary 360º cameras both inside and outside the car meant that you got to look at any angle you wanted during the ride along. Simply move your phone or iPad to change the view, as if you were moving your head.
The app was a cross-Continental collaboration between the creative team in St. Louis, the race team in North Carolina, the London-based 360 production team and the developers in The Netherlands.
The Results
- Tens of thousands of downloads.
- An average usage time of over 3:00 minutes for a two+ minute video
- Over 50 media outlets reported on the app, including the AP, Huffington Post, ESPN, Fox USAToday and more.
- "Best in Show" Addy, Region 9.
What I Learned
- If you have an idea, find a way to make it happen! Make phone calls, follow up with busy people, politely harness, and turn that idea into reality.
- Taking a chance on new production technologies is a rewarding challenge. Doing something for the first time is worth it. Especially when it turns out exactly like you envisioned!
- How to schedule meetings across continents.
- English people think Mountain Dew is hilarious.
- It’s nerve wracking to strap a six-figure proprietary camera to the exterior of a car going 200mph, but worth it.