Display Technology
Xfinity, Intersection help fans get to know Team USA through Olympigrams
Philadelphia is a long way from Tokyo, but fans of the Summer Olympics can feel a little closer to their favorite athletes through an interactive DOOH campaign from Xfinity and Intersection.
August 3, 2021 by Kevin Damask — Editor, Digital Signage Today
Philadelphia is a long way from Tokyo, but fans of the Summer Olympics can feel a little closer to their favorite athletes through an interactive DOOH campaign from Xfinity and Intersection.
Xfinity, which provides wireless internet, phone and cable services, has teamed with Intersection, a DOOH producer, to unveil a series of Olympigrams throughout Center City, the downtown core of Philadelphia. The multi-media campaign is featured at bus stops and outside of a few supermarkets in the City of Brotherly Love.
Pedestrians can scan QR codes on posters featuring members of Team USA. Through augmented reality, athletes "come to life," sharing quick personal facts and talking about the events they will compete in at the Olympics.
However, it wouldn't truly be an ad without a company promotion. The DOOH ads highlight Xfinity products and encourage shoppers to head to the nearest store to find more Olympigrams.
Intersection began building the DOOH campaign in December 2020 and worked on the project until it was ready to hit the streets in July. Hello Elephant, an interactive design company that works to combine physical and digital elements, developed the AR portion. Hello Elephant, based in San Francisco, has worked with Intersection on previous projects.
Intersection wanted to make a strong push to promote the Summer Games in its latest promotional drive, according to Stacey Levine, vice president of communications at Intersection.
"Through this activation, we are bringing the Olympic Games to life in our stores and giving customers a way to engage with Team USA like never before," Levine said in an interview with Digital Signage Today. "Our in-store campaign includes a few fun and engaging experiences, notably our AR experience. By engaging with this AR experience, customers can meet Team USA — they simply scan the QR code, tap to allow access and by scanning the graphics and in-store they can learn about our Team USA athletes."
For many fans awed by their athletic achievements, Olympians can feel untouchable. Through Olympigrams, however, fans can learn what drives these athletes and discover that some come from similar backgrounds. The AR experience also gets fans excited to support those athletes, hearing their story about how much they've worked and sacrificed to reach their dreams.
"This AR experience feels like you are diving a bit deeper into the athlete's world," Levine said.
With the Olympics already on people's minds this summer, Intersection believed it was the ideal interactive ad promotion. But, with so many ads cluttering the market, the company knew they had to create a campaign that was not only catchy, but also engaging.
"As marketers look for new ways to create breakthrough experiences to command attention, augmented reality has emerged as a powerful tool for engaging consumers," Levine said. "This is especially true in OOH, where there's a unique opportunity for brands to create immersive experiences for consumers by merging the physical and digital worlds across their daily journey."
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For pedestrians, the digital playground could turn a drab, ordinary commute into a lively experience.
"With QR codes integrated into life-size bus shelter creative, pedestrians can use their phones to turn their ordinary city street into an extraordinary new world — a truly magical way to introduce consumers to Team USA," Levine said.
Similar OOH promotions, but without the AR element, are displayed along trains, buses and other urban panels in Seattle, Chicago and Portland, Oregon.
As of Tuesday morning, the U.S. led in the total medal count in the Olympics with 73, but were second to China in gold medals, 32 to 24. The Olympics conclude on Sunday with closing ceremonies.
Xfinity was not available to comment for this story.
About Kevin Damask
Kevin Damask is the editor of Digital Signage Today. He has more than 15 years of journalism experience, having covered local news for a variety of print and online publications.
