AT&T: AT&T and Conan: San Diego Comic-Con 2016

 
Campaign Summary

Aligning with one of the most active and tech-savvy fandoms in all of late-night TV, AT&T partnered with the special production of Conan during Comic-Con week. Using unique 360-degree virtual reality content pieces, the partnership increased AT&T’s profile with Conan fans as well as its brand equity for its 360-degree virtual reality mobile capabilities.

Strategy

Objective and Context:

AT&T sought to align and activate its brand around Conan’s by becoming an integral part of the show’s big week at Comic-Con International in San Diego. It sought to use this partnership with Conan and Turner Entertainment Networks as an opportunity to achieve the following objectives:

  • Increase AT&T’s brand equity as the key to a great mobile 360-degree virtual reality experience.
  • Enhance the consumer experience of the Conan show at Comic-Con, or at home, through unprecedented access powered by AT&T.
  • Bring the “Conan at Comic-Con” special production to the fans in a breakthrough way.

Target Audience:

Mobile services have become a highly saturated market, with incumbents fiercely battling for market share. AT&T seeks to be everywhere its 4G smartphone users are, providing the advanced services, devices, and network capabilities that will retain current subscribers as well as attract consumers to switch services. AT&T wanted to demonstrate brand leadership in mobile services, particularly in data streaming, and engage digitally savvy adults.

Tens of thousands of people descend upon San Diego for Comic-Con International each year. From major celebrity sightings to unforgettable moments inside the convention center, there are always plenty of sharable moments. San Diego Comic-Con has become one of the largest mobile demand surge events, and AT&T was ready to prove to consumers that it has a superior network.

Creative Strategy:

AT&T and Conan have continued to increase equity in the 360-degree platform each year through innovative enhancements that have helped maximize engagement and interactivity for fans both on-site and at home. This year, they sought to create a never-been-seen live mobile viewing experience. Four 360-degree live streaming cameras were incorporated into production of “Conan at Comic-Con.” During that week, fans could toggle among these four live feeds, and also watch their favorite clips at Teamcoco.com/360.

Execution

Overall Campaign Execution:

This multi-platform promotion included on-air elements, in-show presence, and digital and mobile extensions. A robust on-site activation included virtual reality access for fans via live experiences. In addition to streaming Conan in 360 Virtual Reality, AT&T and the show’s team also hit the streets of San Diego to cover all the action, costumes, and comedy of Comic-Con. Fans viewed these 17 special Conan360 content pieces across Turner Entertainment Networks and Conan web and social sites.

From the moment attendees arrived at the San Diego airport, Conan and AT&T were omnipresent on luggage carousels, billboards, trolley wraps, posters, building wraps, brand ambassadors, bus sides, and shelters. Its week of live 360-degree shows from San Diego Comic-Con was another promotional first and helped catapult Conan’s social engagement rankings. The promotion included:

  • Daily pre-show co-branded swag bags awarded to fans
  • More than 20,000 co-branded cardboard virtual reality viewers distributed onsite and online
  • Exclusive content at San Diego Comic-Con booth with “Presented by AT&T” branding
Results (including context, evaluation, and market impact)

AT&T’s partnership with Conan delivered vast impressions, brand awareness, direct engagement, and significant press coverage with general press and industry trades. It resulted in:

  • 35.5 million total impressions
  • 10.5 million total views (228 percent more video views than 2015)
  • 10.4 million total minutes watched

The AT&T and Conan partnership created a mobile-centric first for late-night television with live streaming 360-degree cameras. It continued to reinforce AT&T’s reputation as a leader in bringing cutting-edge technology to consumers.


Categories: 360-Degree Video | Industries: Telecommunications | Objectives: 360-Degree Video | Awards: Silver Winner