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Iris Dorbian
Winner: Hearst Integrated Media – Infiniti House of Inspiration
Spanning five days in August 2008, Hearst Magazines, in tandem with agencies OMD and TBWA/Chiat Day, delivered a blockbuster event entitled “The Infiniti House of Inspiration,” which was part of an integrated initiative aligning Infiniti FX and G cars with visionary design at the annual Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in California.
Smooth Operator
According to Erick Neher, vice president of marketing for Hearst Integrated Media, what made this initiative different from other events in its category was its sheer scope. But that size was also the program’s major hurdle.
“The major challenge we faced when we developed the Infiniti House of Inspiration program was the crazy notion of building an actual house inside a tent,” admits Neher. “Hearst has created events at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance many times before and we know the parameters and the settings available. Our goal this time was to convey an entire lifestyle and a sense of how one lives an inspired life via Infiniti vehicles, within a standard experiential event setting. The solution was to showcase a living house, with carefully considered design features, as well as actors portraying the archetypal Infiniti owners.”
Infinite Excitement
The setting was apt for the event because the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance is where connoisseurs of beautiful and rare automobiles can congregate to take peeks at the most luxurious models. In addition to the exhibit, Hearst ramped up the Infiniti House of Inspiration with a slew of events, a print and digital campaign and PR/marketing research efforts.
Crossing Multiple Titles
Highlights of the print component were a four-page custom unit that appeared in the December 2008 issues of Esquire, Harper’s Bazaar, O, The Oprah Magazine, SmartMoney and Town & Country.
Digital was also key to spreading the program’s message. To showcase it online, Hearst Digital Media and OMD designed and produced a special microsite, www.InfinitiHouseofInspiration.com. The microsite, which was live from July 11 to Aug. 29, 2008, featured images from the House itself and profiles of the exhibitors as well as a schedule and coverage of the events with a special focus on the Infiniti vehicles. Co-branded media ran across the participating Hearst magazine sites to drive traffic to the site, which also contained a sweepstakes, sponsored by Infiniti and Hearst, for a trip for two to attend the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
The results of the event exceeded expectation. Hearst garnered 8.6 million impressions on Hearst Digital Media sites (HarpersBazaar.com, Esquire.com, HouseBeautiful.com and Town & Country.com) and 5.5 million impressions on SmartMoney.com. Overall, the microsite generated 8.4 million impressions.
The Infiniti House of Inspiration received extensive press coverage, which included stories in USA Today and Automotive News. On-site research at the event found that The Infiniti House of Inspiration significantly changed visitors’ impressions of Infiniti for the better, according to 48% of respondents; also 52% of visitors said they were likely to check out the Infiniti Web site, with 43% saying they were likely to purchase an Infiniti.
Honorable Mentions:
Farm Journal Media – Pro Farmer’s Midwest Crop Tour: The Pro Farmer’s Midwest Crop Tour, a weeklong series of events carefully timed between USDA’s August and September reports, provides an accurate picture of the quality and quantity of our nation’s corn and soybean production during a critical juncture of the late growing season to commercial scale growers and agribusiness organizations. Receiving extensive media coverage, Crop Tour included highly influential observations and results on farming and crop conditions, making Top Producer, the magazine in which its results are printed, an authoritative business resource for large farm operators.
Jobson Medical Information LLC – Vision Monday Global Leadership Summit: Vision Monday launched the Global Leadership Summit, an all-day special event that took place on March 25, 2009, at South Street Seaport in New York City, to successfully fulfill their goal of providing professionals with a forum where insightful dialogue and thought-provoking discussion can take place. The event itself was a sold-out success, with over 280 attendees present, and was followed by a video film of the event, short interviews with attendees and a special Web site recapping the entire event.
National Geographic Global Media – Shell Innovations in Energy: In an effort to reach out to those who have influence over and care about energy alternatives and the environment, National Geographic and Shell teamed up to explore the energy situation and examine new innovations for the future with a panel discussion entitled “Where Climate and Energy Collide.” The panel, which took place at National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 18, 2008, included a sweepstakes prize and cocktail reception, and provided Shell the perfect platform to promote its environmental mission toward ensuring a safe energy future.
Reed Business Information – Consulting-Specifying Engineers 40 Under 40 Program: Consulting-Specifying Engineers (CSE) shaped the future of young engineers by encouraging and recognizing the most talented individuals in the engineering industry with its 40 Under 40 program. Sponsored by Generac Power Systems, the program was promoted through a wide variety of media, including print ads in CSE issues, editorial stories posted on the CSE Web site and e-mail invitations.
Women’s Health/Men’s Health, Rodale – Women’s Health Are You Game? Event: On July 12, 2008, in New York City and July 19, 2008, in Chicago, Women’s Health recruited performance-driven women for its Are You Game? event to challenge them to break out of their comfort zones and try something new. With print promotions in Women’s Health magazine, online promotions across the Rodale site network and Crunch sponsorship, the action-packed event generated more than 94 million impressions.
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