Microsoft launches Experiential Marketing as CES to introduce new Bing App

Experiential Marketing can utilize a variety of environments and time frames. At CES 2010, Microsoft activated an experiential marketing program to help launch its Bing mobile app. The challenge was how to stand out from the other 2500 exhibitors on the show floor of CES.

If you have been to CES you know how over whelming the experience can be. Not only is it one of the largest per square footage but also most attended trade show with attendance at 110,000! With these types of numbers companies (even Microsoft) struggle to stand out from the crowd. Microsoft commissioned one of their agencies to the daunting marketing task to create an experiential marketing strategy that would over come this challenge.

The agency created a program that solved a couple challenges, capture one-on-one attention and attendee transportation logistics. Getting a cab in Las Vegas takes up to an hour during large trade shows. The experiential program included graphic wrapping 21 passenger shuttle buses and minivans, brand ambassadors on each bus to demonstrate the app and a one acre branded station across from the Convention.

The results from the marketing program included over 8,000 riders, 8,000 Bing app downloads and 15,000 one on one encounters over the three day CES Trade Show.

Questions that I have:

• Integrating Marketing - how was this integrated with other Microsoft marketing programs.
• Social Media - was there a hashtag created for the event so that event attendees could have shared during the Trade Show
• Marketing pre & post event - email, landing page, ect.
• Marketing Promotions - I would have give each of 8,000 that downloaded the app a promotional item (shirt, bag, ect) to further brand the experiential event beyond the bus ride.