CHALLENGE

Microsoft approached us with a challenge to create a demonstration on how interactive advertising could be brought off the web and into people's living rooms. The platform would be Microsoft's Media Center, and the challenge would be to create a concept that would allow viewers to interact with the advertising on their television in a simple, fun, yet unobtrusive manner. In a time where television viewers are more easily distracted, this project would invite marketers to imagine the possibilities of re-capturing viewers' interest through interactivity.

STRATEGY

Microsoft's Media Center is designed to be a simple one-stop shop for all of a consumer's entertainment needs, including television. With the lines between computer media and broadcast media blurring, and with more and more people using Media Center as an interface plugged into their televisions, Microsoft knew that new opportunities for interactivity could emerge. Our goal was to create an experience that was slightly more passive than a web experience, but more engaging than a standard 30 second television spot. With experience in creating both, we had the talent and knowledge to deliver precisely the demo Microsoft was looking for.

The interface had to be fast and simple, involving action, but remaining a quick diversion. With the knowledge that a large percentage of television's most loyal viewers are sports fans, we opted for a football-themed spot. Using the talents of our expert 3D team, we created a dramatic scene of a rainy football pitch and armor-clad warriors perched on the brink of either success or defeat. With a split second all that separates the team from glory, the user is asked to make the final call and time the play correctly.

CREATIVE AND EXECUTION

With Reebok stepping in as a brand innovator, we were able to create a mock RBK advertisement where the viewer is given a shot to be entered into a draw for Superbowl tickets. The concept is simple: a user is viewing a program through Media Center, when the show goes to commercial break. The viewer is presented with what appears to be a regular commercial including an intense announcer setting the scene for an epic football showdown.

Images of the rainy football pitch flash across the screen, and just when the quarterback is lining up to take the hut, the viewer is invited to select the formation for the play. Once selected, quick instructions explain that to correctly execute the play, the viewer is required to use his television remote to stop a speedy cursor in the "red zone". if correctly done, the team will smoothly execute a touchdown, and the viewer is invited to enter his email address for a chance to win tickets to the big game. If the cursor is not stopped at the correct moment, the play goes awry, and the team misses its shot at glory. The viewer is then given the option of trying again or returning to the regular programming. Depending on the viewer's engagement with the game, then, the spot could last anywhere from 30 seconds to several minutes.

This demo will prove that TV no longer needs to be completely passive, and will open the opportunity for marketers to use Microsoft's Media Center as a means with which to more greatly capture their target market's attention.