What if we could change the way people experience countries and cultures, on a global scale, with the help of technology?

The Build Your Own Adventure with Google campaign was created to inspire global coverage of Google’s largest world heritage imagery launch to date - Angkor on Street View and the Cultural Institute. To help media understand the magic of Google tools, and the scale of Angkor, we designed a global press event, on location, in Siem Reap, together with a virtual press kit, enabling simultaneous media outreach across the world.

Bringing Angkor online wasn't easy, we had to hand carry internet cables into the jungle to connect the ancient temple complex, manage wild monkeys and convince 90 handpicked press from 12 countries and 3 continents that this wasn't a local story but a global moment. With incredibly supportive Government partners, we held an experiential full-day event, encompassing five unique events across different locations in Siem Reap. We also managed the distribution of a virtual press kit to media in the US, Europe, Latin America and Asia.

Global searches for Angkor increased by 50% on launch day and in just three weeks, the campaign saw over 200 global stories and over 235,000 social actions. This campaign helped Cambodia tell a new story to the world, full of hope and beauty in hi-resolution, while overcoming significant logistical challenges to deliver a once-in-a-lifetime experience that media were compelled to share.

The global launch of Google's largest world heritage imagery collection, Angkor, and the Build Your Own Adventure with Google press event were held on April 3, 2014. From a Google Maps breakfast and two hours of sunny demos at Angkor Wat, to dinner at Bayon temple with Cambodian Ministers of Tourism and Commerce, the launch event gave journalists an in-depth view of the local love that went into building this project.

In the two months leading up to the launch, we laid 25 kilometers of internet cable to connect Angkor, despite 40 degree heat and wild monkeys (!); we designed and delivered five unique experiences for five locations that let journalists get hands on with Google technology and; we pitched travel, tech and culture press, under embargo, in parallel across Asia, Europe and America. Lastly hosted 17 press briefings over 72 hours with spokespeople onsite and virtually from Angkor.

On April 3 - 4, 2014, worldwide searches on Google for Angkor increased by 50%, shining a global spotlight on Cambodia. And even with just 5% of the population online, domestic searches for Angkor also rose.

Our coordinated virtual and onsite PR campaign resulted in over 200+ global stories across leading broadcast, print and online outlets in the US, Europe, Latin America and Asia; and over 235,000 social actions across Google+, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, in just 3 weeks.

Media consistently reflected our messaging on the evolution of travel; and the role of technology in preserving and sharing cultures, and helping countries like Cambodia, come online. Coverage did not focus on Cambodia's past, but told a new, positive story. And we were repeatedly thanked by Cambodians, from senior Government partner representatives, to a noodle seller, saying this initiative made the world see Cambodia and its peoples' true potential.

Following the April 25, 2014 submission, our global search engineers noted three

additional spikes in global searches for Angkor and Angkor Wat within the month of

April resulting in worldwide searches on Google for Angkor increasing by a total of

181%. This increase was driven by key international media coverage on the

campaign from France, Spain, Brazil and Mexico (please see attached updated Google

Trends graph and French coverage examples from Enjeux Les Echos.fr and Europe 1

radio).

Lastly, we saw over 255,000 social actions across Google+, YouTube, Twitter

and Facebook in four weeks (an 8.5% increase in social actions vs. original results

submitted).