SITUATION:

At a time of escalating racial unrest, the pandemic forced museums dedicated to shining a light on the significance of black history to close.

BRIEF;

Use technology to bring an iconic message in black history to the masses.

OBJECTIVES:

-Educate and immerse people of all ages and ethnicities in black history without exposing them to the dangers of COVID-19.

-Turn a ubiquitous U.S. street sign into a meaningful reminder of the legacy of one of our greatest civil rights leaders.

- Inspire hope and optimism.

-Celebrate Black History Month in a new and powerful way.

We partnered with the King Estate and the DuSable Museum of African American History to bring an iconic civil rights moment from the museums to the streets. MLKonMLK is an immersive educational experience that brings Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream'' speech to all 955 MLK streets using augmented reality, geo-location and image recognition technology.

INSIGHTS:

Racial tension in the U.S. hit a boiling point during the pandemic. Social isolation further amplified division while museums dedicated to black history found themselves closed. The nation needed to be reminded of Martin Luther King Jr.'s message of unity, equality and hope.

DATA GATHERING:

955 MLK streets in the United States.

TARGET AUDIENCE:

People of all ages and ethnicities in the U.S.

RELEVANCE TO PLATFORM:

This idea used mobile technology to turn real world spaces (street signs) into immersive educational experiences in black history. How'd we do it? We created a web-app that guided people to their nearest MLK street using mobile GPS and geo-location. We used image recognition technology that allowed any smartphone camera to scan any MLK street sign. After scanning a sign, Martin Luther King Jr.'s iconic message of unity, equality and hope would come to life on your smartphone with augmented reality.

IMPLEMENTATION:

-Partnered with the King Estate and the DuSable Museum of African American History to bring Martin Luther King Jr.'s iconic speech to all 955 MLK streets in the United States.

-Designed historically accurate 3D statues inspired by real MLK supporters.

-Created MLKonMLK.com which used geo-location to bring anyone to their nearest MLK street sign.

-Developed image recognition technology that allowed any phone to scan any MLK street sign.

-Brought Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" to life with augmented reality.

TIMELINE:

-Launched Black History Month, February 2021 and ran until May 2021.

PLACEMENT:

-All 955 MLK streets in the United States. With a population of 329 million, 320 million Americans live near an MLK street.

SCALE:

-955 streets. 41 states, plus Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico. Anyone with a smart phone.

REACH/ENGAGEMENT:

Reached 22 million viewers across 214 markets in the U.S.

SALES:

The point of this wasn't to drive sales. It was to use technology to reintroduce an iconic message of equality, unity and hope in a time of escalating racial unrest.

CHANGE IN BEHAVIOR:

Brought meaning back to a ubiquitous U.S. street sign by creating a sense of hope, optimism and unity in a time of lockdown, echo chambers and isolated bubbles.

CONSUMER AWARENESS:

-Exposed people of all ages and ethnicities to black history without exposing them to the dangers of COVID-19.

-Brought meaning back to a ubiquitous street sign.

MEDIA BUZZ:

"Groundbreaking"-Chicago Tribune

“Brings MLK’s message to the masses.”- Los Angeles Times

“Watch one of the most impactful moments in history.”- New York Daily News

“Keeping the dream alive.”- NBC