We chartered large ferries and mapped an unprecedented waterway route that, for the first time, took fans on an express cruise sailing from Manhattan to the doorstep of the US Open. The route, from 35th street in Manhattan (a central location) to Flushing was created specifically for PoweradeZero. The summer air, beautiful views, and short trip were a celebrated alternative to the hot, stuffy subway rides.

We wrapped the ferries with Venus Williams’ image and PoweradeZero branding. We served passengers PoweradeZero samples to fully integrate the brand.PoweradeZero introduced its rescue plan in advance of the US Open, during the height of commuting-dread. Ticketholders were urged in newspaper, on radio, and online to sign-up online for a seat aboard the ferry. The branded ferry was a Trojan Horse, allowing Coca-Cola’s PoweradeZero to enjoy an integral part of the US Open experience, despite being banned from the actual premises.

PoweradeZero was able to end 31 years of transportation nightmares for 4,785 consumers. We shortened their commute by an average of 23 minutes, giving them a short-cut advantage competitive tennis fans love. The ferry was completely booked during key match-ups. Even fans who didn’t take advantage of the cruise were talking—over 600,000 consumers engaged with twittering and blogging.

And, the 64 media outlets featuring the story stretched our media exposure further than the $215m budget could do alone.