Rather than just talking about the superiority of Verizon 5G, we set out to own this once-in-a-generation technological breakthrough by showcasing it in a relevant and meaningful way. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is one of America’s longest-standing and most beloved traditions. We enhanced this nostalgic experience and gave significance to 5G, creating a live, highly immersive, personalized activation that put people in the center of the action and allowed them to parade like they'd never paraded before. With a YouTube livestream and real-time content on Twitter, we gave audiences 360º views, celebrity holograms, a 5G portal, and augmented reality balloons, making watching this year’s parade at home even better than being there.

• Implementation - We worked with creative technologists and NBC production to implement a three-hour YouTube livestream during the morning of the iconic Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Throughout the livestream, we demonstrated the power of 5G by enhancing the parade experience with live 360° camera views and real-time augmented reality surprises. We encouraged people tuning in to participate in building real-time AR balloons. They could engage through polls on Twitter: we asked them to design the colors, accessories, and flares of exclusive parade balloons. After voting, they were able to see their balloon creations in AR, in real time, during the livestream.

• Placement - YouTube livestream, real-time content on Twitter.

• Scale - The world’s most beloved parade on one of the world’s largest streaming platforms.

• Timeline - Morning of Thanksgiving 2019, 3-hour YouTube livestream.