Why is this work relevant for Brand Experience & Activation ?

A dazzling display of a record-breaking drone light show bringing to life the iconic Avengers heroes in the night sky transpired unannounced on 23 April to mark the premiere of Avengers: Endgame. A scintillating injection of fantasy into real life through experiential storytelling and technology, the immersive performance was an unexpected treat to both public and media. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has enthralled moviegoers for the past decade, transcending into a cultural zeitgeist. The vision was to tease the anticipation for the movie by transporting it into a physical space to compound the interest.

Background

Experiencing the presence of the Avengers in real life took Malaysia by storm – the Avengers stepped into our dimension for the first time in 2018 in search of the Infinity Stones, making it the talk of the town; onlookers were captivated upon seeing a majestic and iconic building transformed into Stark Tower. The emblazoned Avengers logo was clear for all to see, imposing a larger-than-life presence. Challenge: The Avengers: Infinity War activation was successful and lead the movie to achieve Malaysia’s highest box office record; how do we top that success by leaps and bounds? Challenge given? Reach the highest box office of all time – USD 18M. Challenge accepted. The Avengers will manifest its presence in real life once again in a much bigger, bolder way. We wanted to rally the people to show their stand against Thanos one last time and be part of 2019’s conversation.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

Avengers: Endgame marks a phenomenal achievement in cinematic history, which significance transforms the Marvel Cinematic Universe into a cultural event - it’s placed itself firmly as a grand chapter in our lives. The creative idea was rooted in the insight that consumers who are stimulated by experiential marketing are highly likely to be emotionally invested into the brand and in turn talk about it. While our target audience were beyond enthusiasts, fans of the story pay close attention to the lore of the Marvel Cinematic Universe – to get their buy-in, the experience must respect the narrative. The core six Avengers are the beating heart of the chronicle, an assemble of full-bodied characters the audience had grown emotionally invested into. Poignant and grand, we brought the iconic heroes alive in the night sky, presenting the core six Avengers: Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

To arouse the audience's emotional extreme, the strategy was to shock and awe - true to the spirit of the films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the way the Avengers have electrified the audience. The performance sought to thrill and draw in onlookers, creating a brand connection beyond fans to craft an exhilarating experience they can own and share. How do we nudge people towards taking action that goes beyond their normal behavior? The goal was to drive the ready audience to watch and recruit on-the-fencers for revisits to the movie theatre, ultimately experiencing the movie differently as they view Avengers: Endgame with different social circles. Priming to effect talkability, we wanted to aim for a broad set of audience that had their mobile phones at the ready. What better way to reach them than at the epicenter of the city, against the backdrop of Kuala Lumpur Tower?

Describe the execution (30% of vote)

Extending the core tenet of the Marvel Cinematic Universe into real life, we partnered with Intel to design the sequence and programming of the performance using 300 of their Shooting Stars, stamping an entry into the Malaysian Book of Records of most unmanned drones airborne simultaneously. Kuala Lumpur Tower was chosen as it is surrounded by clear vantage points, and it is also an iconic Malaysian landmark. We wanted to heighten various emotions; the venue feels like home to Malaysians which they could easily be proud of when sharing the performance to the online world. Two months of planning and the struggle of getting permits and ultimately, Marvel’s final approval paid off when we saw the surprise and delight as witnesses were prompted to look up into the sky. It was as if the core 6 Avengers were sending Kuala Lumpur a signal before the final showdown.

List the results (30% of vote)

Traffic and pedestrians stopped in their paths surrounding KL Tower as they witnessed the show. It caught the attention of influencers (unpaid) driving buzz, encouraging discovery of the second drone show. This accorded an organic reach to at least 10.4M followers. Generating instant buzz! Marvel Malaysia’s Social Pages (organic) Instagram: • 536% increase in views • 3.4x more interaction • 25.9k shares Facebook: • >270k views • 1.75% engagement rate Coverage • USD 2M in earned media value • >50 international and local online media outlets • Top local TV news • Total reach of 40M across social media Cinema operators extended their operating hours between 7am – 3am to accommodate the nation’s demand. Breaking the record of highest grossing box office in Malaysia yet again with a 28% increase in sales from 2018, that’s how the Avengers drone show successfully brought Malaysians together both in and outside the cinemas.