Best Events Integrated Ad Campaign

SapientNitro Chicago has historically been a strong but introverted technology hub, with near-zero brand awareness among the city's agency community. But in the past year, we’ve redefined ourselves with a revamped office, new hires, and a blossoming creative culture. So we saw Social Media Week 2012 as a chance to throw a party and reintroduce ourselves.

But this couldn’t be just any party. We wanted to start a discussion, provide an insight. And it needed to be disruptive—commanding attention despite the overcrowded Social Media Week schedule. Our solution? The event would be a party experiment designed to answer the question: “Does technology make us more or less social?”

To settle the argument, we threw two parties at once. On one floor of our office, we designed a space that encouraged technology-fueled, hyper-social behaviors. On another, a tech-free Prohibition era “Speakeasy” where the price of admission was going dark: giving up your smartphone. Party guests were able to vote—by iPad on the digital floor and old-fashioned ballot box at the Speakeasy—based on their experiences at each.

Two floors meant two different parties to plan, design, and execute. Good thing over 40 volunteers raised their hands to help realize the vision. Each floor featured Sapient folk in era-appropriate costumes, digital or analog entertainment, and “campaign posters” that tried to persuade guests of a pro or anti-technology point of view. Our Party Anthropologists, lab coat wearing members of our research team, interviewed revelers about their social media behaviors and opinions.

Contributors:

Executive Creative Director:	John Carstens
Business Lead:	Brad Simms
Art Director:	Brad Neal, Mike Chiong, Suzanne Croke
Copywriter:	Gabe Sopocy, Karen Rockwood
Copywriter:	Amy Hollrah, Mike Nichols
Project Managers :	Nina Xoomsai, Raymond Padron
Developer:	Vincent Ricciardi, Roger Wakeman
Developer:	Peter Corey

SAPIENTNITRO

Location: USA