Build It is a proprietary Verizon Media event series that is interactive, informational and inspirational for Builders, by Builders. Held twice a year, it’s our opportunity to reveal our newest and most exciting products and services on a global stage to our employees. It’s when we demonstrate our customer-centric ecosystem strategy in action, and celebrate the Builders behind it. For the event in September 2020, Journey to Build It took the event to a new level.
Objectives and goals for the event included:
Demonstrate that Verizon Media is a global leader in content, connections, and commerce
Create a virtual experience that captures the audience’s attention throughout the entire experience
Promote product adoption and understanding
Facilitate networking across the attendee organizations
Celebrate our top talent
Showcase high-quality talks that engage attendees
Foster a deeper sense of community
Build a sense of pride in existing work and the future of Verizon Media
Motivate attendees to teach and learn from each other
Inspire a growth mindset in our Builders
The mission of Journey to Build It was to make the virtual experience an engaging and educational showcase.. The solution was to make the event into a virtual two week showcase of the latest in Verizon products, going beyond the possibilities of a physical gathering. 13 products were showcased within 5 produced videos via remote production.
20 globally diverse video speakers and 1 voiceover speaker
5 uniquely engaging videos directed by award winning director Ky Dickens
1 fully animated video featuring Truly Connected, an overview of the Verizon Media B2B Business and the story behind the new go-to-market plan.
1 green screen video with 2 speakers piped into one screen from remote locations resulting in a Saturday Night Live Weekend Update style video.
1 video produced by onsite production crew, following all social distance protocols. Breaking the Cookie featured a speaker baking cookies in his kitchen to help tell the story of advertisers and publishers navigating a cookieless world. Each ingredient and step of the baking process was a metaphor for Verizon Media’s response to a cookieless world, highlighting our newly released product called Unified ID.
15 full production kits drop shipped (Softbox light, iPad, 2 mounting stands, lapel mic) and 1 podcast recording kit for voice-over speaker
Features of the platform included:
Mobile and desktop friendly
Accessibility:
All functionality of the content was operable through a keyboard interface without requiring specific timings for individual keystrokes
Headings and labels described topic or purpose to allow a screen reader user to emulate the visual experience
The keyboard focus indicator was visible for individuals with physical disability who (when using a mouse) can’t automatically see where the keyboard focus is or when it is moved with the Tab key to a new actionable element.
Video player controls were navigable with screen readers and via keyboard only input and included closed captions
Narrative Guide: As attendees followed the orb through the experience, they could navigate from product to product, while the voiceover dynamically reacted to each product with them, beckoning them to explore and choose their own journey.
Discussion Panel: Entering each product experience gave employees the ability to leave a comment and add to the conversation in a discussion panel.
Community Support: Attendees used emoji hearts to show each team their support.
Gamification & Badging: Attendees could unlock 12 achievement badges including an Easter Egg, a hidden JS line located in the console output of the site itself. The first 250 to get all 12 badges received prizes.
Synopsis: Once all product videos have been viewed, our camera zoomed out of the experience, revealing a top-down view of the entire event with a voiceover “I hope you’ve learned through this experience that what we’re doing is much more than creating a better future, we’re creating a more connected community.
Three AR Experiences: Employees had (3) AR experiences by linking users to a WebAR url in the event via scanning a QR code on desktop or activated immediately if on mobile.
Attendees: 3,441
Average Time Spent On Site: 25 minutes
Secured all badges: 522 employees
250 employees received prizes (the first 250 to get all badges)
Videos:
Total Comments (ALL): 6,402
Total Likes (ALL): 7,578
Feedback:
“The production quality was top-notch, the storytelling clear and compelling, and it was a really enjoyable experience to watch.” - VP, Brand Creative
“Congrats on putting together a great virtual Build It experience!! It was really well designed and interactive - felt like going to an online museum” - CEO Office
“What a beautiful Build It experience! Sleek, clean, and a flawless execution. Congratulations again!” - VP, RYOT
