Is the first Sunday of February a national holiday yet? Even if our teams didn’t make the playoffs, most Americans sit down and watch the Big Game. We eat our favorite foods, bond over entertaining commercials, and have a shared experience. We have our traditions, memories of our favorite games and halftime shows, and favorite beverages. But beyond the comfort of our couches, there’s another level of experience that draws die-hard fans from all over the world.
Every year, the Super Bowl Experience invites fans to celebrate their love of professional football by attending what they call an “interactive theme park” in the city hosting the Big Game. This year, the CBS Sports Network marketing team asked us to help create an unforgettable experiential moment at the Super Bowl Experience in Atlanta.
The challenge? This mind-blowing experience had to fit into a 10x30ft footprint.
When presented with the brief, we challenged ourselves to find a way to create a never been done before stand-out moment that aligned with the CBS Sports Network and their core services. We needed to incorporate The Super Bowl, the city of Atlanta, trends in the industry, and of course fit the parameters of the event.
Our solution? A stunning VR experience, centered around the fact that CBS Sports Network delivers amazing sports content and during the Super Bowl, their audience can deliver the most important game ball of the year.
Fans would have the opportunity to jump out of an airplane, fly over Atlanta, skydive through the roof of the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and deliver the game ball to the referee at the 50 yard line.
Here’s the play-by-play of the Virtual Skydiving Experience:
Fans step up to the platform. They are hooked into a harness and given VR goggles to wear. As the simulator lifts them into the air, they can see the door of an airplane and are asked to jump out! Wind is blown from fans in the floor of the platform so that they can experience the sensation of soaring through the air, adding a unique 4D element. They skydive through the air for about 30 seconds and enter the stadium through the roof (Lady Gaga Style). They are greeted by the cheers of a full Mercedes-Benz Stadium. After they land on the grass (and back on the platform in real life), they deliver the game ball to the ref, and cheer with the crowd in excitement!
Once the fans are finished, they can pose in front of a sky backdrop in a branded skydiving suit. The picture is then printed out as a keepsake from the experience.
Even with a dual platform, the lines for this experience were consistent throughout the experience. Despite the length, the crowd loved it! While they waited, fans jammed to music and were entertained with trivia games, giveaways, and challenges by an Emcee. Every single person has said “that was well worth the wait.” One fan even remarked, when asked his thoughts on the wait, “of course the hottest thing here is going to have that long of a line”.
The Skydive Experience brought so much joy to the faces of the fans in those harnesses, and we saw plenty of fans post-skydive with the unmistakable flushed face of a post-thrill adrenaline seeker. It was an absolute blast and a one of a kind experience.
After the Super Bowl Experience ended on February 2nd, the Skydive Experience was moved to the Game Day Plaza at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. This was an amazing way to engage the fans on their way into the big game and give them an additional cherry on top of their Super Bowl experience.
With the Skydive Experience, CBS Sports Network was able to deliver exactly what their audience was looking for: a thrill, an introduction to mind blowing technology, and the fantasy of being an integral part of their favorite day of the year. By gathering a crowd around this one-of-a-kind experience, CBS Sports Network was able to engage with their audience for 1-2 hours. It’s an audience that would have been somewhere else if they weren’t sure that the Skydiving Experience would be worth every minute of their valuable time, and provide an unforgettable shared experience with family and friends.
