EQ Tennis

Electrifying tennis fans at the US Open

To help launch their much-anticipated new line of electric vehicles, Mercedes-Benz wanted an exciting way to engage guests at their beautiful space at the US Open. Gen City Labs worked with Engine Shop to deliver a stunning interactive experience that ‘energized’ guests and brought them closer to the premier brand. By creating a competitive tennis game set on a CG version of center court at the US Open, guests were immersed in the ultimate ‘powered-up’ experience.

The activation utilized specially made tennis rackets with built-in motion tracking sensors which allowed guests to play the competitive game in real-time using real tennis gestures. The experience started with a tutorial to teach guests the ‘serve’ and ‘volley’ gestures needed to play, and then moved into a best-of-5 match. Four ceiling-mounted IR sensors surrounded and aimed down at the play area tracked the players’ racket movements and fed the data into a custom-built Unity application. The game itself was visualized on two large LCD screens, one in front of each guest, which also drew in viewers wanting to play a game of their own. Simultaneously, corresponding abstract visuals shot across and exploded on a giant LED wall which filled the space with dazzling effects and drama for onlookers. After the game, guests could then record their own ‘celebration’ video in front of a branded backdrop, which they could then share on social media.

With over 2600 fans going through the experience and a 50% share rate on social media, the activation was a huge success. By helping to generate buzz around the Mercedes-Benz brand and their new line of vehicles, and by generating lots of new leads, everyone involved was thrilled with the results.