One consistent complaint about virtual events is that they're about as sexy as a 90's-era chat room. Par-for-the-course offerings such as static microsites, PDF downloads, and executive keynotes might be passable if you're marketing to a gaggle of 70-year-olds that are mesmerized by any technology that doesn't require a floppy disk. But if you're targeting a Monster-fueled gaming community that tosses around jargon like "ganking" and "noob" and is pretty sure Atari was invented by Thomas Edison, these eight-bit elements won't motivate them to power up their PCs. This dazzle-me-or-don't-waste-my-time audience was exactly who Alienware, a Dell Technologies Inc. brand, needed to electrify as it geared up to commemorate its 25th anniversary that, due to the ongoing pandemic, needed to be all-digital event.

Over the course of two and a half decades, Alienware built a reputation as a leader in the gaming industry by producing computers renowned for their robust hardware and premium performance. The company wanted to celebrate its upcoming milestone with the gaming community and spot-light the launch of its latest offering: the completely redesigned Aurora R13. But being on the cutting edge of liquid-cooling technology doesn't guarantee the ability to crank out riveting online engagements. Fortunately, the company had been paying keen attention to the successes and challenges of previous digital experiences.

"We'd learned a lot during the pandemic about how to create engaging events remotely," says Marcie Holt, experiential program manager for Alienware. "There has been a fair bit of trial and error along the way, but we've come to a point where we feel we can create an excellent experience each and every time we produce one." Even though Alienware had already successfully executed two events in a similar vein during the pandemic, it partnered with virtual-experience company Double A Labs Corp. for ideation and management of the livestream to produce something truly spectacular that would earn the double clicks the landmark occasion deserved.

As it happened, the PUBG (Player-Unknown's Battlegrounds) Global Championships would be taking place in November, just a month after the scheduled anniversary event. For nongamers, PUBG is a take-no-prisoners player-vs-player online shooter game with 100 participants competing in battle-royale deathmatches, where the final shooter (or squad) standing is the victor. Since Alienware is the championship's official PC sponsor, marketers decided to capitalize on PUBG's popularity with a truly memorable – and quite literal – product drop referencing a familiar gameplay element: red crates that parachute in and restock competitors with valuable weapons, ammunition, and equipment. What if, the Alienware and Double A Labs teams thought, the new Aurora computer was unveiled via a PUBG-style air drop? It could have just the dramatic flair the company was looking for. Taking the idea a terabyte further, the team envisioned surprising the audience with an augmented-reality experience that would allow them to replay the unveiling in their own homes. "This was a new way to connect with our audience," Holt says. "And we knew it would be something the fans would appreciate and remember."

However, marketers weren't convinced these elements alone would rock the gaming world, so they leveled up their tactics. Just like haters gonna hate, gamers gonna game. And who better to test their mettle against than with some of the hottest streamers in the industry? So the events team began assembling an elite squad of talent that was sure to entice the keyboard corps to tune into Alienware's channel on Twitch, a streaming platform that allows gamers to broadcast their exploits and interact with a live audience, for a chance to battle with and alongside some of their favorite players in a series of PUBG challenges.

Let the Gaming Begin
With the strategy framed out, work began in earnest about six weeks before the launch date. Double A Labs tasked the developer agency Mohara Ventures Ltd. to build out the functionality of the AR activation and Nimaroh Creative House (now Idea Peddler LLC) to model the necessary materials and animations in only a month, using existing 3-D assets to save time. The teams mapped out the experience, which would have the crate (complete with billowing red smoke) float down to users' floors followed by a prompt to enter a drawing for a new computer. Once finalized, the assets were uploaded into the AR creation toolkit ZapWorks Studio, coded to work within phone browsers, and published via a URL.

In the meantime, Alienware and Double A Labs outlined the vision of the real-world product drop and unboxing, which would be prerecorded and screened at the event. Subnation Media Inc., the production agency in charge of the actual filming, roughed out the sequence through storyboards and compiled a shot list. When it came time to scout for a shooting site, the team landed on Skydive Perris in California, a locale well-known for its population of aerial film crews and movie stuntpeople. The desert setting and mountain backdrop also lent the PUBG vibe the company was seeking.

Alienware locked in the location and stunt teams by mid-September and began fabricating the 5-by-5-by-4-foot PUBG supply-drop box, painted red and stamped with Alienware branding, that would house the new Aurora computer. The ideal size for the reveal box, however, was too large to shove out of the back of the Short SC.7 Skyvan aircraft that would be used for filming, so the team also built three smaller crates to allow for multiple drops and ensure a smooth launch sequence.

Later that month, the crew loaded the crates and headed to Skydive Perris for two full days of filming with the stunt coordinator. Day one captured ground shots of the aircraft and video of the plane's interior along with the stunt crew and pilots clad in PUBG-esque riot gear. Then the stunt team and skydiving film crew piled into the Skyvan with the three supply-drop boxes and conducted a trio of drops captured from several angles. Shooting continued on the ground, where an on-site crane redropped the boxes the final few feet to guarantee a cinematic landing.

The crew devoted the second day to filming the actual unboxing with Vivian Lien, Alienware's vice president of gaming, and Trisha Hershberger, a television host and streamer who had also been engaged to host the livestream event. Wearing military-style flight suits, the two dramatically dropped the sides of the crate to reveal the stunning new Aurora computer mounted on a pedestal. Lien proceeded to walk Hershberger through the Aurora's modifications and upgrades, providing the types of specs hard-core gamers crave. The Alienware team loved the product drop and was certain the gaming community would too – provided they showed up for the event.

Leveling Up
While the eight-and-a-half-minute film was being edited, Alienware marketers turned their attention to promotion. Three weeks before the event, the social-media campaign kicked off with the 25th Anniversary logo reveal and introduction of the campaign hashtag, #Alienware25. The team primarily targeted Instagram and Twitter, where most of its 16- to 34-year-old target audience spends its time. Over the next few weeks, Alienware took a walk down memory lane by showcasing key moments from tenured staff such as Winnie Wong, long-term community members like Rusty "A81L1FY" Sessions, and influencers from its past, including DJ Swoosh and several others. As part of the promotional phase, the company also offered fans digital swag in the form of new desktop wallpaper backgrounds.

Alienware then teased the reveal of its new computer with irreverent posts such as "Get this tweet to 1996 [a nod to the company's birth year] likes and we'll drop a hint for whatever we're building next. Quick, before they make us delete this!" As target likes and shares were reached, the company unveiled partial images of the new Aurora, such as a shot of the rear cable cover and a close-up of the Cryotech Liquid Cooling Cap, which keeps the high-performance machine from overheating and bogging down. Finally, the company divulged the gaming talent that would be present at the event and tapped about two-dozen additional influencers, selected for their broad and diverse followings, to post twice prior to and once on the day of the event to prompt their cadres of fans to tune in to Alienware's Twitch channel.

Space Invaders
Alienware scheduled the event for Friday, Oct. 15, at 3 p.m. EST to reach the largest English-speaking global audience possible and capitalize on the end of the work week, when gamers would be most likely able and motivated to join. Twenty-five minutes before the livestream, Alienware's Twitch channel played a 15-second clip of the Skyvan airplane taking off and a reminder for viewers to prepare to battle with gaming influencers. The livestream launched with Hershberger welcoming everyone and setting up the supply drop video. The channel's chat feature immediately lit up with many of the more than 25,000 attendees posting their excited responses. And they didn't have to wait long for the product reveal. Only two minutes into the livestream, the supply drop video launched, showing the parachuting crate and product reveal.
Halfway through the clip, a banner at the bottom of the screen popped up with a QR code and a message urging viewers to scan the code with their phones, which launched the AR activation letting attendees relive the unboxing in their own homes. On-the-phone instructions prompted users to tap an "Unveil Now" button to initiate the experience. As soon as the AR experience loaded, an on-screen target appeared. Users placed the target on their designated landing zone (for example, an open spot on the floor or a desktop), tapped it to initiate the drop, and then watched as a virtual crate parachuted into their rooms. When the crate touched down, red flare smoke billowed out just like it does in PUBG gameplay. Tapping the "Reveal the Latest" button opened the crate and unveiled the Aurora on its pedestal, mimicking the launch video. Users could rotate the computer and walk around it to get 360-degree views. Fans in certain regions (North America, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom) also saw an "Enter for a Chance to Win" button that allowed them to enter a sweepstakes for a gaming bundle that included the new Aurora. Based on the online chatter, the activation enthralled viewers. "The parachute drop was unique, but we wanted to take it further. It was key to provide an engaging experience to the viewing audience," Holt says. "When using the AR experience on their mobile device, viewers could also find more information about the new system."

Following the unboxing video, Alienware took attendees through a five-minute celebration of its 25 years in the industry, showing vintage desktops and laptops and highlights of company milestones. Hershberger then transitioned into the gameplay segment by introducing the five gaming influencers – TheGeekEntry (Ally Battaggia), RunJDRun (JD Witherspoon), ChocoTaco (Jacob Throop), Halifax (Corey Mitton), and Rxysurfchic (Anna Maree Manciet) – that folks around the globe could battle with and against in PUBG. The PUBG games kicked off with a group setup where up to 100 players formed squads with their favorite streamer. Those not quick enough to join the first round watched the battle unfold and enjoyed colorful play-by-play calls from well-known commentators Brian W. Foster and Matrym. "Our talented personalities are regular streamers and content creators, so they don't need a lot of coaching to create a stellar experience," says Kate Ludwig, Alienware's influencer lead. "This was one of those instances where you just let the talent hit the field and allow their charisma to carry the broadcast."

The second and third rounds were in zombie and war modes, with the guest talent winning two of the three games, showing that Alienware knows how to pick its stars. After an hour and 20 minutes of gameplay, the influencers signed off and Hershberger reintroduced Lien, who offered attendees a first look at Alienware's new apparel line and explained how they could score the duds from an online shop. To wrap up the broadcast, Hershberger introduced Grammy-nominated DJ Morgan Page, who spun a 15-minute original set. But before Page hit play, Hershberger encouraged attendees to scan another QR code that would pop up near the end of Page's track and take a brief five-question survey.

Completing the survey, she explained, would earn Alienware Arena members 25 Arena Reward Points they could use to customize their profiles or purchase merchandise. Attendees then kicked back and enjoyed Page's electronic vibes accompanied by a dynamic montage of moments from Alienware's 25-year history.

Top of the Leaderboard
At a time when most digital events were as thrilling as MS-DOS, Alienware's bash was like plugging into the Matrix. "This was very well targeted to exactly the type of people who practically live in the virtual realm," said one Corporate Event Awards judge. "The creative video and interactions were perfectly tailored to this audience." And Alienware had the outta-this-world results to prove it.

More than 87 percent of the 380 survey respondents agreed that the event met or exceeded expectations. Plus, the livestream garnered more than 1.1 million unique views and boasted an average of nearly 30,000 concurrent viewers. That's a lot of eyeballs tuning in to catch a glimpse of the new Aurora. Much of that success can be attributed to the pre-event marketing efforts. Alienware engaged 23 industry social-media influencers who produced 87 pieces of content driving 2.3 million impressions and 1.3 million video views on top of the company's own reach of 7.4 million. The combination of a theatrical product launch, live gameplay, colorful personalities, exclusive concert, and savvy pre-event marketing reveals that the sky's the limit when it comes to well-packaged online endeavors.E