This is the second part of a two-part series chronicling the steps Tier10 took to cover the 2013 Accord “Cash Car” event in Times Square in NYC on Saturday, October 6, 2012. Click here for Part 1.
Arriving at around 6:30 a.m. the day of the event, Tier10 secured an excellent parking spot on Broadway and 47th, just a few yards away from the plaza where the stage was set, with the 2013 Accord provided by Paragon Honda in Woodside. Approximately half a million people visit Times Square every day, according to the Times Square Alliance, so the car would be sure to attract a lot of eyes in such a close spot for over 12 hours.
“We knew exactly where to park it,” said Scott Rodgers, partner and Creative Director at Tier10. “There are just five – maybe six – parking spots in the heart of Times Square, and we had to have the first one.”
Once parked, Tier10 did a quick recheck of the social media coverage for the event, following up on its initial audit. The first thing found was that there was no place to check in for the event. There was also no Instagram account for it or the 2013 Accord, for that matter.
Tier10 created a Foursquare check-in for the event and an Instagram account for the 2013 Accord. Tier10 then established a set of hash tags to attract followers quickly, including #accordcashcar, #2013accord, #nyc and #timessquare. In its first day of existence, the account averaged 11 new followers for every hour that the event took place. The agency also provided a play-by-play account of the event on Tier10’s Twitter using similar hash tags to the one used on the Instagram account.
While generating live and interactive online content for an event is crucial in today’s market, it was only part of the approach Tier10 took that day.
“Video is the highest-value piece of digital content online a brand can arm itself with,” said Joseph Olesh, Emerging Media Director at Tier10. “Only the agile agencies and brands can be positioned to produce on the fly. Tier10 has proven to be an aggressive leader in this way.”
As for the 2013 Accord Tier10 parked in the heart of Times Square, many onlookers stopped to look at it as expected, especially since the factory window sticker was still on it listing of all the vehicle’s features. Tier10 even demonstrated some of the functions to visitors, including the Bluetooth® HandsFreeLink®, USB/iPod® integration and rearview camera, which now come standard on all models. The most popular feature demonstrated, however, was optional Honda LaneWatch™ blind-spot display, which uses a camera system mounted on the passenger mirror for an enhanced view of the passenger-side roadway.
One such passerby on a bicycle, who said he had just purchased a 2012 Accord in April, expressed how impressed he was with the 2013 model in an expletive-laden way only a New Yorker could pull off with charm.
In addition to the social media content Tier10 developed on the fly and the video it would produce, it also made a mark with consumers at the event and at Times Square, which is a crucial part of Tier10’s holistic strategy.
*Cash Car with Ben Bailey is an American Honda Event Produced by George P. Johnson
