Oath

Oath launched at CES 2018, the new digital media company faced the challenge of standing out and introducing its value proposition to industry leaders.

An oasis in the desert

At CES in Las Vegas, newcomer Oath faced the challenge of standing out in a crowded field. With thousands of brands competing for attention, Oath needed a unique strategy to introduce itself and attract media agencies, CMOs, and marketing leaders. The goal: create a memorable presence that would cut through the noise of CES.

My Role
I led the overall creative vision, combining tech strategy, art direction, UX, and concept development. Working with externmal agencies and our in-house team, I guided a team to create an interactive experience that showcased Oath's unique value proposition and captivated our target audience.

Key challenges

Brand introduction

Oath needed to introduce itself as a new, unified entity to the industry, explaining how the merger of AOL and Yahoo created a powerful new player in the digital media landscape.

Demonstrating value

With a diverse portfolio of brands and technologies, Oath had to showcase its unique value proposition to potential partners and clients, particularly in advertising technology and digital media services.

Technology focus

Oath wanted to emphasize its commitment to technology-enabled platforms and innovative solutions.

What we did

Intro

Introduce Oath as a cohesive brand

Show

Showcase the company's technological capabilities and diverse media offerings

Engage

Attract attention from media agencies, CMOs, and other industry leaders

Why

Differentiate Oath from competitors in the crowded CES environment

Formfactor

Starting with the space

At CES, Oath secured a prime location with a main hallway, presenting a unique opportunity to create an impactful experience. Our challenge was to transform this space into an engaging journey that would illustrate Oath's capabilities and demonstrate how our innovative solutions could address our customers' digital media and advertising challenges.

Sketch

A world powered by Oath's brands

Our initial concept for the main hallway was a visual representation of Oath's mobile-first philosophy. We envisioned a large globe constructed entirely of mobile devices, each screen displaying dynamic content from Oath's diverse brand portfolio. This installation would serve as a powerful metaphor for Oath's global reach and digital-centric approach, while showcasing the company's vast array of content and technologies in an innovative, attention-grabbing format.

Sketch

Digital DNA

In subsequent revisions, we shifted our focus to better represent the core essence of Oath. Inspired by the structure of DNA, we conceived a spiral experience of screens that would wind through the hallway. This helix-like installation symbolized the fundamental building blocks of Oath – its diverse brands, technologies, and services. The spiral of screens allowed us to create an immersive journey, guiding visitors through Oath's capabilities and demonstrating how the company's unique "DNA" could adapt to and solve various customer challenges in the digital media landscape.

Content

We explored various content options for the screens, facing an abundance of material from Oath's 16 brands. Our challenge was to determine the most engaging and effective way to capture user attention in the brief moments they'd interact with each screen, while still conveying Oath's comprehensive value proposition.

Responsiveness

Screens automatically react when someone walks by, creating an interactive experience without direct user input.

Call to action

Screens respond when a user takes a specific action, such as pushing a button or touching the screen, prompting engagement.

Livestream

Content is fed into the screens in real-time from around CES, showcasing live event coverage and Oath's ability to capture and distribute current content.

Execution

In designing the content display for our spiral installation, we considered numerous approaches to effectively showcase Oath's diverse brand portfolio. We explored various content organization strategies, from dedicating individual screens to each brand to creating a flowing narrative across multiple screens.

Screen-specific content

We considered fitting unique content to each individual screen. This approach would allow for distinct brand showcases and focused messaging, potentially making it easier for viewers to absorb information about each of Oath's properties.

Traveling content

Another concept involved content that flowed across all screens sequentially. This dynamic approach could create a sense of narrative and movement, encouraging visitors to follow the spiral path and engage with the entire installation.

Scaled masked content

Our third exploration involved using oversized content elements masked across all screens. This approach could create a visually striking, unified display, emphasizing Oath's scale and the interconnectedness of its brands.

Show, don't tell

We opted for a personalized approach, creating brand-specific zones tailored to each visitor's profile. By focusing on customer data, we demonstrated Oath's ability to provide targeted solutions across its diverse portfolio. This strategy showcased our brand audience capabilities while ensuring each interaction was relevant and impactful for potential clients and partners.

Step right up

The journeyh kicked off with a potential customer answering a couple of questions around their busioness needs. This data was then transalated to a custom experience within the helix. Every element was timed down to the second.

00 seconds

User selects brand

01 seconds

Helix resets, fades to white

03 seconds

Acknowledge user selection

06 seconds

Invite to enter Helix

10 seconds

Experience Begins

Your data shapes the story

The experience adapted its content based on each visitor's profile, showcasing how Oath's diverse brand portfolio could provide tailored solutions. The linear design encouraged exploration, while real-time data integration demonstrated Oath's technological prowess and customer-centric approach.

Results

Win

Event Marketer 2018 Best Use of a Single Technology

1K+

High touch experiences for top clients

13M

Social reach

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