People echolocate their place in the world through the stories they tell. Where they grew up and how they grew up are big details that leave their mouths, bounce off the eardrums of others and help them to figure out who they are. If I tell you a story about eating bologna as a child, and you say you’ve never had bologna (and you grew up in the U.S.) we will probably have pretty different life histories. By sharing those tales of the past, we often hint at dreams of the future and goals never met. We all have a story just waiting to be told to the right listener.
This is the brilliance behind the new advertising campaign, One time, in New Orleans, the latest collaboration from New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation (NOTMC) and 360i. In conjunction with the Tricentennial, the campaign combines stories of the history of New Orleans with stories yet to be written — encouraging locals and tourists to share their NOLA stories through a variety of interactive platforms.
The campaign was introduced to the public on Tuesday, Sept. 5 at a Tricentennial event at the National WWII Museum, and will formally launch Monday, Sept. 11 with a commercial airing during the Saints/Vikings broadcast on ESPN. The first Monday Night Football game of the season will see the debut of the “short film” that features street performer Lloyd Dillon and jazz drummer Johnny Vidacovich.
In the video, Dillon performs a spoken word piece accompanied by Vidacovich in front of a crowd of people Jackson Square. As he tells these mini-histories, footage and photos of the events are projected behind them onto the Presbytère.
The 60-second ad, as well as two 30-second versions, will start airing in national media markets the following day. Additionally, seven national print ads will start to run and will expand on the histories mentioned in the commercial.
One of the most impressive aspects of the campaign is the integration of the first-person narrative. An interactive Story Booth inside a reclaimed shipping container will function with IBM Watson and artificial intelligence software.
The booth will be moved to different festivals throughout the year to collect stories from all who enter. The technology will recognize key words and then trigger various film projections inside the booth. People will also be able to share the videos they create across social media. A smaller version of the booth will also be installed at Louis Armstrong International Airport in 2018 to collect stories there.
Looping in the larger Tricentennial aspect of the campaign, other components include social media content, digital banners and branded content with the likes of "NCIS: New Orleans," Billboard Magazine and Garden & Gun magazine. There will also be a citywide mural project and talk of three Tricentennial statues.
I’m just putting it out there that 360i should identify me as an influencer and mail me a Sazerac kit.
Use the hashtag #OneTimeInNOLA to be a part of the campaign online. Learn more at the Tricentennial website and at a campaign hub site powered by Go NOLA.
