CASE STUDY:
SECURING HIGH-PROFILE TALENT >>> VIRTUOUS CONTENT CYCLE
THE SCENARIO
Waze has great voice experiences for users. But how do we take it to a completely different level?
THE CHALLENGE
Is it possible to super-serve top talent in such a way that it draws in other celebrities, and enormously widens our offering to users? Can we build a “talent snowball”, that attracts bigger names and drives bigger engagement as it picks up momentum?
THE BRIEF
Recently retired, Roger Federer wanted to build his brand profile as he shifted into commercial and philanthropic work. Roger lent his voice to Waze, allowing users all over the world to receive directions from the greatest men’s tennis player of all time. We pitched it as “Doubles Driving”. Many of Roger’s fans would love to play a few sets with their idol. While you may never play Doubles with him on the court, you’ll find Roger’s an even better partner on the road. You steer, and he’ll be on your baseline, handling directions. You merge, and he’ll be at the net, intercepting road closures. We wanted our collaboration to reflect the Federer personality that his fans adore: positivity, a sense of fun, and passion for small improvements that make for a world-class performance.
We designed a suite of visual assets to let users find and select the experience.
AUDIO SAMPLE
Click below to hear four sample navigation prompts from the man himself.
MOOD: “VICTORIOUS”
Waze lets users select a custom icon to represent themselves in the app. We call them Moods. We made this custom “Victorious” mood for Roger, modelled on his French and Australian Open trophies.
SOCIAL VIDEO: “BTS”
We grabbed a quick social video with Roger after his Mercedes-Benz commercial shoot. It turned out great.
Vehicle: Mercedes
When selecting Roger’s voice, Waze users can travel through the map as a 3D vehicle. Leveraging Roger’s relationship with Mercedes-Benz, we built 3D models of two vehicles Roger has at home: the G-Class SUV and the sleek Maybach S-Class Cabriolet. This was an extra “freebie” offering for Roger’s sponsors, going the extra mile to make talent feel as great as possible about our partnership.
A MULTILINGUAL EXPERIENCE
Being Swiss, Roger speaks fluent French and German, as well as flawless English. We asked if he would like to record this experience in those languages too. Ever the consummate professional, Roger agreed.
CREDITS
Waze Creative: Tom Cowell / Danny Adrain
Waze Production: Erica Quinn
Visual Design: Burn & Broad
3D Modelling: Irresistible Studios
Waze Leadership: Jake Shaw, Tatyana Schneider, Tim Queenan, Ally Taylor
THE RESULT
Working with a grand slam tennis champion led to a relationship with the Grammy-nominated Jonas Brothers….
…which led to a partnership with Oscar winner and nationally syndicated TV host Jennifer Hudson…
…then to a partnership with Olympic gold medalist Allyson Felix…
… and on to a relationship with the fastest-rising comedian in the United States, Nate Bargatze.
Now a huge roster of diverse influencer and mainstream entertainment talent is coming to us, instead of us chasing them. Job done.
