Microsoft?s four-day on-site marketing campaign at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show earlier this month in Las Vegas drove 8,000 downloads of its Bing mobile search application.

The software giant partnered with Show Media to create a major presence for its new Bing mobile application at CES. Show Media gave free shuttle rides to show-goers who downloaded the Bing mobile application, and reported that it transported around 8,000 people.

?Microsoft wanted to solve a problem for consumers at the event by providing a shuttle service that would improve the CES experience for attendees and make it easier to get around when taxi and shuttle lines can be more than 45 minutes to an hour,? said John Amato, president of Show Media, New York.

?The target demographic was all CES attendees, trendsetters and influencers,? he said.

Total downloads for Microsoft?s Bing mobile application have exceeded 1 million.

Show Media creates branded media around transportation for big events in cities nationwide. It claims to be the fastest growing out-of-home media company nationwide.

In addition to Microsoft?s Bing.com, its clients include Bauch & Lomb's Ray-Ban and LVMH's Louis Vuitton.

Shuttle diplomacy
Show Media designed a multifaceted marketing and experiential initiative that included significant branding, transportation and interaction with attendees of the CES show.

JWT, a WPP Group plc advertising agency, designed the creative assets for the campaign.

The marketing initiative included two main components, the Bing Solution Station lot and free Bing shuttles.

Show Media created a one-acre lot directly across the street from the Las Vegas Convention Center featuring branded signage for the Bing mobile application, custom traffic cones, mega-floor graphics, custom flags and a Bing Solution Station tent where Bing ambassadors greeted show-goers and talked up the application.

This was intended to create hours of continuous coverage before, during and after each day's show.

Show Media branded 21 passenger shuttles and minivans with Bing signage and provided a Bing Ambassador on each vehicle who assisted with downloads and helped explain the features of the Bing mobile application to riders.

Clearly, this effort was intended to create massive awareness upon arrival into Las Vegas and 24-hour coverage at all hotels and throughout the city during CES.

Bing for buck
In addition to the 8,000 downloads of mobile application, the campaign achieved 15,000 one-to-one conversations and 50 percent reach and recall.

The one-to-one conversations statistic refers to the number of people with whom the brand ambassadors interfaced and handed collateral.

The reach and recall was measured by the amount of people who passed by the lot and signage that Show Media had set up.

The Bing mobile application is available for Apple's iPhone and iPod touch, Research In Motion's BlackBerry and Microsoft?s Windows Mobile phones.

?The challenge was getting attendees to download the mobile app in a cluttered and fast-paced environment where people typically do not want to interrupt their routine,? Mr. Amato said.

?Show Media solved that by providing a valuable service for attendees where we could hold their captive attention and in turn attendees became receptive to the messaging,? he said.