| EVENT REPORT 06.29.09 2:28 PM |
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| Ring-a-Ding |
| To tout its wireless service in the Washington area, Cricket teamed up with Samsung, bringing to town a giant working phone, interactive exhibits, and plenty of giveaways. |
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Last Thursday at noon, with the temperature hovering in the low 90s, the sight of a freshly chiseled six-foot-tall ice sculpture in the shape of a K (for the capital K in the Cricket logo) drew the attention of some who passed by the Historical Society of Washington D.C. Nearby, a man passed out green snow cones. But for the lunchtime crowd, the center of attention was the 15- by 30-foot cell phone mounted on the side of two stacked black shipping containers branded with Cricket and Samsung logos.
Tuesday through Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., wireless provider Cricket teamed up with Samsung Telecommunications America to tout the launch of Cricket service in the Washington area by bringing to town what was dubbed "the world’s largest cell phone." The walk-through promotional kiosk and giant phone, which first appeared in March in Chicago, represented a $1 million investment in development and fabrication by the two companies. |
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PHOTO GALLERY |
 | Cricket's outdoor display included a 15- by 13-foot working cell phone and indoor interactive exhibits.
Photo: Alison Klein for BizBash |
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 | Guests called friends and family on what Cricket dubbed "the world's largest cell phone."
Photo: Alison Klein for BizBash |
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 | An artist from Richmond, Virginia-based Ice Sculptures Unlimited chiseled a six-foot K, representing the capital K in the Cricket logo.
Photo: Alison Klein for BizBash |
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 | Talk of the Town Variety Entertainment provided the crowd with green snow cones.
Photo: Alison Klein for BizBash |
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The promotion kicked off on Tuesday with a cord-cutting by D.C. delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, who called a local youth center. A half an hour later, the first of 50 to 60 people per day began making their own calls and afterward stepped inside the modified shipping container, where they found a photo booth, gaming stations, an informational kiosk, and branded giveaways such as fans, T-shirts, Frisbees, sunglasses, bag clips, and lip gloss. After exiting the exhibit, visitors could enter a karaoke and video booth and send the results to friends online.
The Cricket marketing team looked at sites in Adams Morgan, Chinatown, and on the National Mall before choosing the grounds of the Historical Society. “At the end of the day, it’s all about the spot, and we got a lot of eyeballs,” said Cricket marketing manager Matt Andrews. “I wanted a place easily accessible and near our core audience, the people who work and live here. If we dropped on the Mall, all we would get is tourists.”
The next stop on the launch tour is Baltimore's Inner Harbor from July 1 to 5.
—Walter Nicholls
RELATED TOPICS
Cricket, Samsung
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