The Fox TV network recently celebrated the 100th episode of Bones with a stunt on Hollywood Boulevard in front of the Hollywood & Highland Center. Fox tapped New York-based Pop2Life for the production and creative concept. They in turn looked to specialty games creator Eric Brashear of AGR Las Vegas to design and build a giant crane game (with a two-week lead time) to promote the show's milestone and generate buzz.
"We are always looking for new and interesting ways to reach and engage, and we thought this stunt was a fun and unique way to do this, while simultaneously generating some good press to promote the 100th episode," said Fox senior vice president for publicity and corporate communications Shannon Ryan. "The team tossed around many ideas that we thought would be attention-grabbing, visually interesting, and engaging for fans and landed on this one."
The 10- by 10-foot crane game caught the attention of passing tourists looking to play and win prizes. The “Bones-To-Pick Challenge" had an 80 percent win ratio, and was equipped with a claw that could pick up and vend 2,500 plastic bones with the show's logo. Logos were color coded so consumers could redeem the bones on site for various cash amounts, ranging from $1 to $500. Play was free to all players.
From 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., the crane received nonstop action with each game cycle taking a few seconds for the player to position the claw and 45 seconds or less to play. Processing an estimated 100 players per hour, the crane attracted 1,200 players throughout the event, with some toward the end of the day waiting an hour for their shot.
As for measuring ROI from the stunt, Ryan said, "The Bones stunt generated significant media value and millions of impressions via print coverage, electronic hits, our affiliate coverage, radio exposure, and online exposure, including the social networking sites."
