With press attendance at the Los Angeles Auto Show nearly doubling over the past four years and consumer attendance nearing one million attendees, it can be hard for automakers to communicate their messages over the noise of events and promotions. The key is coming up with an approach that is fully differentiated from anything attendees are likely to see during the busy show calendar period—and ideally, unlike anything they’ve seen before.
Infiniti found a way to do just that, with a presentation that revealed an automobile in a fresh and eye-catching way. The brand hosted the global—and highly theatrical—reveal of its all-new luxury crossover, the QX30, at a nondescript downtown Los Angeles warehouse on November 17.
In a sleek and minimalist party space, the vehicle began the evening hidden behind illuminated blocks. Guests arrived to the space, which appeared from the outside to be an ordinary warehouse, to find a party decorated in the brand's purple color. The crowd of media and industry V.I.P.s grazed on hors d'oeuvres and chatted with roving brand executives.
Then, at 8 p.m., was the big reveal. Guests assembled and watched as 15 drones slowly carried away each block, piece by piece, eventually revealing the entire car.
George P. Johnson was behind the event's design and production, and Aerial Mob was responsible for the drone construction and operation.
“The idea was pitched to us by G.P.J., our auto show and experiential partner, as we challenged them to come up with something for the reveal that would be memorable and create some buzz at the L.A. show,” said Infiniti U.S.A. Communications senior manager Kyle Bazemore. “We were immediately intrigued by the concept of the drones revealing the QX30, especially since they are much in the news.”
Bazemore said it was the first time Infiniti had attempted a reveal in this manner and noted it may have been the first time it had ever been done at all. “[We’ve never done it], and to our knowledge, no one else has either,” he said.
He added that past debuts for the automaker have included theatrics from Cirque du Soleil, “but this is definitely one of the most unique.”
In the end, the night succeeded in drumming up intrigue and excitement surrounding the automobile. “We were very pleased, especially since we had many people tell us they had heard how cool the debut was,” Bazemore said. “And it also caught the attention of local news, which of course, met our goal of creating buzz at the show.”
