The way we shop has changed. Customers now need new reasons to visit the store. We looked to Verizon’s educational workshops as an opportunity to re-imagine the “why” behind a store visit. The existing program was built on classroom structure, lecture and memorization. It felt like school. And school feels like work. But there are plenty of things you learn to do that don’t feel this way. People just have more fun when they learn by doing. This simple insight led us to a new approach: by combining devices, apps and accessories into hands-on activities, we educate guests as we entertain them. In the Stop Motion Studio, participants use the Vine app, custom props, characters, and scenes to make an animated movie. Of the participants surveyed, 100% said they had fun and 95% learned something new. 100% shared their creation on Vine and 95% said they would attend another workshop.
Filosofia
Introducing the Verizon Stop Motion Studio. A movie-making workshop for the masses. Guests set the stage by selecting a scene and casting their characters. Then, they take to the director’s chair—using the Vine app on their smartphone. Props are designed with animation tricks baked-in, so they’re not just fun—they’re functional. A few simple steps create advanced visual effects. As they work, a “how-to” reel inspires new techniques and storylines. Soon imagination takes hold — and within minutes they have a Vine movie worth sharing.
Problema
The way we shop has changed. Customers now need new reasons to visit the store. We looked to Verizon’s educational workshops as an opportunity to re-imagine the “why” behind a store visit. The existing program was built on classroom structures: lecture and memorization. It felt like school. And school feels like work. But there are plenty of things you learn to do that don’t feel this way. Like learning to play a musical instrument, a game or activity. People just have more fun when they learn by doing. This simple insight led us to a new approach: by combining devices, apps and accessories into hands-on activities, we educate guests as we entertain them. All this fun has real business value — driving sales by exposing guests to related accessories. And the first of these new workshops empowers customers to use their phone in more creative ways.
Resultado
The pilot launched with the Verizon destination store opening at the Mall of America and ran throughout the 2013 holiday season. With Stop Motion Studio, we ushered in a new era of workshops that delight as they educate – creating new reasons to visit the store. Success was measured by customer experience: of the workshop participants surveyed, 100% said they had fun and 95% learned something new. 100% shared their creation on Vine and 95% said they would attend another workshop. This workshop is currently being scaled to multiple stores—and more workshops following this strategy are currently in production.