BECOMING X MOTOWN
An interactive installation on Michelle Obama's 'Becoming' book tour
In the Fall of 2018 I was approached with the honor of building and managing the product launch of an interactive installation for the North American leg of Michelle Obama’s ‘Becoming’ book tour, in partnership with Motown Records.
The former First Lady and her team wanted an installation that followed the themes represented in ‘Becoming.’ So, we came up with the idea of a letter writing campaign, where attendees could write a letter to their future selves about who they believed they were becoming. The activation would take place on iPads on stands in front of a big Motown photo wall, and had “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” on the top as a nod to both the letters, and the renowned Motown artist Stevie Wonder. Then, on New Year’s Day, the participants received what they had written via email, to serve as a moment of reflection as they started a new year.
The challenge inherent in the project was finding something that would seamlessly represent both Michelle’s idea of ‘Becoming’ and the iconic history of Motown Records, while being conceptually straight-forward and technologically easy to navigate for all ages. The other challenge was ensuring that the installation fit the strict design guidelines associated with the tour. But, after many iterations, edits and re-edits, and approvals, it was finished and ready to go!
The installation appeared at all of the North American tour dates of the ‘Becoming’ book tour, and had a 98% click-through rate from participants.
To start the activation, all the participants had to do was press the ‘Start’ button. If someone didn’t want to wait to write a letter but still wanted to participate, they could scan the QR code (now inactive) at the bottom of the iPad (or from one of the stands set up besides the iPads) to be given a link to the Michelle’s own curated Becoming Motown playlist on Spotify. Listen to the fabulous playlist here!
After pressing the start button, participants were instructed to type a letter to themselves in the provided text boxes. They were also asked for their email, country, and postcode, so that we could email them after the show.
After completing their letters and pressing submit, they had completed the activation. They would receive a thank you email shortly after from Michelle, and then would be surprised with their letter over email on New Year’s Day.
While simple, it proved to be a wildly effective campaign for both ‘Becoming’ and Motown Records. We had a number of Motown artists participate in the installation and the feedback from them and attendees alike was extremely positive. Plus, the heartfelt notes that participants shared with us following the installation were incredibly touching.
