The Threshold An Alternate Reality Game
In 2009, Cisco turned to JUXT Interactive and George P. Johnson to help make their annual Global Sales Meeting a virtual event. The Global Sales Experience was created to help inform and motivate 19,000 Cisco sales people from around the globe.
This audience was accustomed to being flown in from every corner of the globe to hear fiscal year priorities, network with peers and be motivated and inspired from leaders in the industry. Understandably, the idea of a virtual event was not initially met with enthusiasm. With this in mind, JUXT struck out to create something amazing that would surprise and engage an audience expecting a disappointing experience.
Knowing that our audience was 89% male — most of them highly competitive and highly social — made our solution fairly obvious. We turned the whole event into a worldwide competition. And to anchor that competition, we built a deeply immersive Alternate Reality Game (ARG) titled The Threshold. Collaborating with the ARG visionary Steve Peters and his talented team at No Mimes Media, JUXT worked to create an experience that would blow the Cisco sales force away. Bringing these two talented teams together did not disappoint. The fruit of this unique marriage was hours of entertainment, challenge and collaboration for our audience, many of whom devoted most of their waking hours to the experience.
To help build anticipation for GSX, The Threshold was treated like a summer blockbuster film, with Cisco offices displaying digital posters resembling movie billboards. The highlight of a pre-launch email campaign featured a gripping trailer video that raised buzz in Cisco hallways around the world.
The Threshold officially launched three weeks prior to the event, and players quickly found themselves immersed in its story, and emotionally invested in its characters. Cisco Sales teams demonstrated both genius and tenacity as they worked day and night to follow the ever-evolving storyline and unlock the game's mysteries.
As The Threshold unfolded over 4 intense weeks, players exchanged phone calls and emails with fictional characters, scoured every corner of the GSX platform for clues, and uncovered secret videos, including recorded Webex sessions. Cisco's CEO John Chambers even made cameo appearances, while Executive Vice president Rob Lloyd released crucial clues in his live opening session.
Teamwork played a major role, as players hit the game forum and wiki page to share theories and solve puzzles together. Some teams also turned to Cisco technologies like Webex to facilitate collaboration. Then, on the final day of GSX, players were given final clues and 2 hours to discuss findings with teammates, and submit their answers to The Threshold mystery.
A host of awards were handed out to GSX participants, including top scorers in each Cisco region. The winning Threshold team received a once in a lifetime opportunity to attend a major event with Cisco CEO John Chambers and Executive Vice President Rob Lloyd.
In the end, The Threshold proved to be a runaway success, doubling our expected participation numbers. The revolutionary ARG captivated 13,000 of the event's 19,000 attendees, and for many of them, playtime exceeded several hours a day. Numerous unsolicited forum threads championed The Threshold for promoting collaboration and learning, and for bringing the company one step closer to its vision of ONE Cisco.
For more details on GSX please see the
Global Sales Experience Case Study.
