While a drastic overhaul of the U.S. patent system was being hotly debated in Washington D.C., the American inventors and entrepreneurs who drive this country were unaware of the changes that could impact their lives. To get them to truly understand what was at stake, we needed to grab their attention. Well, a 10-foot robot certainly gets noticed. By 35 million people, to be specific.
Built from technologies and products invented in the U.S. over the past two decades, INO-V8 was a tribute to the spirit of American innovation. When INO-V8 made his debut at SXSW, attendees not only stopped to meet him—they engaged with him through a unique social media marketing strategy. People were encouraged to tweet about the patent issue with a trending hashtag in order to keep the robot alive. Through targeted engagement, we were able to connect with our audience in a way no traditional campaign could ever hope to achieve.