"This digital experience truly captures the essence of the Corona brand message through its serene and idyllic experience. It's as (virtually) close to being at the beach as you can get." —juror Stacey Mulcahy
"Beautifully designed and surprisingly restrained for this type of piece. For those inclined, there's plenty to do, but it's just as satisfying to sit back and take it all in." —juror Ranee Chung
Overview: Over the last twenty years, Corona has become the number one imported beer in America. It's also become something bigger—a symbol of relaxation. This online destination interprets the symbol into an immersive environment that lets visitors step through the confines of a browser and into paradise. A seemingly impossible-to-translate concept has transformed into an idealized destination where visitors can explore at the relaxed pace of the brand. No matter which way visitors look, there's impossibly fine sand, a panoramic expanse of sky, a crystal-blue ocean and, naturally, an ice cold bottle of Corona at the ready.
• Downloadable multimedia assets create a bridge between the relaxing and immersive environment and the social content of a Web 2.0 world.
• With a nod to a classic Corona TV commercial, visitors can pick-up a mobile phone and skip it into the ocean.
• From concept to launch The Corona Beach took eleven months to complete.
Comments by Michael Lebowitz, founder/CEO Big Spaceship:
What was the most challenging aspect of the project? "The most challenging aspect of the project was getting individuals to experience beer from a distance—that is, through a computer monitor. We wanted an immersive setting that didn't ask visitors to do anything (aside from moving a mouse to expand the view), that was simultaneously relaxing and engaging.
"The campaign targets both men and women of legal drinking age; to reach the broad group required breaking through the cluttered field of communications aimed at alcoholic beverages (and beer in particular). The Corona Beach adheres to the tone and feel of the ad campaign created by Cramer-Krasselt/Chicago, overtly avoiding the loud, raucous and sporty tone that many other beers have come to embody—but it doesn't stray too far in the opposite direction.
"While developing a strategy, we created several principles of relaxation to define the experience on the beach. These guidelines emphasized that you would never be told how to relax. Instead, you would discover how. But you wouldn't have to try hard because beach activities would take little concerted effort and all elements would come together in a harmonious way.
"To achieve The Corona Beach look, we combined Papervision3D with a special tweening engine; used gouache-painted typefaces to create a feeling of serenity and worked various shots of Corona bottles and limes in a green screen room to overcome photorealism challenges.
"Defining relaxation is no easy task."
