AT&T and Nokia evidently have big plans for in-store advertising for the Lumia 1020. We’ve heard of “heroing” a device, where a carrier puts a specific phone front and center in all of its advertising, but now we can get a sneak peek of AT&T’s specific plans.
We just posted a video from the AT&T Michigan Avenue Store in Chicago that documented the massive launch party they held last Friday. As it turns out, all stores will get some sort of setup, depending on their size and location and we have the details.
First, some more details about that flagship Chicago store's setup:
AT&T’s flagship store on Michigan Avenue in Chicago uses interactive displays that bring the camera capabilities to life.
- Gondola experience: Customers can step into a full-size gondola to take photos of various nearby scenes including balloons floating above the product runway, some distance away. This highlights the device’s ability to zoom on far-away and discover mini scenes inside the gondola. Customers can pose in the gondola while Brand Ambassadors take photos that can be printed in-store and shared via social media.
- Small world Chicago experience: This demo station includes a mini version of Chicago’s Lake Shore area complete with water, sand, grass, jogging trails and portions of roads. Customers can snap a photo of the scene with the Lumia 1020 and then zoom in to see details they likely missed at first glance.
- Low light demo station: Two low-light boxes give customers an opportunity to compare the performance of their smartphone camera to the camera on Lumia 1020 in real time.
- DSLR station: In this demo, customers are invited to try out the incredible professional-grade camera features of the Lumia 1020.
Nokia Lumia 1020 Merchandising Plans – COR / Dealer:
"In AT&T company-owned retail stores (COR), as well as dealer and agent stores, we plan to have two demonstration stations to highlight the Lumia 1020’s imaging capabilities: one showcasing the low-light capabilities and another showing off the powerful zoom function."
- Low light demo station: Two low-light boxes give customers an opportunity to compare the performance of their current smartphone camera to the camera on Lumia 1020 in real time.
- Zoom demo: This demo features a small fishing hole scene in a 1.5 foot round dome. Customers are invited to snap a photo of the scene and then zoom in on it to see details that might have gone unnoticed before such as the “No Fishing” sign or items on the picnic blanket.
AT&T goes on to tell us that the “…[Lumia] 1020 will be a hero device, featured prominently across retail locations with digital signage/banners for promotion”. In addition, thousands of store reps were given a Lumia 1020 to use and become familiar with (something we verified at our own local store). They also received separate training focused on the Windows Phone 8 OS to help them answer questions from customers.
AT&T sales associate training on the Lumia 1020
We have to admit, that certainly sounds like a strong retail presence of the technological wonder that is the Nokia Lumia 1020. AT&T and Nokia sound more serious than ever about this device and pushing it to the general public. Indeed, we have half a dozen anecdotal stories about friends of friends who are well aware of the phone, meaning word-of-mouth is starting to happen.
Will that translate into actual sales? That remains to be seen, but we have a feeling that the AT&T campaign for this device is just getting started.
