Inside The Tech... Pepsi Pulse Experience

Our Innovation team never shy away from a challenge, so when we were tasked by our friends at TRO and Fuse Agency to create and develop a fully interactive shootout experience for Pepsi at the UEFA Champions Festival, the team quickly got to work.

The concept was simple, users had 60 seconds to score as many points as possible by hitting the LED targets when they flashed the Pepsi logo. The system then displayed a top 10 leaderboard with the highest scores from the festival, creating a fun and competitive challenge for attendees.

Let's take a glimpse behind the tech that brought the event to life:

Getting started:
After getting a full rundown of everything we needed to create, the first step was to identify the technology that would bring the activation to life. To pull the Pepsi Pulse experience off, we determined it would require integrating multiple AV systems along with creating bespoke web and desktop applications and custom-designed mechanics and electronics.

The software:
We chose a 'micro-services' style architecture to enable fast development, maximum flexibility and easier debugging. This involved the development and integration of several systems:

• Central Control System
  We used Chataigne to act as the central hub, monitoring the game state and other data. This meant each element could be isolated and tested individually.
• Game Logic and Targets systems
  TouchDesigner handled all game timers and scoring logic, including the logic for points gained when the user hit an active target. TouchDesigner also acted as the interface between our custom target electronics and the Central Control system.
• Camera System
  We custom-developed a camera system to capture and edit the personalised videos using two GoPro cameras and an editing library.
  This used timestamp markers from central control to create slow-motion videos that captured the key moments from each player's experience, like when they successfully hit a target.

• Registration Platform Microsite
  An in-house developed microsite platform allowed attendees to sign up for the game by scanning a QR code with their mobiles at the start of the queue, which then seamlessly integrated with the rest of the system.
• Cloud Interface System
  This custom-developed system handled all elements of the activation which required integration with the cloud, including the user interface that managed the virtual queue, player registrations and game control.
• Custom email system
  We created a custom solution that automatically received and sent the edited videos from the Camera System using SendGrid email via API.
• Millumin-based Media Playout system
  All LED and audio content ran through one of our Millumin Twin Server racks, dynamically playing all video and audio media assets.
• Dynamic Outputs
  We used TouchDesigner to render all dynamic text elements such as scores and countdowns, ensuring real-time updates.

The Final Touch:
Our setup also included:

• Outdoor LED walls and target panels
• A multi-channel audio system
• GoPro cameras
• Custom LED target housings
• Custom-sensing electronics for "target" triggering

The activation turned out to be a memorable, interactive challenge for attendees as they got to play a fun game while interacting with the Pepsi brand. From the initial concept to the final build, our team enjoyed working with TRO and Fuse Agency to create something new and unique for Pepsi's activation. We look forward to seeing what they come up with for their next event!

See more about our work here, or contact our team to discuss your next project.