The Lab
- Brand
- American Express
- Year
- 2022
- Objective
- Engagement
- Industry
- Finance
- Mechanic
- Racing & Sports
- Platform
- Installation
- Agency
- Thinkingbox
Objective
American Express wanted to build relevance with Gen Z and millennials, its fastest-growing cardmember segment, by meeting them inside basketball, gaming and streetwear culture rather than advertising at it. The pop-up built on a 2021 Amex x NBA 2K22 activation in Los Angeles, this time pushing further into translating in-game skill into a physical experience, while tying the moment to card benefits (bonus NBA 2K23 currency, locker codes, in-game XP) and testing Web3 tools like POAP attendance badges.
Solution
Entry runs through a collectible-POAP checkpoint into a SoHo loft built around "Highlight Hub," half a basketball court covered in touch-reactive LED flooring. Stepping onto the court starts a 60-second timer, and the floor lights up a sequence of spots directing the player to re-run signature NBA 2K moves — LeBron's Flying Floater, Curry's Double Clutch Layup — with the sequence getting harder as the clock runs. Perimeter cameras track the run automatically, so when time's up the player gets a live score and an auto-edited highlight reel of their own run, ready to download and share on the spot. Players who'd rather stay on a screen move to nearby NBA 2K23 stations, where 2K coaches walk them through the game's new mechanics one-on-one. The loft keeps people around between runs with sneaker cleaning, haircuts, and evening Twitch broadcasts featuring NBA and streaming talent.
Results
Players downloaded their highlight video 1,065 times, with 3 out of 4 participants claiming their reel — a 90% open rate on the delivery. The event's Twitch broadcasts peaked at 26,154 concurrent viewers and logged 94,429 hours watched over a 5-hour-40-minute stream (16,664 average viewers); a single session featuring Jack Harlow drew over 1 million views in two hours, the highest two-hour viewership the NBA's Twitch channel had ever recorded.
- 1
Entry is free and open to anyone, not just American Express cardholders, at a four-day pop-up in a SoHo loft; players start in a basketball-themed locker room and pick up a commemorative Amex x NBA 2K23 POAP.
- 2
Amex cardholders additionally receive NBA 2K23 locker codes redeemable for in-game items to upgrade their avatar.
- 3
Players claim an open gaming station along the walls, each with a shared screen and two seats, and sit one-on-one with a 2K23 coach who walks them through the new game's mechanics, such as dunking, combo dribbling, and adrenaline boosts.
- 4
The core activity is the Highlight Hub: players queue with a crowd of spectators, then step onto a half-court-sized, touch-reactive LED floor whose lit tiles guide their footwork and shot locations.
- 5
Each attempt is a 60-second timed challenge to physically recreate a signature NBA 2K23 move, such as LeBron's Flying Floater or Curry's Double Clutch Layup, with difficulty rising across a series of shots while synced lighting, sound, and perimeter cameras track the performance.
- 6
The floor system scores how accurately the player reproduced the move and whether the shot went in, displaying the result on a rating card.
- 7
Players walk away with a personal highlight reel cut from the captured footage, which they can download and share on social media, often returning to the queue for additional runs.
- 8
Between turns, players can use on-site services like free sneaker cleaning, a barbershop, and food and drink, and in the evenings watch or meet NBA and gaming talent live at the venue or via a Twitch simulcast for those not attending in person.
- 9
Purchasing NBA 2K23 with an Amex card afterward grants the player 35,000 in-game currency and double experience on Amex-branded in-game courts.
