The Art Behind "The Art Of The H3ist"

During the early morning hours of April 1, 2005, a new 2006 A3 was stolen from the Audi dealership on Park Avenue in New York. The thieves left in their wake a smashed window and grainy security footage. The next day, signs went up in place of the car at the New York International Auto Show requesting information about the previous night's smash and grab. This real-life event signaled the launch of "The Art of the H3ist," one of the most comprehensive and immersive communication campaigns ever attempted. Both McKinney and Audi of America chose this creative approach to match the qualities of the car itself, which Audi believes creates an entirely new car category, the "premium compact."

At the heart, The Art of The H3ist is a group of six 2006 A3s containing information stored on SD cards housed in the cars' navigation systems. In particular, one red A3 seems to be the focus of our characters' desire -- a skilled high-end art retriever named Nisha Roberts, her tech-savvy assistant/boyfriend, Ian Yarbrough; one of the world's greatest video game designers, Virgil Tatum; and some imposing looking goons.

As The Art of The H3ist unfolds in real time over the course of three months, our audience experiences a story of theft, love and betrayal through every media imaginable. Print ads, billboards, television commercials, radio spots, Web Sites, live events, e-mails, videos, IRC chats, voice transcripts, machinima, puzzles, photos, scanned-in documents, and the list goes on and on. McKinney Art Director Jason Musante said, "The goal was to go beyond what is being done on the Internet today, and create an alternate world where everything seems real." McKinney Copywriter Matt Fischvogt added, "The web sites, the characters, everything is so detailed, you may forget these people don't exist. After all, the medium is the message."

Since events of "The H3ist" unfold in real time, the participants are not only able to watch what happens, but are also able to influence events through their direct participation in live "retrieval missions" that are webcast in real time. This "living movie" involves many different layers of presentation, which allow participants to choose their level of involvement. Although The Art of the H3ist is a complex world, it is one designed so the audience can enjoy and understand the idea of the story and the A3 no matter how closely they follow our characters. Adding to the level of realism is the number of partnerships involved in this campaign, including Apple, Sony Computer Entertainment America, Palm, E3, Coachella, URB magazine, VH1, AFI and Bose.

Smashed window shot of Park Avenue showroom, scene of the heist

Just how real and immersive is this campaign? Jason and Matt smile, commenting that the game-developer character of Virgil Tatum has piqued the interest of Sony's Polyphony Digital. In fact, at E3, the world's largest video game exhibition, Virgil actually had an online interview in the PlayStation booth with Kazunori Yamauchi, the creator of the best-selling racing video game franchise, "Gran Turismo," (R). They added that VH1 did an on-air interview with Virgil in front of the PlayStation booth as well. Where the relationship goes the two won't say, only commenting, "Who knows, it could be a great ride."