ABOUT THE AGENCIES BEHIND THE WORK

Instrument is a technology-led brand, product, & marketing agency. Instrument uses the power of design and technology to help brands unlock their full potential.

Frontiers in Focus

Want to explore more of the frontiers of marketing? View more of our work on the cutting edge of AI and immersive brand experiences here. 

SIGN UP FOR OUR INSIGHTS BLASTS

How can a large global B2B enterprise strengthen its position in an international market while establishing trust and credibility as a local player? When Salesforce, a leading global CRM platform, set its sights on reaching mid-market companies in India, it called upon Instrument to help shift perceptions and demonstrate how Salesforce meets the diverse needs of Indian businesses of all sizes and stages of growth. 

To effectively reach mid-market businesses, Instrument crafted a made-for-India brand campaign rooted in the traditional Salesforce brand while tailoring it to the unique needs of the market.  The Instrument team used generative AI to streamline production and get market expert feedback before bringing ideas to life using real humans. The result? The campaign used a vibrant color palette, traditional patterns, and featured real Indian customers, making it relatable and allowing the target audience to easily identify with the brand. 

Our Approach to Transformation

To properly depict Salesforce’s brand identity while incorporating elements authentic to India, Instrument relied on generative AI as a creative partner. The tool allowed the team to create unique assets quickly and get feedback across time zones and from in-market experts. 

Instrument utilized generative AI tools such as Midjourney, Photoshop Beta and Topaz Lab’s Gigapixel to concept and visualize the final product before budget allocation — AI generated placeholder images, allowed the team to experiment with talent, poses, and styling ahead of the shoot. This approach also enabled faster feedback and approval from clients, making the most of their time with real talent. Instrument relied heavily on local market partners to provide a culturally informed lens, but AI-generated drafts gave clients real imagery to react and workshop with the team.  

Our Impact

The campaign beat industry benchmarks and drove an uptick in traffic to the campaign landing page and case studies. A closer look at the numbers: 

• 237 million campaign impressions 
• 758,000 clicks (2.5x industry benchmark) 
• +16ppt unaided awareness 
• +12ppt brand advertising recall 
• +10ppt brand attributes 
• +7ppt familiarity and favorability 

Wondering where to begin with AI implementation in your organization?

Email Beth Sidhu, Chief Brand and Communications Officer at Stagwell, to discuss how we can support your organization’s digital goals. 

ABOUT THE AGENCIES BEHIND THE WORK

Code and Theory works with a best-in-class, diverse, global client base. At the core of our work sits the strategy and analytics teams, which focuses on consumer-first, omni-channel solutions throughout the entire customer journey.

Explore the entire Big Board case study here

Frontiers in Focus

Want to explore more of the frontiers of marketing? View more of our work on the cutting edge of AI and immersive brand experiences here. 

SIGN UP FOR OUR INSIGHTS BLASTS

The Ultimate Data Storytelling Platform

NBC’s Big Board processes over 10 million data points from 16 years of electoral history, transforming complex data into clear, actionable insights live on air. Working in tandem with the NBC team, Code and Theory built the Big Board to be both a co-host and a trusted source of truth, ensuring accuracy, timeliness and ease of use as the news unfolds. Its impact has been tangible for NBC and its audience, driving consistently higher viewership across linear and digital streaming channels.

Precision-tested Technology

The Big Board embodies NBC’s commitment to accuracy with its state-of-the-art technology. Code and Theory leveraged AI to simulate millions of real-time election scenarios, built 8 unique apps from scratch—all managed in a single codebase—and dedicated thousands of hours to unifying complex mapping technology for broadcast TV distribution and digital.

The result is an experience without blemish in more than 10,000 broadcast hours.

A Co-host and a Dance Partner — All In One

The Big Board is the perfect “dance partner” for hosts during election coverage. Code and Theory researched how NBC’s hosts interacted with data and behaved under stress. Today, the Big Board anticipates the host’s needs as a presenter to better translate complex election data into an understandable, interactive visual spectacle as the news unfolds.

Fueling the Nation’s Need for Speed

Real-time election results from over 16,000 geographies in the U.S. concurrently — delivered in just 4 seconds. The Big Board has over 100FPS rendering power, making it the fastest on-air data-mapping tool in production today. Advanced caching strategies and system integrations enable swift data processing, instantaneously keeping viewers informed and engaged.

Technology Built for Speed and Scale

Code and Theory’s Engineering team developed the Big Board’s infrastructure to efficiently handle approximately 56 datasets for various elections since 2008, encompassing core race types like presidential, house, senate, and gubernatorial races and additional race types such as Lt. Gov, Secretary of State, and Ballot Measures.

The agency built a scalable architecture that ensures customization across NBC’s top platforms in English and Spanish, including two networks (NBC and MSNBC), various TV shows (Today Show, Meet the Press, Telemundo, Morning Joe, The Rachel Maddow Show), NBC News Now’s YouTube channel and the “Kornacki Cam” YouTube stream.

It took nearly a year of trial and error to achieve zero errors.

A Legacy of Impact

The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) launched on November 15, 1926, making it the oldest broadcasting network in the United States. Almost 100 years later, NBC News is breaking barriers, tapping into innovative technology and cutting-edge design to reimagine the Big Board and political coverage at large.

Impact & Key Takeaways

Impact: 

• :04 Seconds to deliver over 10M data points in real-time from anywhere
• 16 years of elections available during broadcast across multiple networks at once
• 8 Big Board apps, all built and managed in a single codebase
• The fastest on-air data-mapping tool in production, with over 100FPS rendering
• 4X Winner in New York Festival Awards across Innovation, Technological Innovation, Data Storytelling and Data Innovation

Key Takeaways: 

• Set a new standard in data-storytelling, processing and election coverage
• Delivered error-free data that’s reinstilling trust in election reporting
• Developed a flexible design system to scale across NBC’s broadcast and digital properties
• Built technical infrastructure prioritizing advanced data modeling, system integration, and security safeguards

Wondering where to begin with AI implementation in your organization?

Email Beth Sidhu, Chief Brand and Communications Officer at Stagwell, to discuss how we can support your organization’s digital goals. 

ABOUT THE AGENCIES BEHIND THE WORK

Code and Theory works with a best-in-class, diverse, global client base. At the core of our work sits the strategy and analytics teams, which focuses on consumer-first, omni-channel solutions throughout the entire customer journey.

Explore the entire ContextLens case study here

Frontiers in Focus

Want to explore more of the frontiers of marketing? View more of our work on the cutting edge of AI and immersive brand experiences here. 

SIGN UP FOR OUR INSIGHTS BLASTS

In a media and publishing landscape saturated with data, readers often find polling and election insights challenging to interpret, especially in isolation. With two decades of heritage transforming newsrooms, Stagwell’s Code and Theory recognized that empowering readers with context could turn data points into compelling narratives.

ContextLens addresses this by using generative AI to identify the story behind the numbers, guiding users to more meaningful insights. Code and Theory conceived, built, and launched this tool in the lead-up to the 2024 election cycle in partnership with Real Clear Politics, where understanding trends and shifts is essential for grasping the bigger picture of public opinion.

AI-Powered Anticipatory Design

ContextLens is a groundbreaking anticipatory design system built by Code and Theory, leveraging generative AI to transform how readers interact with data on news sites. Unlike typical AI tools, ContextLens doesn’t just respond to commands — it understands the content users are viewing and intuitively generates contextual visualizations. This approach brings data-driven insights directly to the user’s screen, streamlining the information-gathering process and making digital news experiences more responsive, informative, and visually engaging.

RealClearPolitics — Transformed

For RealClearPolitics’ RealClearPolling site, ContextLens is a game-changer. Instead of navigating multiple pages or manually searching for related content, users now have contextual insights instantly available. If a user is viewing polling data, ContextLens suggests relevant visuals — such as recent polling shifts or battleground state insights — tailored to their immediate interests. This provides RealClearPolitics with a tangible advantage, offering readers a richer, more interactive experience while positioning the site as a leader in digital political analysis.

Signaling A New Era for AI and Publishing

Beyond enhancing user experience, ContextLens opens up new revenue streams, allowing publishers to monetize through non-disruptive, contextual advertising embedded within the tool. For media companies, this is an opportunity to leverage AI to both engage audiences and drive revenue. ContextLens goes beyond traditional news delivery by shifting from one-dimensional, static news to a visually rich experience where AI enhances understanding, making real-time, data-driven journalism more accessible.

Key Takeaways

• Built and launched Context Lens, an anticipatory design system leveraging generative AI to transform how readers interact with data on news sites.
• Instead of navigating multiple pages or manually searching for related content, users now have contextual insights instantly available, powered by AI.
• Less than 3 months from concept and design to build, testing and launch.

Wondering where to begin with AI implementation in your organization?

Email Beth Sidhu, Chief Brand and Communications Officer at Stagwell, to discuss how we can support your organization’s digital goals.