Inventor Lab

The nearly 40-year-old company Qualcomm designs and manufactures the most impactful technology on the planet, but most people have never heard of it. We set out to make a name for Qualcomm with its biggest brand campaign ever.

At the center of Qualcomm’s business model is invention; therefore, its communications must show and support invention. To achieve Qualcomm’s goals for its biggest brand campaign, called “Why Wait,” SpecialGuest created a new experiential program called Inventor Lab: Qualcomm partnered with inventors to bring their ideas to life, and SpecialGuest showcased those inventors using Qualcomm technology in intriguing ways.

Inventor Lab showcased inventive experiences where people could engage with the technology. It traveled to major technology events, including Astronomy Night at the White House, Maker Faire, re/code, Wired, Bloomberg, and Quartz. Qualcomm received great press for the event, with coverage in local news channels and influential outlets like USA Today.

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In one Inventor Lab exhibit, artist and body architect Lucy McRae developed an installation that explores technologies to prepare humans for long-distance space travel. In another, NASA’s James Parr created a DIY 3D printable telescope that uses smartphones to help amateur astronomers detect and categorize unspotted asteroids.

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Inventor Lab videos garnered more than half a million views online. Through Inventor Lab, SpecialGuest helped demystify Qualcomm as a brand and shed light on its technological possibilities to audiences nationwide.