Chicago by Chicago – An Immersive Digital Art Experience

The Challenge: More Than Just Faster Speeds
For years, Sprint struggled in Chicago. The city’s frustrated customers had heard the promises of better coverage before—why should they believe it this time? Simply telling them about Sprint’s new 4G LTE network wasn’t enough. We had to prove it—in a way that was personal, meaningful, and impossible to ignore.

So we asked a question:
"What if we could show Chicago what its new network could truly do—by turning the entire city into a digital art exhibit?"

The answer was Chicago by Chicago, an interactive campaign that put Sprint’s 4G LTE to the test—by powering a citywide art movement.

The Experience: Turning Chicagoans Into the Storytellers
Instead of a corporate message, we handed the narrative to the people of Chicago. Sprint challenged residents to capture their city through their own lens—photographing what made their neighborhoods unique and uploading their submissions in real-time using Sprint’s new LTE network.

And this wasn’t just another social media contest.

✔️ Challenges appeared all over the city, encouraging participation.
✔️ Artist Paul Octavious curated 50 finalists from over 3,000 submissions.
✔️ Chicagoans voted for their favorites, choosing the 10 winners.
✔️ The campaign culminated in a live interactive installation at the Art Institute of Chicago.

At the exhibit, attendees could input their Instagram handle and watch their photos take over the display for a few minutes—giving them their own solo exhibit in one of the most prestigious art spaces in the world.

Sprint’s network wasn’t just supporting the campaign. It was the campaign.

My Role in Making It Flawless
Great storytelling only works if the technology delivers. As part of the TeamSprint at Digitas QA team, I ensured that every piece of this real-time digital experience functioned without a hitch.

💡 Ensuring Every Interaction Was Seamless
🔹 End-to-End Testing – From mobile submissions to live displays at the Art Institute, I validated the entire user journey.
🔹 Social Media Integration – Confirmed that Instagram handles and user-generated content synced flawlessly into the voting and curation systems.
🔹 Voting Platform Validation – Ensured a fair, transparent selection process for the top 10 winners.
🔹 Performance & Load Testing – Simulated thousands of simultaneous uploads to guarantee Sprint’s LTE network delivered under real-world demand.
🔹 Event-Day Quality Control – On-site monitoring to confirm that the digital installation at the Art Institute functioned as promised—turning Instagram posts into real-world art.

No glitches. No delays. Just an immersive, unforgettable moment powered by Sprint.

The Impact: The City Showed Up. And So Did Sprint’s Network.
📍 60,000+ Chicagoans participated—a staggering level of engagement.
📷 3,000+ user-generated submissions captured the city’s essence.
📈 Sprint’s local customer base grew by 30%—proving that when you let people experience a product firsthand, they believe in it.

Sprint didn’t just tell Chicago about its network improvements. It proved them—by letting the people create something beautiful with it.

This campaign wasn’t about Sprint. It was about Chicago, powered by Sprint. And that made all the difference.

Why This Was One of My Favorite Projects
This wasn’t just another campaign. It was a story where the city was the hero, and Sprint was the guide. We didn’t push a brand message—we handed Chicagoans the tools to tell their own. And it worked because:

📍 It put people first – No corporate messaging. Just real users creating something personal.
🚀 It tested technology in the real world – Our QA efforts ensured Sprint’s LTE held up under real conditions, proving its reliability.
🎨 It turned users into creators – Instead of consuming content, Chicagoans became the artists, curators, and storytellers.

It was art, technology, and storytelling colliding in a way that felt human. And for me, that’s what great digital experiences should always be about.

Final Thoughts
This wasn’t just about Sprint getting new customers. It was about Chicago seeing itself in a new way—one where technology didn’t just connect people, but empowered them to create something lasting.

And that’s what made Chicago by Chicago one of my favorite and most technically challenging projects to bring to life.