Telenet and OgilvyInteractive develop voice control for CISCO “Boooming” – the first telephone-controlled on-line football match

Munich, 1st June, 2006 – The first telephone-controlled online football match was launched to coincide with the World Cup 2006 in Germany. “Boooming” is a perfect example of modern network convergence. The telephone and the internet are merged into one medium – a flash-based, interactive online football match. CISCO’s lead agency Ogilvy Worldwide commissioned Telenet GmbH Kommunikationssysteme to implement the voice control component and the operation of the technology.

In the spirit of the football World Cup 2006 in Germany, visitors of CISCO’s Booom website www.booomimg.com are welcomed by an animated figure. After dialling the provided telephone number, the caller starts a virtual conversation with the animated figure. Chatting to the caller, the figure shows the visitor the way to the football field – an optical and acoustic experience. While the animated figure takes on the role of the goal-keeper, visitors to the site cry the word “booom” over the phone, changing the volume and pitch of their voice to control the ball in the field and to score a goal.

The implementation of this interactive football match involved the development of a sophisticated voice solution. A high-performance Telenet platform receives the call and communicates with the online game software running locally on the player’s computer. Telenet’s team of specialists developed intelligent algorithms to create this special voice control. A special internet connection with state-of-the-art technology provided by Cisco ensures that the voice input takes effect on-screen without delay. The hosting solution selected for this application is an ideal alternative to the purchase of platform solutions for interactive services with a limited service life.

“The ‘boooming’  idea was conceived in the middle of January 2006, which left little time for the implementation of this project in time for the World Cup in June. With Telenet, we selected the ideal partner for this project. The company provided flexible and competent support for the CISCO team,” said Martin Weber-Schaeuffelen, responsible consultant at OgilvyInteractive.

The start of the World Cup is also the official start of the first telephone-controlled online football match, which will also be accessible to players in France, Canada and Italy. Live matches will also be presented on television.

About OgilvyInteractive Worldwide

In 1983, Ogilvy started an independent business unit for the “new media“, as they were then called and emerged as the pioneer of the industry. The company’s expertise was pooled in OgilvyInteractive worldwide, a global group of agencies.

OgilvyInteractive worldwide presents itself as a creative provider of new ideas for marketing requirements in the digital market, from a media-neutral strategy to the digital implementation of communication activities. As a specialist for on-line dialogue marketing, the agency leads the Internet market. As a subsidiary of OgilvyOne worldwide, the agency is the interactive part of Ogilvy’s 360 degree approach to communications.

OgilvyInteractive develops integrated and interactive solutions. The agency promotes current trends and topics in the digital market. The company’s service portfolio includes digital communication and business application networks, on-line marketing activities, brand websites, digital networks of portal solutions and on-line customer communication. OgilvyInteractive has two sites in Germany, located in Düsseldorf and Frankfurt.