Full Transparency
Our editorial transparency tool uses blockchain technology to permanently log all changes made to official releases after publication.
More of our content is being permanently logged via blockchain technology starting [10.23.2020].
Fans have enjoyed watching NFL teams light up scoreboards all season long. During Super Bowl week, however, fans will be the ones lighting up the Empire State Building as part of Verizon’s #WhosGonnaWin program, the first-ever social media-driven light show on the building, held in connection with Empire State Realty Trust.
The five-night series, curated by the Empire State Building’s lighting designer Marc Brickman, will showcase the colors of the two Super Bowl XLVIII teams, the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks, based on responses to the question #WhosGonnaWin on Twitter. Flipping the switch nightly will be current NFL players Drew Brees and Matt Forte, along with NFL Hall of Famers Barry Sanders, Marshall Faulk and Curtis Martin.
Starting today, Verizon will pose a daily game-related question to fans from @VerizonWireless on Twitter using the hashtag #WhosGonnaWin. The conversations surrounding the questions will be tracked throughout the day and Verizon will turn the fans’ predictions into a nightly light show.
The show, which begins at 6 p.m. EST each evening, will open with a ceremony of lights celebrating the colors of all 32 NFL teams. At 6:55 p.m., the results portion of the show, set to music provided by NFL Films, will begin. The entire results show can be seen via a live-stream at WhosGonnaWin.com and on NFL Mobile.
On Super Bowl Sunday, the Empire State Building’s lights will be synchronized to Super Bowl activities. A red, white and blue light show will appear during the national anthem, a virtual scoreboard will track the game action, and the fan’s Super Bowl predictions will be projected during halftime. As soon as the game ends, a stunning light show celebrating the Super Bowl XLVIII champions will light up the sky and their winning colors will appear on the building through the following day.
Verizon is working with one of the world’s foremost experts on Twitter sentiment analysis, Professor Mike Thelwall, from the University of Wolverhampton, UK and Sosolimited, and a team of MIT graduates with expertise in linguistic analysis and data visualization to provide the methodology, analytics and results.
