Pennzoil to Give SXSW Attendees Real-Life Mario Cart Racing Experience

Last year, JWT launched a pop up ad agency at SXSW called Walter. It's aim was to meet with 25 startups with the goal of working with a few of them. This year, JWT Atlanta will launch an experiential marketing effort called Pennzoil Presents Mario Karting Reimagined which aims to pimp Mario 8. All SXSW Gaming and Interactive attendees will be able to race their friends on a custom-built track.

Set outside the Palmer Events Center, the custom-built track with a Mario Kart-world feel will be open and free to SXSW Interactive & Gaming attendees. The live racing will use RFID technology to communicate between the track and the karts to provide the driver and the audience with an interactive, real-life Mario Kart experience.

The races will be simulcast from the driver's point-of-view to screens throughout the activation and the Austin Convention Center and on a jumbo-tron with each go-kart's performance behaving normally until an icon is tripped on the track. Once activated, the go-kart will experience the effects of the icon in real-time to trigger speed boosts or slow the go-kart down. The goal is to collect all five icons in order to receive complete protection.

It's all to promote Pennzoil's Platinum oil, a first of its kind synthetic oil made from natural gas.

The track will be open Friday, March 7th, 12PM - 6PM, Saturday, March 8th, 12PM - 6P and Sunday, March 9th, 12PM - 6PM