Autodesk’s CMO explains why advertising on the MSG Sphere in Vegas, which reportedly costs $450,000 a day, was worth every penny

• Autodesk ran an ad this month on the Las Vegas Sphere featuring the Marvel cat character Goose.
• Industry sources said it can cost $450,000 a day to place an ad there, or $650,000 for a week.
• Autodesk said the ad was seen by 4 million people and drove a surge of 18,000 visits to its website.

Visitors to Autodesk’s annual conference were greeted by a giant ginger cat as they arrived at Las Vegas airports earlier this month. The cat attempted to paw at a laser light before transforming into a massive tentacled beast.

The surreal image was projected from the Sphere’s wraparound outer LED screens, which are connected to the Venetian hotel. As part of its partnership with Marvel, Autodesk splurged on an ad placement there. (The “cat,” Goose, is actually a Flerken from the film “The Marvel,” which was released the same week.)

@brycebetts132 I’ve seen every video of the Sphere in Vegas, and this new commercial is by far my favorite. ♬ Geek Music: Marvel Studios Fanfare

According to three advertising agency and outdoor advertising industry sources, Sphere Entertainment is pitching advertisers a rate of $450,000 for a one-day takeover of the Sphere, or $650,000 for the entire week. In comparison, a one- to three-day billboard campaign in New York’s Times Square costs between $5,000 and $25,000, according to outdoor advertising firm Inspiria Outdoor. According to a Sphere Entertainment Company representative, the company does not discuss financials.

Dara Treseder, Chief Marketing Officer at Autodesk, declined to disclose how much the company paid for the one-week activation, but told Business Insider that “we absolutely are getting bang for our buck.” (According to its financial filings, Autodesk spent approximately $1.7 billion on marketing and sales expenses in its fiscal year ending January 31, 2023.)

The Sphere provided an opportunity for Autodesk, which is best known for its AutoCAD software, which is used by architects, engineers, and other industries, to show attendees that its tools are also used by the entertainment industry.

“If you are one of our architect customers, you might not know that our software is used to make movies, but that might actually be relevant for you as you think about digital twins, visualization, and the 3D models that are used to bring these architectural feats to life,” he said. “The convergence of our industries is part of our strategy.”

Autodesk and Marvel’s tentacled Flerken, created by production company The Mill using Autodesk software, sparked discussion among the roughly 11,000 Autodesk University attendees and went viral outside of the conference, according to Treseder.

According to an Autodesk spokesperson, the ad was seen by approximately 4 million people on the ground. Meanwhile, videos of Autodesk’s Sphere takeover on social media were viewed approximately 7 million times across multiple platforms, contributing to an increase of 18,000 visits to its website. One TikTok video, which has over 14,000 likes, dubbed it “the best Sphere ad.” The Sphere launched its first advertising campaign in September of this year, with brands such as YouTube, the NBA, Heineken, and Xbox participating.

The Marvel-Sphere collaboration is the latest in a series of bold advertising moves by Autodesk to broaden the brand’s reach and resonance beyond the professionals who use its products.

Treseder, who joined from Peloton in October of last year, says she’s bringing consumer marketing tactics to a B2B company because “it’s so effective for driving growth and creating, fostering, and deepening engagement with the brand.”

In an earlier example of this strategy, she collaborated with Ryan Reynolds’ ad agency Maximum Effort to launch the company’s first TV ad just 30 days after joining, and then quickly followed that with its “Otto Des” campaign, which aired during the 2023 Oscars.

Treseder intends to invest more in marketing to its next generation of customers in 2024.

“We’re starting to really lean into what an influencer marketing program looks like but it’s different from a B2C influencer program — it cannot just be about paying for content, it has to be about deep integrations and relationships with influencers to drive real ROI for the business,” Treseder said in a statement.

Carla Herrero, a mechanical engineering student at University College London, is one example of someone who is using the Autodesk Fusion generative AI design tool. Herrero has been leading conference panels on topics such as the future of the workforce in addition to creating content for the company. Herrero is now a graduate mechanical design engineer on the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One team.

“A lot of customers are wondering, ‘How do I attract the next generation of talent to come to my industry?'” Treseder said, adding that Autodesk intends to collaborate with influencers “to show up in places where we can meet people where they are and get that message across.”