Dolby Lounge, a grassroots advocacy campaign on part of Dolby Laboratories, took place this Monday through Wednesday in the Bear’s Lair Pub. The campaign spanned several college campuses in the Bay Area, including Stanford and USF, and aimed to inspire students to put Dolby products into their consumer grade technology.

“As students,  we’re a good demographic to target because we are very up-to-date with the most recent technology and are good at using it,” commented Garrett Loria, a campus representative for Dolby.

Despite the rainy weather conditions that may have contributed to a lower turnout, Dolby representative adorned the Bear’s Lair with posters and TVs, speakers and laptops containing Dolby technology. Upbeat dance beats blared through the speakers, creating a visceral interpretation of the “Surround Yourself” slogan, surrounding attendees with both music and Dolby products.

In addition to free t-shirt giveaways, the event featured speakers, including executives from Skull Candy and the co-founder of Twitter.

The theme “Surround Yourself” succinctly summarized the company’s desire for consumers to incorporate Dolby products into all of their personal technology, be it handheld phones, tablets, computers or speakers. Despite that, some attendees had trouble understanding the underlying purport of Dolby’s campaign and what exactly they were trying to sell.

Jennifer Dal, a freshman attendee, commented that, “Having the Dolby Lounge is a lot more helpful than a traditional ad campaign for it is a lot more interactive and people get free merchandise.” However, she also conceded, “I wouldn’t have known the event was going on if my friend hadn’t told me and it is not very clear what they are selling.”

Meher Raza, a third year, agreed with Dal’s statement about the efficacy of the campaign, adding, “It is easy to ignore ads. Having an event [to promote a product] is more effective because you have to notice it.” Despite this theoretical appraisal, Reza admitted, “I’m just here for the free shirt.”

Whether drawn in by the lure of technology or freebies, the Dolby Lounge provided a forum for Berkeley students to become familiar with technological innovations and a reputable brand name.

As Loria summarily put it, “The [outreach quality of this campaign] is due to the fact that Dolby is a company who puts products in other things so they’re not a business most consumers know directly.”

At the very least, the Dolby Lounge helped put an interactive face to an oft-seen logo.

Trending Articles: