Play lucky cube with Maru. Smart idea from UNIQLO to get people talking about the launch of the new San Francisco store opening in October. I’m not sure which I love more… the incredibly simple but great idea to use a quirky online game to drive traffic to the new flagship store (prize collection is at the new store) — or the fact that they have partnered with a YouTUBE star (cat) called Maru.
Well this is hilarious! Crazy Japanese horse racing game that you have to see to believe.
From France, a weird interactive adventure game launched by Les Chinois for Groupe Lucien Barrière, which owns a series of Casino in the country. The site is all in French, therefore I owe you some explanations…
Basically, what happens is that in France the legislation on gambling is getting stricter and stricter. Very soon it will no longer possible to smoke in casinos, plus recently they have been forced to ask for an ID card to anyone entering their spaces (actually I thought this was normal…). In any case, since they fear they will start loosing customers, they’ve launched this online campaign to promote their services, but also to draw public opinion’s attention on the restricting las. I would avoid any comment on the ethical side of this effort, I’ve posted about it because I find interesting the use of video to create a sort of storytelling. The concept is also quite sarcastic, very French I would say. In the interactive story where a medium (kind of weird medium) tells you that today is your lucky day. He is having this vision of you playing and winning the super jackpot because you have been following the signs of luck. Your goal is to actually find the lucky signs to get to the end of the game and virtually win the Super Jackpot. From a “tehcnical” point of view, as I said, it’s an interesting project, I actually find the action somehow too slow and not very engaging (and as you know, I “hate”being forced to register before knowing what the game is about). Of course there are prizes to win, and this, as usual, can prove a valid (yet cheap) hook to get people’s attention to the end.
In The Netherlands Cup-a-Soup is running a successful online challenge at www.cupasoup.nl. The game combines online and offline elements, with users able to collect extra credits by using the unique codes they find on the product packages. In five weeks the game has been played over 125,000 times by over 70,000 unique users. A smart viral idea is playing a role in this campaign success: by referring friends, users get extra credits and therefore gain more chances of winning prizes. As Marketingfacts (in Dutch) reports, the campaign has mobilized in particular women between 35 to 55 years, an audience which isn’t usually accustomed to online gaming.
LG Electronics debuts this week in the US with an integrated campaign to promote its mobile phones and educate consumers about their innovative features. The campaign, whose theme “six degrees” illustrates the many ways in which LG mobile phones ensure that consumers are constantly in touch with their worlds, was developed in partnership by LG and the company’s advertising agency of record, BrandBuzz. Online elements designed by LG to compliment its marketing efforts include a Web-based community for LG customers to share tips and reviews of LG products and enter online promotions and contests; similarly, LG customers can play interactive online games that incorporate LG products and themes, including an exciting new game based on the Fox television hit series “24″ (which, again, works only with Internet Explorer
New Media Collective has created an advergame for the BBC to promote the new “Doctor Who” series currently on air. Digital Bulletin says the game is attracting players from all around the world, providing an amazing feedback both to the Tv channel and to the agency behind it. If you want to give it a try, this is the link.
Celebrating its 20th birthday, Trivial Pursuit has created an online challenge. Players are asked with six questions, at the end of the quiz they can submit their score and a draw to win a Trival Pursuit 20th Anniversary Edition Game. The site was created by Skive Creative which of course added a “mail to a friend” link to spread the word around.
NBA player LeBron James stars in Nike’s latest campaign “Chamber of Fear,” which promotes James’ Air Zoom LeBron II shoe and are based on the 1978 Bruce Lee flick “Game of Death.” The Tv ad has been banned in China since it “violates regulations that mandate that all advertisements in China should uphold national dignity and interest and respect the motherland’s culture”. Nike has also created a complicate site and an online “Chamber of Fear” game.
BMW is heavily investing in the online pre-launch of its new 1er. To create curiosity and build awareness in potential customers, the brand has developed a web site, named “Prinzip Freude” and an adventure advergame, Flame - The Game. An article (in German) introducing the initiative is presented on 7er.com, which explains that BMW’s idea is to start a dialogue with its prospects, addressing them as “friends” (Freunde), and engaging them with exclusive content and events.
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