Let’s Play a Game!
What should Holly pack?
Interactive games are a key component of online viral campaigns. Here’s how it works; a company develops an entertaining game which is related to their business. They ask you to provide your contact details in order for you to play it, and upon supplying them, you’re automatically entered in a prize draw in order to win a fabulous prize. This benefits the company because they get extended customer information for direct marketing, (the added incentive of winning encourages people to supply the correct details). It also benefits the customer because they get to enjoy themselves. The more the customers enjoy themselves, the more they’ll spread the game, and the more successful the campaign becomes.
A great example of this sort of viral campaign is thegreatestshowisearth.com, wherein a young woman named Holly is packing to go away on holiday, and gamers get to help her. For each item you type into the command box, you see Holly get the item and put it in her suitcase (sometimes in a hilarious way). There are also 4 mystery items included. If you enter the mystery items that she needs to pack, there’s a party onscreen and you are one step closer to a prize draw for a trip for two away.
We can testify that this sort of game is quite addictive, as we spent ages looking for the last key mystery item! It actually took us 2 hours to write this post from start to finish because we were racking our brains. Whoever designed the campaign did a great job.
Don’t be put of either by the thought “my brand or company isn’t suitable”. We have seen all types of viral game, all you need to do is think a little out the box and make it entertaining!
The team at One Second Viral
[images: online screenshot of thegreatestshowisearth.com]