Category: Best use or integration of gaming
Advertiser: DUNKIN' DONUTS
Product/Service: DUNKIN' DONUTS
Agency: HILL HOLLIDAY
Agency: ELECTRONIC ARTS
Chief Creative Officer: Lance Jensen (HHCC)
Co-Media Director: Adam Cahill (HHCC)
Co-Media Director: Cindy Stockwell (HHCC)
Group Creative Director Art: Chris D'amico (HHCC)
Group Creative Director Copy: Joe Berkeley (HHCC)
Group Account Director: Brent Feldman (HHCC)
Senior Vice President Account Director: Steve Briggs (HHCC)
Senior Vice President Analytics: Phil Geyskens (HHCC)
Mobile/Gaming Platforms Manager: Johnny Won (HHCC)
Associate Media Director Planning: Kelly Flaman (HHCC)
Associate Creative Director Art: Matt Rockett (HHCC)
Associate Media Director Digital: Jeff Zannella (HHCC)
Planning Director: Megan Averell (HHCC)
Senior Analyst: Alex Von Gerichten (HHCC)
Account Supervisor: Kristin Sheerin (HHCC)
Senior Copywriter: Justin Galvin (HHCC)
Media placement: Social Gaming - Facebook - 16 August 2011
Campaign Description
Social gaming has become a daily ritual for millions of players and is now one of the most popular ways to play games in the world. Games are played within a web browser and have made social gaming an undeniable force on social networks, but the potential for brands to be visible and present within these games is a challenge.
Because of the enormous growth in social gaming, brands have tried to engage gamers by sponsoring popular games with a proven base of users. By and large, branding opportunities within social gaming have often amounted to nothing more than placement adjacent to gaming content. As a result, most brand integrations are either one-dimensionally focused on gaining Facebook users, or provide little but branded garnish.
For Dunkinā Donuts, we didnāt want to simply serve impressions. We wanted our products to be an integral part of game play while also providing value for social gamers. In this way, we could educate consumers about our diverse product offerings while simultaneously cultivating an affinity for the brand.
Effectiveness
We got wind of a secret project that would bring the no.1 PC game franchise of all time, the Sims, to social gaming. Partnership with a top game property as it went social allowed Dunkinā Donuts a multi-dimensional integration that served not just impressions, but also gave gamers a Dunkinā Donuts experience in a creative, meaningful, and relevant way.
Our global launch partnership gave us direct access to the game designers and developers. We made coffee, iced coffee, donuts and breakfast items that were highly giftable and beneficial to use. Real products like a Big Nā Toasted Breakfast Sandwich or a Dunkinā Iced Coffee were re-imagined within the art style of the game and endowed with energy points to make in-game consumption a positive experience similar to real life.
The newsletter, product gifting menu, console banners, and content for the Dunkinā Donuts Facebook page drove Facebook Likes, and exclusive items that could only be found on the Dunkinā Donuts Facebook page were strategically designed to increase user engagement.
Exclusive branded items were also designed to show the fun characteristics around the Dunkinā Donuts brand. When the majority of users had little ability to secure a lawn chair, a Dunkinā Donuts-branded lawn chair was strategically introduced so users could immediately acquire a highly sought after item. A special function of the chair allowed users to sip an Iced Coffee while sunning in the chair. Facebook fans loved the chair and thousands uploaded their avatar on the chair to the Dunkinā Donuts Facebook page.
Our 6-month exclusivity agreement also locked out global competitors to breakfast & coffee products. The press picked up on the campaign and it was very favourably covered by the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and The Atlantic.
Implementation
Social gaming is inherently a viral mechanism to spread content. Users invite friends to fulfil tasks and must work with each other to improve rankings and gameplay experiences.
For Dunkinā Donuts, our content provided virtual goods that gave energy to take on more tasks/quests. Building a bed took 8 energy points, but with a Dunkinā Iced Coffee & Pumpkin Donut, building the bed only took 6. Because Dunkinā Donuts items were valuable to gameplay and giftable, the content was highly sharable.
With 3.4m Dunkinā Donuts Facebook fans, updates to loyalists interested in engaging with the brand helped activate sharing.
Outcome
Our idea to partner with a top game property as it went social performed better than we ever could have anticipated. The Sims Social launched on August 16, 2011 and accumulated over 30m monthly active users within 1 month, surpassing FarmVille to become the second-most popular game on Facebook.
Dunkinā Donuts was at the ground floor for one of the fastest growing Facebook games of all time and served more than 3.6bn impressions in less than 6 months. Dunkinā Donuts acquired nearly 1m new Facebook fans directly attributable to the game, and gifted more than 50m virtual coffees, donuts, and breakfast products.
An independent Comscore research study showed that the numbers were firmly backed up with significant increases in Dunkin' Donuts brand familiarity, favourability, purchase intent, and recommendations. Favourability increased 8x higher than the Comscore norms for display/video campaigns, 5x higher for purchase intent, and 6x greater for individuals seeking to make a recommendation for Dunkinā Donuts. Perception that Dunkinā Donuts offers a āunique or different food or beverage optionsā increased by 50%.