Lipton: BRISKSABER

Credits & Description:

Category: Best use or integration of gaming
Advertiser: PEPSICO
Product/Service: LIPTON BRISK ICED TEA
Agency: MEKANISM
Creative Director: Ian Kovalik (Mekanism)
Media placement: TV Campaign - TV + Online - 4 January 2012
Media placement: Mobile Gaming App - Online - 4 January 2012
Media placement: Facebook App - Online - 4 January 2012
Campaign Description
The biggest challenge surrounding branded mobile apps is that they are difficult to promote and to ultimately deliver downloads. A full 80% of branded apps fail to be installed more than a thousand times. We knew we were entering a crowded marketplace and needed to deliver a stellar product with the right promotion in order to be successful.
Effectiveness
We helped put Brisk back on the map in 2011, doubling our client’s business and growing a Facebook community from 15,000 to over 1m strong. Pepsi’s sales expectations were very high to continue this skyrocketing growth. Our biggest challenge was to follow up such a successful year with more growth and to continue to entertain our audience. Our strategy was to build Brisk into an entertainment company, not just a beverage company, so we forged a partnership with the most popular franchise in the Galaxy: Star Wars. We built a complex ecosystem between the product, traditional advertising, and digital content, but the true centrepiece of the campaign was the Brisksaber app, a highly addicting free mobile game that turns your finger into a lightsaber. Players could pledge their allegiance to the Dark Side or the Light Side and battle against key characters from the epic franchise. The way to progress through the game was to buy specially marked bottles with codes to redeem on Brisksaber, thus creating a real loop between sales and entertainment. Other campaign highlights included an animated broadcast and online spot featuring Darth Maul and Yoda facing off for the first time ever, a mobile grassroots road tour to meet up with fans, and Brisk Star Wars radio, print and social executions for retailers. Ultimately though, by giving the Brisk audience an app we put the brand in their pocket, exposing them to more brand messaging than a 30-second spot could ever do. We entertained them with something they actually cared about, and we created a massive mobile network from scratch that allowed us to re-engage with our audience in ways we were never able to prior to the launch of the campaign.
Implementation
Our audience found this free app through several different channels. Through retail, bottles of Brisk and Point of Sales promoted the Brisksaber app through a URL and QR Codes. Additionally under the cap of Brisk bottles were codes to enter once you downloaded the app to unlock different characters and content. Not many brands promote apps on TV, but we did with a 0:15 broadcast spot that brought the app to life and drove viewers to the site to download. Lastly, the Brisksaber app was heavily promoted on the Brisk Facebook page, home to 1m plus fans.
Outcome
Our goal for consumers was to engage and entertain them in a big way, and our audience ate the app up! Only 2 months after launch Brisksaber was installed over 1.5m times and has been played over 12m times, with average engagement time with the brand via the app around 10 minutes.
For Pepsi, our goal was to help them launch their 1-litre format drink and push sales for the brand overall. Only 2 months in Brisk’s 1-litre business was up 50% since launch and overall sales were up 27% across the board for the Brisk brand. Lastly, during the campaign Brisk became a coveted billion dollar brand within the Pepsi Family.