IncreasingBrandAwareness-TheRightUseofBrandedGames
Together with the streetwear and lifestyle retailer SNIPES and the global brand Converse, we at Demodern developed a branded minigame for the social feed of the SNIPES App, taking its revolutionary e-commerce concept to the next level.
The project aimed to unlock the potential of branded games as a marketing tool for customer retention within the app. Our overarching goal was to increase brand awareness among a young, fashion-conscious audience for the new Converse Pro-Leather and ultimately create a playful path to the SNIPES store.
What are Branded Games?
Branded games remain a refreshing way to reach potential customers intrinsically and engage them with the brand and product, even after several years. They have recorded enormous growth and interaction rates of over 40% compared to the previous year, especially during the pandemic, in the mobile app economy. At the same time, they offer the opportunity to create targeted and sustainable brand experiences without giving the impression of a continuous advertisement. The playful staging of products, in the form of game elements, sensitizes us to the brand and makes it appear within reach.
It is not new for major brands to develop their own minigames to increase brand awareness. Some examples include Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Adidas, which have promoted seasonal campaigns or products using minigames.
Framework of Our Branded Game
In our case, the production side needed to implement and coordinate quickly; strategically, the game had to allow enough space for product staging alongside the entertainment factor.
Due to the in-app integration, the most important point was that we had to use an intuitive and familiar game logic to reach primarily casual gamers, those who simply scroll through the SNIPES app and should be captivated by a striking teaser.
Because an in-app minigame, which finds itself in a feed of user-generated content, should primarily do one thing: surprise and offer a visual break from selfies & product tagging.
RUN PRO-LEATHER RUN!
To achieve the objectives, we decided together with SNIPES and Converse to choose the tried-and-tested principle of an endless runner. The reason was as simple as it was compelling. We wanted to promote not only the brand but also a specific shoe, and what do you do with shoes? You run. As simple as that.
An endless runner game is a well-known and popular pattern that can be implemented in the short term due to its low complexity and provides great joy to the user due to its brevity. Due to its short but exciting gameplay duration, the "endless runner" principle not only increases its replayability but also its potential addiction factor.
The Product Hero
The fundamental goal of the game is to collect as many collectibles as possible at an increasingly challenging difficulty level to break the high score. The Converse Pro-Leather is at the center of attention. It has its origins in basketball and hip-hop culture. The Pro-Leather remains an icon today, representing more than just a shoe for these subcultures.
To do justice to this role and create an authentic user experience, we decided to develop an on-brand environment that reflects the cultural and sporting significance of the Converse Pro-Leather at the retailer Snipes.
Development and Implementation
The result is a minigame that leads the user through a world of street basketball, challenging them to avoid various obstacles, such as chewing gum or puddles, to keep the Pro-Leather shoe clean. But that's not all: to break the high score of the minigame, the user must collect as many Converse shoe boxes as possible. This can be done either regularly or with the help of the unlocked "Magnet" bonus collectible, which magically attracts the shoe boxes, or the "Power Up" bonus collectible, which increases the speed of the game. All game interactions, such as jumping and dodging, are naturally done by swiping.
The project was realized with the help of our own 3D modeling and technical development based on Unity DOTS. The latter has the advantage that the game can be sustainably expanded to be ready for ballin’ even at short notice.
