UPS - Casual online game attracts international players

Situation:

After years of development, UPS introduced an international shipping method on October 2 that eliminates the need to attach a commercial invoice to packages. The company was looking for a way to let customers know about the new service and explain that it makes international shipping easier, while also having some fun with the brand.

Approach:

As part of a wider marketing campaign, UPS worked with Atlanta-based agency Going Interactive to create a casual online game that launched the same day as the new service. In The International Paperless Adventure, players race the clock as they try to transport a package from one country to another. Their efforts are helped or hampered by things they encounter along the way, such as birds, sharks and clouds.

The game is a “really simple but quite effective and fun way of communicating our core message that international shipping is made easier with paperless invoice,” says Donna Barrett, public
relations manager at UPS.

Since it requires only a couple of minutes to play, the game “gives shipping managers the ability to play with the brand for that time and feel a little lighthearted afterwards,” says Jason Davenport, principal and creative director at Going Interactive. 

UPS is promoting the game with banner ads on its subpage for international shipping, found at www.ups.com/international.

Results:

More than 1,400 people had played the game by mid-November, averaging around 3.5 minutes of playtime. Approximately 22% of players are from outside the US. “We're excited about the international visitors,” Barrett says.

In January, UPS is planning to import the game to its other English-speaking sites in Australia, Hong Kong, Jamaica and elsewhere. -Chantal Todé