The Offer: FreePlay Labs developed a third-person-shooter game based on the popular graphic novel Cowboys & Aliens, which was released as a feature film on July 29. The game is available for users at a special promotional price of 99 cents through iTunes, and can be played on iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices that run iOS ?4.0 or higher. ?
The Data: To specifically target gamers and app purchasers, who make up a significant portion of 7-Eleven customers, FreePlay chose 7-Eleven’s Digital Display Networks as its TV partner The game was one of the ?50 best-selling iPad apps in mid-August.?
The Channel: In addition to the 7-Eleven TV spots, a Facebook page was established to promote the game, with screengrabs of action shots from the game and photos from the 2011 Comic-Con convention featuring people playing the game on different Apple devices. ?”Liking” the page allows gamers to post feedback to the page’s wall and includes regular updates from FreePlay.?
The Creative: Cowboys & Aliens tells the story of an alien invasion in the late 19th century. First published in 2006, it was the biggest-selling graphic novel of the year. It was re-released earlier this year in paperback form, which was followed by the nationwide film release. Looking to capitalize on the success of the novel and movie, FreePlay puts gamers in the role of cowboy hero defending a small Western town from invading space aliens. ??
Verdict:
Steve Kerho is SVP of strategy, analytics, media and marketing optimization at Organic. He was previously the director of interactive marketing and media for Nissan North America. Kerho is based in San Francisco.
Using 7-Eleven’s network is an innovative way to reach a difficult target with a broadcast-type medium. This network has impressive reach but is yet unproven in its ability to deliver high levels of engagement as the sole broadcast element of a media plan. I would have added some key broadcast markets to the plan to prevent over-reliance on this new channel.?
