Bullseye's Playground
- Brand
- Target
- Year
- 2014
- Objective
- Engagement
- Industry
- Retail
- Mechanic
- Puzzle
- Platform
- Web
- Agency
- Google Art, Copy & Code
- With
- Psyop
- With
- 72andSunny
- With
- Plan8
Objective
Target wanted families to linger through the full store during peak holiday season, not just pop in — a mobile game that only paid off if you walked every aisle. It also let Target and Google show off the first consumer retail use of Google's Project Tango tablets, and gave shoppers a charity hook: every round played triggered a one-dollar donation to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Solution
No app to install: shoppers opened Target.com/Play on their phone and landed straight in a snowy hub world, picking from six mini-games — sledding, ice fishing, a snowball fight, an icicle xylophone, a Hot Wheels race, and more. In-store signs pointed players to hidden codes scattered around the aisles; entering one back on the phone unlocked new characters, like the mascot Bullseye and Zoomer Dino, and new levels, so progress depended on actually walking the store. At four locations, an arch handed out Google Project Tango tablets that turned the same aisles into an augmented winter world on screen — shelves became snowy groves and ice walls players could throw snowballs at and explore for hidden extras while still standing on the real sales floor.
- 1
In-store signage prompts shoppers to pull out their phones and open Target.com/Play in a mobile browser — no app download or install required.
- 2
A snow-covered hub map loads, and players swipe and tap across it to choose from six mini-games, including sledding, ice fishing, snowball fights, and an icicle xylophone.
- 3
Target's mascot Bullseye and other characters such as Zoomer Dino appear as playable companions across the mini-games, joining players on sled runs and in snowball fights.
- 4
One mini-game, the racer Stuntzone, opens in a garage where the player picks a car and a track before starting a run.
- 5
During the race, the game calls for timed gestures — swipes, taps, double-taps — to clear obstacles, with snow effects and a speed trail animating around the vehicle.
- 6
Finishing a race plays a short animated reward scene.
- 7
Players can also hunt for hidden codes on signage placed throughout the physical store; entering a found code unlocks secret characters, additional cars, and extra levels.
- 8
Each game played triggers a $1 donation, capped at $1 million, to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, a tie-in the game surfaces to the player.
- 9
In select stores, players borrow a Google Project Tango tablet from a dedicated arch to enter an AR version that overlays the snowy world onto the store's actual layout; walking the real aisles moves the player 1:1 through the virtual space, letting them interact with characters, throw snowballs, and find hidden extras along the way.
