Lol-a-Coaster
View the case- Brand
- Chupa Chups
- Year
- 2012
- Objective
- Engagement
- Industry
- Food & Drink
- Mechanic
- Simulation & Strategy
- Platform
- App
Objective
Chupa Chups wanted to turn casual interest in the brand into repeat purchases, using codes hidden under the wrapper as the link between buying a lolly and playing on. Beyond the immediate promotion, the goal was longer-term: as Taboo strategy director Richard Hack put it, to make the game itself "a brand asset primed for future leverage as opposed to just another advertising cost to be expensed."
Solution
Players ride Chupa Chuck, the brand's mascot, down a rollercoaster track that moves through a rotating cast of countries, tapping the screen to make the cart hop over crates on the rails and scoop up lollies along the way. Each run is a race to reach the end of the track before time runs out. The lollies collected double as currency, unlocking new carts and new tracks, with more than 20 carts to mix and match into a custom train and secret "Sweet Rides" to discover. Codes printed under real Chupa Chups wrappers, entered on the brand's promo site, unlock extra hidden carts and Sweet Rides inside the game and enter players into a draw for trips to famous rollercoasters in the US, Japan and Germany, while hints for tracking down the hidden content circulated on social media to pull players back in.
Results
The game reached 26,888 downloads.
- 1
Players download "Lol-a-Coaster" for free from the App Store on iPhone or iPad; it is a universal app with Retina support.
- 2
Before each run, players assemble a train from a roster of over 20 cart types, two of which — The Chupa Car and Blue Steel — are unlocked from the start. Combining specific carts together can unlock secret "Sweet Rides."
- 3
Each run sends the train, carrying mascot Chupa Chuck, down a rollercoaster track themed to a different country, racing against an on-screen timer.
- 4
The only control is a screen tap, which makes the carts hop — used to jump over obstacle crates on the rails and to scoop up Chupa Chups candies floating above the track. Some candies boost the train's speed, others accumulate as in-game currency.
- 5
A run must be completed before the timer runs out, and jump timing determines whether the train reaches checkpoints or crashes off the track.
- 6
Currency earned from runs unlocks new carts and new country-themed tracks, letting players progress along a round-the-world route.
- 7
Outside the app, players buy a Chupa Chups lollipop, find a unique code on the wrapper, and enter it on the brand's promo site to gain sweepstakes entries (multiple codes increase the odds) and to unlock hidden in-game content, including additional Sweet Rides, with hints on where to find them shared online and on social media.
- 8
Three sweepstakes winners are awarded trips to real rollercoasters in the US, Japan, and Germany.
