Scan, Play & Win
Read the story- Brand
- Chupa Chups
- Year
- 2021
- Objective
- Sales
- Industry
- Food & Drink
- Mechanic
- Mini-Games
- Platform
- Web
Objective
Perfetti Van Melle wanted to turn Chupa Chups packaging itself into a digital touchpoint — using a QR code on the wrapper to drive measurable engagement across a mass FMCG run, not just a one-off scan. Rewarding pack-scan entrants with bigger prizes than direct-link visitors, and resetting the leaderboard every month, gave the brand a reason for shoppers to keep buying and keep coming back.
Solution
The player scans the QR code on a Chupa Chups pack with their phone camera (or follows a link from social or the brand site) and lands straight in a browser-based game hub — no app to install. After granting camera access and accepting the terms, they see a lobby split into AR and non-AR titles, up to five in total. Picking an AR game turns the player's own floor or tabletop into the playing field: hunting for hidden candies on a treasure island, bowling a cricket delivery, or steering a retro snake across the real floor; the non-AR side offers straightforward arcade rounds like Candy Runner and Candy Connect. Once a round ends, the player taps "Submit & Win," enters their name and email, and their score posts to that month's leaderboard, showing where they rank against everyone else who played.
Results
Over 50 million QR-coded packs drove more than 4 million minutes of play in the AR experience, with 28.3% of players returning for another round. Although the mechanic was pack-locked to India, the experience was shared organically by consumers in 94 countries. Monthly prizing paid the top 10 scorers per game shopping vouchers worth ₹2,000 for QR-code entrants versus ₹500 for those who joined via direct link.
- 1
Buying a promo pack of Chupa Chups and scanning the QR code printed on it opens a mobile gaming portal in the phone's browser; tapping a linked social post or visiting the brand site directly also works, though it qualifies for a smaller prize. The browser then asks for camera and location access, which the player must grant for the AR games to run.
- 2
The player accepts the participation terms and lands on the portal's main gaming-studio page.
- 3
Games are organized into an AR Zone and a Non-AR Zone; the player scrolls through and picks one of up to five titles — Candy Snake, Cricket Bowling, Treasure Island, Candy Runner, and Candy Connect — with a maximum of three AR and two non-AR games on offer.
- 4
Choosing an AR title prompts the player to scan a flat surface so the game anchors itself to the real floor or tabletop in their room. From there the mechanic varies by game: Treasure Island turns the space into a brand-themed island where the player looks around and moves closer to find hidden candies, the cricket game has the player bowl for accuracy against an on-screen pitch, and Candy Snake has the player steer a retro snake through their actual room to collect candy.
- 5
The non-AR games, Candy Runner and Candy Connect, run as ordinary on-screen arcade games without using the camera.
- 6
A score builds over the course of the round, and when the game ends the player taps "Submit & Win" to lock it in.
- 7
Submitting opens a form where the player enters a name and email address, which registers them for the prize draw.
- 8
The score then appears on a shared leaderboard showing the player's rank among other participants; the player can replay the same game or try another to climb higher.
- 9
Each month the top scorers on every game win shopping vouchers, worth more for entries made via the pack's QR code than for other entry points, and a player can win on any single game only once across the whole campaign.
