The Fabulous Journey
- Brand
- Cartier
- Year
- 2023
- Objective
- Awareness
- Industry
- Fashion & Beauty
- Mechanic
- Arcade & Action
- Platform
- Web
- Agency
- Merci-Michel
Objective
Cartier built the game to extend the storytelling of its year-end "The Fabulous Cartier House" campaign into an interactive format during the fourth quarter, the peak season for luxury spending. The brand wanted to reach a younger, Gen Z audience — projected to account for a quarter to a third of luxury purchases by 2030 — and to give a single travel-themed experience a global reach that could point players toward boutiques around the world.
Solution
Players open the game straight from a link on Cartier's site, no download required, and control a single red zeppelin with one input: hold down to climb, release to glide back down. The camera scrolls forward automatically, carrying the airship through a sequence of dreamlike chapters drawn from "The Fabulous Cartier House" campaign — above the clouds, over a shimmering lake, through a starlit night — each dotted with recognizable landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, Place Vendôme, and the Pearl of the Orient. Along the way players steer the zeppelin through gems and jewelry floating in its path, collecting them as they thread the gaps. The run ends when the airship reaches Cartier's "Fabulous House," the campaign's final destination.
Results
Across the campaign, 300,000 players spent a combined 2,118,000 minutes in the game — an average of roughly 7 minutes per person — and more than 15% of them played it through to the end.
- 1
The player opens a link on Cartier's own site and the game runs directly in the browser, with no download, on phone, tablet, or desktop.
- 2
A red Cartier airship flies automatically from left to right; the player's only input is altitude, holding a tap, click, or spacebar to climb and releasing to glide down.
- 3
The core loop is collecting glowing gems scattered along the route: gems magnetize onto the airship, restore lost speed, and add to the score. Losing too much speed lets the scrolling camera catch up to the airship and ends the run, so gem collection functions as fuel as much as scoring.
- 4
Maison jewelry pieces appear in sets and only pay off their full speed bonus if the whole series is collected without missing one; separate rings scattered on the route give a pure speed boost through them but award no points.
- 5
Weather effects such as storms and snow periodically cut visibility and speed, forcing the player through stretches almost blind.
- 6
The journey is split into chapters with shifting scenery and weather, from above the clouds to a shimmering lake to a starry night, passing recognizable landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, Place Vendôme, and the Oriental Pearl Tower; each of the six named chapters ends with the airship reaching a floating Cartier "Fabulous House."
- 7
The game ends with a fireworks finale that stays interactive, letting the player set off bursts by moving the cursor.
- 8
Afterward the player is prompted to share their score.
- 9
The score is framed as unlocking access to a curated selection of Cartier pieces, tying the session back to the brand's boutiques and showcase.
