Magnum Pleasure Hunt Across Amsterdam

Objective

Magnum engaged Dutch and European audiences with a real-world augmented reality game to drive brand awareness and product engagement around their chocolate ice cream line. The Amsterdam-based activation served as a pilot for the broader Pleasure Hunt campaign, combining location-based gaming with social sharing to create viral buzz and direct consumer interaction.

Solution

Magnum launched an AR mobile application that placed 150 virtual chocolate bonbons across 9 locations in Amsterdam's streets. Players downloaded the app and hunted for collectible items using real-time geolocation maps to track both treasure locations and competing players. The game incorporated competitive elements—players raced against time and attempted to intercept opponents' collected treasures. Participants earned points for collecting bonbons, with leaderboards tracking performance across the April 22–29, 2012 event window.

Results

The Amsterdam activation reached thousands of local players during its one-week run. The broader Magnum Pleasure Hunt campaign (which scaled globally in subsequent versions) attracted over 23 million players across 2011–2012, with Pleasure Hunt 2 Across the Globe alone exceeding 1 million participants in its first month. Players averaged 3+ minutes per session. The campaign generated 15+ million social media impressions across Twitter, Facebook, and blogs. Top player won a trip to New York; other participants received Magnum Infinity ice cream.