Poptopia
- Brand
- Pop Secret
- Year
- 2013
- Objective
- Engagement
- Industry
- Food & Drink
- Mechanic
- Arcade & Action
- Platform
- App
- Agency
- Deutsch
- With
- Deeplocal
- With
- UNIT9
Objective
Pop Secret wanted to become, in Deutsch LA's words, "the most talked-about popcorn brand online" — not by advertising inside other people's content, but by giving people something useful or fun to do in the moments they're already glued to their phones. A free game built a reason to engage with the brand daily, and a first-of-its-kind scent gadget was designed purely to generate earned media. Scores also fed the Labels for Education program, giving the campaign a school-fundraising angle.
Solution
Players download the free Poptopia app and watch smiling kernels fly across the screen; tap one the instant it starts glowing and changing color, and it pops into the mouth of The Almighty Mouth God, who groans happily and racks up points. Miss the timing and the kernel burns, the mouth scowls, and the score takes a hit — meanwhile players dodge roaming hazards called Scorchers and grab power-ups along the way. When a stick of butter appears, players swipe it away; nail that move and, if a Pop Dongle is plugged into the headphone jack, the phone releases a burst of buttery popcorn scent through a hidden audio cue. At the end of a session, players can donate their points to a school of their choice, competing for a share of five million Labels for Education points.
Results
The Pop Dongle and Poptopia generated over 325 million media impressions in one week, worth an estimated $3.25 million in earned PR — against a reported $200,000 production budget. On eBay, bidding for one of the three auctioned Pop Dongles (proceeds to the American Red Cross) reached $315.
- 1
Players download Poptopia for free from the App Store on iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch (iOS 6.0 and up). A welcome screen sets the scene: a strange and delicious land called Poptopia, where popcorn kernels dream of popping perfectly and being fed to a giant character called the Almighty Mouth God.
- 2
Players who own the companion Pop Dongle plug it into the phone's headphone jack before playing; the device communicates with the game through an audio code sent from the app.
- 3
Before a round starts, the player registers or selects a school to earn points for, tying gameplay to Labels for Education, a schools-rewards program.
- 4
Each round sends smiling kernels flying across the screen toward an oversized open mouth waiting nearby. A kernel glows and changes color to signal it has ripened, and the player must tap it at that exact moment; a well-timed tap pops the kernel into the mouth for a satisfied gulp and points, while a missed tap lets the kernel burn, earning no reward.
- 5
Through the round, players dodge burnt kernels and hazardous "Scorchers" while grabbing power-ups that boost their score.
- 6
Butter occasionally appears onscreen and must be cleared with a swipe, the highest-value action in the game. A successful butter swipe also triggers a real-world reward for Pop Dongle owners: the game sends an audio signal through the jack that makes the dongle spray a burst of popcorn-scented oil, though each cartridge is good for only about 500 to 1,000 sprays before it runs dry.
- 7
Points earned across rounds accumulate toward the player's chosen school; when the promotion ends on September 30, the three top-scoring schools split five million Labels for Education points, redeemable for equipment ranging from school supplies and tablets to a van.
