Formula Face
- Brand
- Red Bull
- Year
- 2011
- Objective
- Engagement
- Industry
- Food & Drink
- Mechanic
- Racing & Sports
- Platform
- Web
- Agency
- BUZZIN MONKEY
Objective
Racing was one of Red Bull's core brand territories — Formula 1, rally — and the brand wanted a digital project that tied that territory to a technology new to the web, giving people something fresh to talk about. Formula Face became the centerpiece of a wider campaign built around that idea, spanning social, banners, PR and in-game sponsorship.
Solution
Formula Face opens with the webcam snapping the player's face, which becomes their avatar and gets stuck onto the car as a sticker. The player then picks a car — a Citroën C4 WRC among the options — and a race challenge to take on, steering by tilting their head left and right in front of the camera. A blink fires a turbo boost, while smiling or pulling faces triggers special effects and bonus photo moments as cans get collected along the track. Winning a race unlocks new challenges and cars. After the finish line, the player's time, avatar and in-race photos go up on Facebook as a challenge to friends, and a paper cutout of their racer can be downloaded and printed.
- 1
The player starts at a browser microsite and plays for free without downloading a client.
- 2
Playing requires a webcam and a browser plugin (Metaio Unifeye Viewer), which the game prompts the player to install; the game launched labeled as a beta.
- 3
The webcam captures a photo of the player's face, which becomes their avatar and is attached to the car they pick.
- 4
The player chooses a car from a garage of vehicles, such as a Citroën C4 WRC.
- 5
The player picks a track challenge (for example, one called Race On) and starts the race.
- 6
Steering uses only the player's face via webcam: keyboard, gamepad and mouse controls are disabled, and tilting the head left or right moves the car left or right.
- 7
Facial expressions drive the rest of the gameplay: blinking triggers a speed-boosting turbo, smiling or baring teeth activates special car abilities, and pulling other faces earns separate photo bonuses that score points and save in-game snapshots of the player's expressions.
- 8
Through each run the player collects Red Bull cans and photo bonuses while racing to win and post the highest score.
- 9
Winning races unlocks further challenges and new cars, giving players a reason to keep returning.
- 10
After a race, the player posts their score, avatar and in-game photos to Facebook to challenge friends, and can separately download and print a paper cutout of their avatar to assemble as a figure.
