The Hunt For The Golden Pistachio
- Brand
- Wonderful Pistachios
- Year
- 2011
- Objective
- Awareness
- Industry
- Food & Drink
- Mechanic
- Puzzle
- Platform
- Web
- Agency
- Fire Station Agency
- With
- Rovio Ltd
Objective
Wonderful Pistachios partnered with Rovio to borrow Angry Birds' huge, ready-made audience and attach the brand to play rather than a conventional ad. The holiday-season tie-in also had a sharper commercial purpose: pushing product off the shelf, since the codes that unlocked the game's prize levels came only from specially marked pistachio bags. A social-sharing bonus was layered on top to spread the promotion beyond the players who found it directly.
Solution
The game opens in-browser as a pistachio-skinned Angry Birds: same slingshot, same birds and pigs, but now you crack pistachios as you knock down the wooden structures. The first two levels are open to anyone, no sign-up needed. To reach the three prize levels you register (US residents 18+), which unlocks five free plays; after that, more attempts come from entering a code found on a pistachio bag or from sharing your score on Facebook or Twitter. In those prize levels a golden pistachio occasionally appears on screen — break it and you win an instant prize you can then claim. A separate secret level opens only if you know the code GETCRACKIN. Once the promotion ended, all six levels stayed playable worldwide, just without the prizes.
Results
The December 2011 promotion ran for 31 days and gave away 20,000 prizes worth more than $300,000 in retail value, with individual cash awards as high as $25,000. Registering unlocked five free plays on the prize levels, with further attempts earned through on-pack codes or social shares.
- 1
The player opens the game in a browser at a branded URL, no download or login required, and finds a pistachio-themed reskin of Angry Birds.
- 2
The first two levels are unlocked and playable immediately; from there the player picks levels from a five-stage chain themed around pistachio production: Orchard, Harvest, Factory, Warehouse, and Stadium.
- 3
In each level the player pulls back a slingshot and launches birds at structures, aiming to knock out the green pigs hiding inside as in standard Angry Birds; the branded twist adds pistachios built into the structures that must also be cracked open.
- 4
Clearing a level scores points and awards up to three stars.
- 5
Reaching three additional, prize-bearing levels requires the player to register, which is restricted to US residents aged 18 or older.
- 6
Registration grants five attempts at the prize levels; once used up, the player can earn more by entering a unique code from a marked bag of pistachios or by sharing the game or a result on Facebook or Twitter.
- 7
In the three prize levels, a golden pistachio appears at random among the level's objects for the player to target with a bird.
- 8
Cracking the golden pistachio triggers an instant win, with prizes ranging from a free bag of pistachios and an Angry Birds plush to cash.
- 9
Entering the word GETCRACKIN in the code field unlocks a hidden secret level.
- 10
After the promotion ends, all levels remain playable from anywhere without codes, but the golden pistachio no longer awards prizes.
