The Run
Open the game- Brand
- Montblanc
- Year
- 2024
- Objective
- Product Launch
- Industry
- Fashion & Beauty
- Mechanic
- Racing & Sports
- Platform
- Web
- Agency
- Merci-Michel
Objective
To give the 2024 launch of Montblanc Legend Blue a piece of digital entertainment rather than another banner or pre-roll clip, Interparfums (Montblanc's fragrance licensee) commissioned a browser racing game built around the new scent's launch moment. The goal was to hold players' attention longer than a passive ad and give them a reason to come back and beat their own time. Built to run on any device, the game doubled as a portable activation piece Montblanc could put on-screen at its pop-up stores around the world.
Solution
Players land on a single page, hit START, and land right behind a blue ball stamped with the Montblanc emblem as it rolls forward down a narrow, looping track lit up in the fragrance's signature blue. The only input is the left and right arrow keys, used to steer; staying on the white line painted down the track builds a boost that speeds the ball up. A timer counts up onscreen as the run plays out, and crossing the finish line brings up the elapsed time next to the player's personal best, with the option to replay or submit the score to a leaderboard. A hidden Konami-code easter egg on the start screen turns a player's phone into the game's controller.
Results
One run lasts 45 seconds, but the average play session runs 3 minutes 30 seconds — meaning players replayed the race roughly four to five times per visit on average.
- 1
The game opens on a loading screen, then a title screen over a 3D racetrack, with a cookie-consent banner the player must dismiss before a START button appears. Before the player acts, the camera flies itself around the level, previewing banked ramps, loops, and rows of rings.
- 2
Pressing START drops the camera behind a ball marked with the brand emblem, sitting at the head of a narrow barriered track. A countdown plays on the road surface, then the ball moves forward on its own as an on-screen stopwatch starts counting up.
- 3
The only input is holding the left or right arrow key to steer the ball side to side. A white line traces the track's ideal path, and staying on it fills a boost meter that increases speed, so the core loop is continuous course correction to keep pace with the line.
- 4
The track varies as the run progresses: it passes through tunnels of rings, narrows into tight turns, banks and tilts the camera on wide curves, and at points spirals so the ball appears to drive along a wall.
- 5
Drifting into a side barrier makes the ball scrape it, knocking it off the guiding line and draining the boost meter.
- 6
Throughout the run, oversized brand emblems and geometric blocks in the game's signature color line the route, keeping the track visually tied to the sponsoring product.
- 7
A menu accessible at any time dims the game and offers a restart, links to the brand's campaign and legal pages, a volume control, and a language toggle.
- 8
The run ends by straightening out past a wall bearing the campaign name, after which the stopwatch stops, a FINISH message appears, and the camera detaches from the ball to pull back over the track.
- 9
A results card then shows the elapsed time and personal high score over the still-orbiting camera, with options to play again for a better time or submit the score.
- 10
Submitting a score opens a lead-capture form asking for name, email, and country, with opt-in checkboxes for the brand's newsletter and terms, turning the finished run into a marketing sign-up.
