TXTvsTXT
- Brand
- Fifth Third Bank
- Year
- 2016
- Objective
- Engagement
- Industry
- Finance
- Mechanic
- Arcade & Action
- Platform
- Web
- Agency
- Wildlife
Objective
Fifth Third Bank wanted to spotlight its newly updated mobile banking app and drive downloads, using speed as the hook: if the app is faster than your thumbs, banking stops feeling like a wait. The game gave that pitch something people could actually try and share on social, rather than just hear in an ad.
Solution
Players land on TXTvsTXT.com from a phone — via a social link or by typing in the address — and hit a splash screen daring them to prove they're a fast texter, because the bank's app is faster still. From there they pick a mode: play solo, challenge Facebook friends in a txt battle, or go head-to-head in a live duel. Each round shows a phrase to retype exactly as written, with an illustration filling in as the player types; phrases get trickier as the levels climb. Finish a round and the game hands out a comic badge — "Molasses Hands" for the slowpokes, "Turbo Twiddler" for the quick ones — that players could show off to friends. Anyone who showed up on desktop got redirected to play on mobile and download the app.
- 1
Players reach the game by tapping a link shared on social media or by typing the game's URL directly into a mobile browser; it runs in-browser with nothing to download.
- 2
The opening screen frames the challenge as a race against the bank's app, daring players to prove they can type faster than it can process a transaction.
- 3
Players pick a mode before starting: single player, a friend-challenge mode called txt battle, or live duel, a real-time head-to-head against another player.
- 4
In the core loop, an on-screen phrase must be typed out exactly as shown, while an animated illustration builds alongside the text to turn each phrase into a small visual scene.
- 5
The game measures typing speed and accuracy on each phrase; clearing one advances the player to the next level, where phrases grow longer and harder to type.
- 6
A session ends with a joke title reflecting the player's typing speed, ranging from "Molasses Hands" to "Turbo Twiddler," meant to be shown off to friends.
- 7
In the friend-challenge mode, players connect Facebook to send their score to friends and compare results against each other.
- 8
In live duel, players type head-to-head against another texter in real time.
- 9
Opening the site on a desktop browser blocks play entirely, showing a message that the game requires a phone and prompting a download of the bank's mobile app instead.
