Cloud Slicer
- Brand
- Air France
- Year
- 2014
- Objective
- Product Launch
- Industry
- Travel & Hospitality
- Mechanic
- Arcade & Action
- Platform
- App
- Agency
- FF
Objective
Air France needed to build awareness for the refreshed Business, Premium Economy and Economy cabins on its long-haul 777s serving Asia routes to Paris from Singapore, Tokyo, Shanghai and Jakarta. Rather than just advertise the new business class, the airline wanted premium travelers — and those who could be upgraded into that mindset — to experience it directly, turning dead time at the gate into a brand encounter and a reason to download the app.
Solution
At the boarding gate in Singapore and Osaka, staff handed passengers a tablet loaded with Cloud Slicer: players drag a finger across the screen to slice through clouds for points, taking care never to touch the moon, which wipes out all remaining lives. Each round ends with a score and a live ranking against other passengers waiting to board the same flight, giving players about 15 minutes to compete before takeoff. Top scorers were upgraded to the new business class on the spot, runners-up moved into Premium Economy, and the captain personally handed over the new boarding pass. Once the game launched in the App Store and Google Play, anyone in five Asian markets could play as many rounds as they wanted, with only their best score counting, and the highest scorer in each country won an upgrade on their own Paris-bound flight.
Results
More than 400 passengers played Cloud Slicer during the gate activations in Singapore and Osaka, with 15 Singapore winners and 6 Osaka winners upgraded to Business Class on the spot. The competition then expanded into a regional phase spanning five markets — China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia and Japan — where the Singapore leg alone awarded 6 prizes, including 3 business-class upgrades.
- 1
At the departure gate in Singapore Changi or Osaka Kansai, Air France staff approach waiting passengers and hand them a tablet running the game Cloud Slicer, explaining that everyone at the gate is competing during the boarding wait and the top scorers will win an upgrade on their own flight.
- 2
The screen fills with a sky of clouds, and the player swipes a finger across it to slice them; the goal is to slice as many clouds as possible in a round, since more clouds sliced means a higher score.
- 3
One object is off-limits: slicing the moon costs the player all remaining lives and ends the round immediately.
- 4
When the round ends, the game shows the player's score and their current rank among the other players at the gate.
- 5
Players may replay as many times as they like before boarding, and only their single best score counts toward the ranking.
- 6
At the end of the gate session, the highest-ranked players are upgraded to the new Business cabin, while the next tier down receive Premium Economy seats.
- 7
The winning player receives their new boarding pass directly from the aircraft's captain.
- 8
Starting January 19, 2015, Cloud Slicer becomes available as a standalone download on the App Store and Google Play across China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, and Indonesia.
- 9
To qualify for a prize through the app, a player must hold a valid Air France ticket on an eligible route, such as Singapore–Paris flight AF254 or Singapore–Jakarta.
- 10
The app-based competition runs in scored periods, with standings locked on January 31 and February 27 at 23:59 to select the top players by country; period winners are upgraded to Business class on their Paris-bound Boeing 777 flight departing from Singapore, Tokyo, Shanghai, or Jakarta.
