Good examples of playable marketing (branded games and gamification) include KFC's Rewards Arcade, an instant-win game for app customers who spend over £3; IKEA's Roblox store with ten paid jobs; and Hyundai's Car Curling, which got Seoul drivers stopping at the line. Here are 13 campaign games from 2008 to 2025, with the brief, the play and the sourced result.
We picked these thirteen from the more than 1,000 campaign games in The Well Played Awards library because each had a brand task, a player action that changed the outcome and a result traceable to a public source. For a definition, see what playable marketing is.
13 examples of playable marketing, oldest first
Yoobot vs YooNot — British Heart Foundation (2008)
Agency: Grey with BLOC · Mechanic: Simulation & Strategy · Platform: Web
The British Heart Foundation needed 11–13-year-olds to think about childhood obesity without hearing a lecture. Players built a Yoobot with their own face and fed it from food flagged for salt, fat and sugar. One real day equalled three Yoobot years, so each return visit showed a healthier or sicker character; a 2009 relaunch added YooNot, a junk-food alter ego.
Result: More than one million Yoobots in two months, against a target of 150,000; about 400,000 were in the 11–13 target, roughly 19% of UK children that age (The Marketing Society).
More health campaigns, and the rules pharma brands work under, are in our healthcare and pharma guide.
The Party Starter — Vodafone (2012)
Agency: Big Orange, B-Lex and Dentsu Creative · Mechanic: Music & Rhythm · Platform: App
Vodafone Netherlands sponsored ID&T's festivals and wanted a direct line to their crowd. The app turned the phone into a motion controller: you picked a festival track and danced while the motion sensor scored your rhythm. The dancers with the most stamina were in the running for tickets to the sold-out Sensation, Welcome To The Future or Mysteryland.
Result: 34,000 downloads, 86,000 plays and about 11,774 hours of dancing in total (WebHare, in Dutch).
Wolverine Tokyo Fury — V Energy Drink (2013)
Agency: Soap Creative Australia · Mechanic: Arcade & Action · Platform: Web
V Energy tied the Australian launch of its V Graphite flavour to the release of The Wolverine. In the browser platformer you ran across Tokyo rooftops as Wolverine, slashing through ninjas over 15 story levels. A code on each special-edition can entered a prize draw and upgraded Wolverine in the game.
Result: 4.4 million gameplays during the eight-week campaign (project portfolio on Cargo).
The Game — Travel Oregon (2017)
Agency: Wieden+Kennedy · Mechanic: Adventure & Quest · Platform: Web
Travel Oregon wanted people exploring the state's seven travel regions in the slow winter season. The game borrowed the format of The Oregon Trail: you picked a modern traveller and drove a station wagon around the regions, stopping for truffle hunting or wine tasting. Instead of dysentery, a run ended in a comic mishap such as wet socks. Each session pointed you towards planning a real winter trip.
Result: Half a million players within a few months of launch (Wieden+Kennedy).
Light Up Car Curling — Hyundai (2018)
Agency: INNOCEAN WORLDWIDE · Mechanic: Simulation & Strategy · Platform: Installation
During the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics, Hyundai, the Games' official sponsor in South Korea, set out to change how people drive. It painted a curling target on a Seoul junction, just before the stop line, and streamed it live to phones. Players predicted which approaching car would stop behind the line, nearest the painted target; correct picks earned points that became donations to Korea's Paralympic curling team.
Result: Stop-line compliance in front of Seoul's DDP rose from 73% on 1 February to 92% on 18 February 2018 (Spikes Asia 2018 entry).
Beauty House — Givenchy (2022)
Agency: The Gang (Cosmetics Business), with Doppelgänger and Like Fire (365retail) · Mechanic: Mini-Games · Platform: In-Game (Roblox)
Givenchy Beauty wanted a permanent Roblox home for Gen Z, with branded items earned through play rather than bought. Players roam the gardens of a 16th-century manor, where quests drop free avatar items. In the beauty contest they make up their avatar, walk the catwalk and vote. The house is still open to play; more worlds like it are in our guide to brands on Roblox.
Result: More than 10.7 million visitors by December 2023 (Cosmetics Business).
Rewards Arcade — KFC (2022)
Agency: Rapp · Mechanic: Arcade & Action · Platform: App
KFC UK & Ireland's old stamp card paid out only after three, five or eleven visits, yet the average customer came in twice a year. The new scheme gave a reward chance on every order: spend over £3 (€5 in Ireland), ordering in the app or scanning its QR code before paying, and you got a play of Hammer Time. Pick one of three hammers, swing at a strength tester, ring the bell and win a free item, up to twice a day.
Result: 1.3 million rewards were redeemed in the first four months (Rapp). The loyalty platform Antavo reports app downloads up 53% and weekly active app customers up 26%, with a 40% reward redemption rate (Antavo).
KFC's nine other library games, including its Steam dating sim, are covered in our KFC dating sim case study.
Les Durs à cuire (Tough Cookies) — IGA (2022)
Agency: Sid Lee · Mechanic: Adventure & Quest · Platform: Web
As donations declined, the Quebec grocer IGA needed a new way to fund paediatric cancer research for the Fondation Charles-Bruneau. It sold low-cost temporary tattoos at the checkout, their characters designed by young cancer survivors. Each of the four tattoos had a QR code that unlocked a hero in a browser platformer with one level per taste (sweet, salty, sour, bitter) and Umami as the villain; players needed all four to finish. More pack-to-phone campaigns are in our guide to QR code games.
Result: Across four editions (2021–2024), more than $1.7 million raised and over 80,000 players, according to the agency (Sid Lee).
History of the World, Part II: The Experience — Hulu (2023)
Agency: Monks · Mechanic: Mini-Games · Platform: Web
Hulu's sketch series arrived 42 years after Mel Brooks's 1981 film and had to reach nostalgic fans and newcomers alike. Brooks narrated as players clicked and dragged through a comic timeline that dropped into quick arcade games, such as catching falling pugs. Finishing a run entered a sweepstakes, and the same build ran as an Xbox app. The site is now offline.
Result: Players opened the game more than 173,000 times on desktop, mobile and Xbox in its first live weekend (Shorty Awards entry).
The Co-Worker — IKEA (2024)
Agency: Mother with The Gang · Mechanic: Simulation & Strategy · Platform: In-Game (Roblox)
IKEA UK was getting fewer applications from 18–25-year-olds, so it rebuilt a store in Roblox and advertised ten paid roles inside it. Players picked a department and clocked in; each was a mini-game built on a real co-worker task, such as restocking shelves or running the till, and XP brought promotions. Our case study covers how The Co-Worker hired real staff.
Result: More than 178,000 applications for the ten roles in two weeks (IKEA); the agency reports a 50% rise in real-world applications to IKEA UK stores (The Gang).
Kick With Pixel — Google Pixel (2024)
Agency: Phantom · Mechanic: Racing & Sports · Platform: Web
Google wanted the mint Pixel 8 to stand out at launch, and its football sponsorships to bring email sign-ups and Google Store traffic. On a mint-green 3D pitch in the mobile browser, you pick a national team and flick the ball at a target five times. The total goes on a global leaderboard; during the campaign, an email revealed your rank and entered you in a prize draw. The game is still playable.
Result: A 17.5% conversion rate and an average playtime of nearly four minutes, according to the agency (Phantom).
Body Royale — Philips (2025)
Agency: The Gang built the map; The Drum credits the campaign to Ketchum UK and Fuse · Mechanic: Arcade & Action · Platform: In-Game (Fortnite)
Only 11% of men aged 18–30 in Western Europe used Philips OneBlade, while Gen Z gamers spend more than 10 hours a week in battle royale games. So Philips built the blade into one: on Body Royale, a Fortnite island shaped like a giant, hairy body, cutting hair restored health and uncovered power-ups. It launched at TwitchCon Europe 2025 in Rotterdam, where Philips was headline sponsor. More islands like it are in our guide to brands in Fortnite.
Result: Awareness reached 81% against a 74% target, and sales among men aged 18–30 grew 28% year on year over the campaign period (The Drum Awards case study).
Second Screen Staredown — Twix (2025)
Agency: adam&eveDDB London, with UNIT9 as production company (D&AD) · Mechanic: Other (gaze-tracking staring contest) · Platform: Web
Twix wanted a piece of Super Bowl LIX without buying airtime, so it targeted the phones viewers hold during the ads. On twix.com, two golden bars with human eyes challenged you to a staring contest in each of the broadcast's 31 ad breaks. The front camera tracked your gaze; the longer you held it, the more entries you earned in a draw for two real gold bars.
Result: About 760,000 entries on game day and more than a billion global impressions (D&AD).
The 13 examples at a glance
| Game | Brand | Year | What it did | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yoobot vs YooNot | British Heart Foundation | 2008 | Avatar's health follows food choices | 1 million+ Yoobots in two months |
| The Party Starter | Vodafone | 2012 | Dance app with festival-ticket prizes | 34,000 downloads, 86,000 plays |
| Wolverine Tokyo Fury | V Energy Drink | 2013 | Platformer with codes on cans | 4.4 million gameplays in eight weeks |
| The Game | Travel Oregon | 2017 | Oregon Trail-style winter road trip | Half a million players |
| Light Up Car Curling | Hyundai | 2018 | Predict which car stops behind the line | Stop-line compliance up from 73% to 92% |
| Beauty House | Givenchy | 2022 | Roblox manor with quests | 10.7 million+ visitors by December 2023 |
| Rewards Arcade | KFC | 2022 | Instant win after orders over £3 | 1.3 million rewards redeemed in four months |
| Tough Cookies | IGA | 2022 | Checkout tattoos open a platformer | $1.7 million+ raised over four editions |
| History of the World, Part II | Hulu | 2023 | Comic timeline with arcade games | 173,000+ opens in the first weekend |
| The Co-Worker | IKEA | 2024 | Roblox store with ten paid jobs | 178,000+ applications in two weeks |
| Kick With Pixel | Google Pixel | 2024 | Five-kick football leaderboard | 17.5% conversion rate (agency figure) |
| Body Royale | Philips | 2025 | Fortnite island built around a razor | Sales to men aged 18–30 up 28% year on year |
| Second Screen Staredown | Twix | 2025 | Super Bowl ad-break staring contest | About 760,000 entries on game day |
What do the strongest branded games have in common?
- They go where the audience already is. A Super Bowl ad break (Twix), Roblox or Fortnite (Givenchy, IKEA, Philips), a festival (Vodafone), a checkout (IGA), a road junction (Hyundai).
- Play is tied to a business action. An order earns a play (KFC), a code on a can enters a draw (V Energy), a tattoo bought at the till unlocks a hero (IGA) and an email reveals your rank (Kick With Pixel).
- They count business outcomes, not only plays. Hyundai counted cars stopping behind the line, Philips tracked sales among its target buyers and IKEA counted job applications.
When is a game the wrong tool?
- There is no way to bring players in. Nearly every game above rode on a channel the brand already had or bought: a till (KFC, IGA), a sponsorship (Vodafone, Philips), a broadcast (Twix) or a film release (V Energy). A game on a standalone site has to buy its audience.
- Nobody has planned how to measure the goal. Travel Oregon's brief was winter trips, yet the published result is half a million players. If the task is bookings or sales, set up tracking before launch.
- A deep game is more than the task needs. KFC's Hammer Time is an instant win in one swing, and app downloads still rose 53%. A longer game earns its cost when the message needs time, as IKEA's career path did.
FAQ
What are some examples of gamification in marketing?
KFC's Rewards Arcade gave app customers an instant-win game after orders over £3. Hyundai turned a Seoul junction into a curling sheet to get drivers stopping at the line. IKEA recruited through a Roblox store, and Twix ran a staring contest during Super Bowl ad breaks. In each, the player's action decided the outcome. The loyalty and sales filters show more.
What makes a branded game work?
In the examples above, the game sits where the audience already spends time, such as a checkout, a festival or a Roblox session. Play is tied to an action the brand wants, from a purchase to a job application, and the brand measures that outcome rather than plays alone. The mechanic follows the goal: an instant win suited KFC's reward on every order, while IKEA needed a longer simulation to show a career.
How do brands measure the success of a branded game?
The strongest cases here measured the business goal itself, not just plays. Hyundai tracked stop-line compliance at its junction, which rose from 73% to 92%. KFC counted 1.3 million redeemed rewards in four months. Philips beat its awareness target (81% against 74%) and reported sales among men aged 18–30 up 28% year on year. IKEA counted applications for its in-game jobs and for real store roles. For figures across the whole library, see our playable marketing statistics.
To keep going, browse the in-game worlds or the games still playable today, and if you made a campaign game we have missed, send it to us.