Mountain Dew, a division of PepsiCo, offered gamers a sweepstakes to win Xbox 360 consoles leading up to the launch of Microsoft’s console back in 2005. This year, the soft drink maker has added gamification to the equation, enabling fans to play their way to winning one of over 5,000 of Xbox One consoles this fall every two minutes between November 5 and December 9. The Every Two Minutes promotion (www.Every2Minutes.com) is the company’s biggest video game campaign ever.
“With Xbox 360 we had a groundbreaking sweepstakes where consumers won a console every 10 minutes, but we’re letting users control their own destiny with Xbox One,” said Todd Kaplan, director of brand marketing, Mountain Dew. “People can get codes from Doritos and Mountain Dew products and leverage those codes for points. It’s not a sweepstakes. If you want one bad enough, you gather as many codes as you can and use those points for online auctions beginning November 5 from 9 pm to 2 am. We feel this program is groundbreaking and unique. The scale of the program and the number of Xbox Ones we’re giving out is huge. And we believe the gamification of this program connects perfectly with this gamer audience.”
Mountain Dew is took this gamification into the real world over the Labor Day Weekend at PAX Prime in Seattle. The company announced the program to attendees on Friday morning and offered the 100,000 attendees a chance to win one of 30 Xbox Ones and other prizes like 2014 PAX tickets, Turtle Beach Headsets and Polk Audio SurroundBars by taking part in a QR scavenger hunt.
“PAX is the biggest consumer expo in the U.S. and there’s no better place to launch a program like this then at the center of gaming itself,” said Kaplan. “We gave PAX Prime attendees a chance to win one of six Xbox One systems that will be delivered before release day. They’ll be the first people in the world to play this console. We also gave away 24 Xbox One consoles to attendees. We partnered with PAX to place QR codes throughout the convention center and attendees collected points. Over 1,000 gamers attended the live auction on Sunday with a real auctioneer. The more they engage, the more they can win everything from the consoles to shirts and headphones and even in-game items.”
It was a real world version of the online contest that will launch November 5 and feature over a half a million prizes. There was also a physical DEW and Doritos marketplace in the Washington State Convention Center, which had more than 60,000 items that attendees could get by redeeming their points.
“In addition to the more than 100 codes located throughout the convention center, we used the DEW social media channels to let PAX attendees know that there were a limited number of high-value QR codes located in places around Seattle like Pike Place Market and the Space Needle,” said Kaplan. “People were so engaged in the Every 2 Minutes promotion that they literally ran from the convention center to get them . . . they were gone within five minutes.”
The PAX campaign was a success. In just under three days, PAX attendees scanned the “Every 2 Minutes” QR codes more than 155,000 times.
Kaplan said there will also be an in-game component to the marketing this fall, which allows gamers to collect and bank points by purchasing specially marked DEW and Doritos products. Among the virtual prizes are a Mountain Dew/Dale Earnhardt Jr. paintout for Forza Motorsport 5, a Mountain Dew branded sword and shield for Ryse: Son of Rome, a Mountain Dew Roller Hog for Dead Rising 3 and a Ninja costume in Doritos brand colors.
“Mountain Dew and Doritos have a strong connection to the gaming space,” said Kaplan. “These products are endemically consumed as part of the gaming experience. People are constantly engaged in games and consuming our products. Over the years we have launched limited time Mountain Dew Game Fuel product and had great results. This year we’re launching Citrus Cherry and Electrifying Berry and there will be a special Doritos Gamer Pack made for the ideal gaming experience.”
Although the Xbox One is priced at $499, pre-orders have already been halted at major retailers in testimony to the pent-up demand. Microsoft’s recent policy changes and the announcement of strong support for indie developers seem to be going over well with the fans, and Kaplan as well.
“We feel good about Xbox One,” said Kaplan. “We’ve partnered with Xbox in the past. We think this new console is groundbreaking technology. It will really change the game for gamers this fall and beyond. The next generation of video games opens up new connectivity and we’ve seen an explosion of multiplayer games. The Kinect technology and visual image recognition and how that’s evolved — knowing if you or your Mom walks into the room — is amazing. The graphics and experiences are bringing a more realistic feeling to games. We’re glad to be a part of it. Gaming is a social experience, and our brands are meant to be part of shared experiences.”
With Xbox One pre-orders sold out, this promotion should connect with a large audience. Even those fanboys still upset with Microsoft aren’t going to turn down a free $500 console. And having Xbox One on all of that packaging for this fall and beyond won’t hurt Microsoft as it battles Sony in the next generation console war.
