“Innovation is about being the first and remaining the best,” read an article title in Marketing Week. In the article they listed 9 brands who they believed showed true innovation – Fosters, Bulmers, Capital FM, Pizza Express to name a few. I’ve selected Heineken as the one I want to talk about.
I first become a fan of Heineken through their adverts created by Wieden+Kennedy. But that’s not what Marketing Week pointed out in this article. Actually it was the digital work done by agency, AQKA.
They linked Heineken with football and created the first “dual-screen” football game. Called, “Star Players,” it let fans simultaneously watch the UEFA Champions League games on TV, whilst also letting them play online games in real time on their computer or phone. It allowed fans to interact with football in a new way. It also took Heineken’s sponsorship of the tournament to the next level.
The game allowed fans to predict the outcome of key moments, and predict if they think there would be a goal scored in the next 30 seconds. Those who guessed the goal earliest within that time frame won the most points. They could gain additional points by answering questions relating to football.
This really brought to light the “dual screen” experience that so many people are talking about at the moment. AKQA showed how they could enhance the viewers experience and get them to engage with the sport in a new way. The article went onto say, “A soft launch, aimed at 18-30 year olds football fans who drink premium larger, has avoided above-the-line media, using only social media to touch on the social aspect of the sport.”
I believe that this is just the start of the duel screen experience and it’s set to develop much more. I think that not too far in the future, we could “drag” a TV character onto our screen and buy what clothes they are wearing, or see where they have brought their glasses from.
It is interesting how the second screen is been used to talk about the show on TV as it’s happening. Recently, Kerry Washington, star of hit American TV show, Scandal, was live tweeting to American viewers as the show was on. She told viewers what make her handbag was and which designer coats her character was wearing. The second screen allows us to develop the conversation and create a greater user experience, and I am very excited to see how it evolves.
See this clip below to see how it worked:-
