The enthusiasm some brands are showing for gaming campaigns seems a little strange but Subway’s looks to be a bull’s-eye. Subway’s first-ever gaming experience, Sink a Sub, comes from Wunderman Thompson in Australia and New Zealand. It’s a virtual at-sea battleground with some impressive prizes, including an Isuzu M-UX, $10k cash, bikes as well as Subway food.
Every customer purchasing a sub-and-drink at participating Australian and New Zealand Subway restaurants will receive a code for the gaming experience that invites players to sink a submarine sandwich on the digital gameboard.
Frank Martelli, experience design director at Wunderman Thompson, explained, “What began as a hallway conversation over twelve months ago has now seen a passionate team at Wunderman Thompson, Ikon and Subway come together to bring Sink a Sub to life.
“It’s a simple idea that brings fresh energy to the brand in a new and unique way. We’ve been very focused on making the game seamless and engaging for users to interact with, while working hard to build in complex gamification strategies and frameworks to ensure Subway customers return to restaurants and the game again and again and again.”
Subway head of marketing, Rodica Titeica, added, “With Sink a Sub, we’re doing things in a fresher way and making everyone a winner. Every guest who plays, wins a prize. So even if you miss when you fire your meatball cannon, you’ll still win instant swag, including Subway cookies, drinks and meal upgrades.”
Georgia Bruton, Partner – Shopper Marketing at Wunderman Thompson said: “We know the most motivating and successful promotions are the ones that deliver instant gratification, but logistically they are the hardest to execute. The Subway team was undeterred and agreed that to deliver a successful campaign, we needed to reward all customers with not only a fun and interactive experience, but one in which everyone wins instantly. Well done to Subway for believing in such a great idea and for being such a great partner. It took true partnership skills to make something like this happen, especially in the space of three months.”
Sink a Sub will be heavily promoted online, in-store, TV, OOH and radio throughout November. Wunderman Thompson’s WPP AUNZ sibling, Ikon Communications (Brisbane), will manage media. Unlisted (formally known as Passion Pictures)alsoworked alongside Wunderman Thompson to develop the animation for the gaming.
Credits:
Agency: Wunderman Thompson
Partner: Ana Lynch
Group Engagement Lead: Sheridan Turner
Engagement Manager: Bronte Rohrig
National Chief Strategy Officer: Angela Morris
Experience Design Director: Frank Martelli
UX Design: Yvonne Jahn, Koji Yajima & Heidi Fidel
UI Design: Marvin Cheung & Kate Roden
Associate Creative Directors: Nick Doring & Kat Thomas
Art Director: Amee Wilson
Copywriter: James Southey:
Designers: Julian Batty & Evelyn Tran
Tech Lead: Ben Dubuisson
Digital Project Manager: Priscilla Edmonds
Front-end Lead: Hamish Lamb
Developers: Luciano Di Giuseppe, JM Beltran & Annie Kyles
Tester: Samina Munir
Managing Partner, Shopper: Georgina Bruton
Senior Engagement Manager, Shopper: Emma Williams
Head of Screen: Sandi Gracin
Integrated Producer: Chloe Marshall
Editor: Kel Gronow
Production Company: Unlisted (formally known as Passion Pictures)
Director: Nick Lines
Executive Producer: Graham Pryor
Producers: Megan Plane & Liz Manning
Storyboards: Dylan Shearsby
Concept Designers: The Stompin’ Ground
Character Designer: Sacha Bryning
CG Modeller: Kevin Taylor @ The Stompin’ Ground
Cinema 4D: Miguel Rodrigues
Head of VFX: Adrian Oostergetel
3D Generalist: Duncan McDonald
3D Animator: Rodrigo Torres
Design: Will Hunt
AE Animator: James Neilson, Josh Le Good
Online: Tom Marley
Media Agency: Ikon Communications
Client: Subway
Head of Marketing ANZ: Rodica Titeica
Senior Marketing Manager: Ben Mile
Marketing Manager: Raquel Hine
Kate Munro: Assistant Marketing Managers: Kate Munro, Wannetta Samidurai & Geoff Fowler (Loyalty)
