An AR-powered experience that had engines revving, the campaign kicked off in Sandton, promising an immersive experience for participants with the chance to win fantastic prizes, including a grand prize for a new car.
Challenge
Absa, one of the largest banks in South Africa, came to us with a thrilling challenge: they wanted a campaign that not only offered a plethora of prizes but also seamlessly integrated cutting-edge technology with real-world engagement. Their ultimate goal? To captivate users and encourage them to interact with the brand through an unforgettable immersive experience while gathering valuable first-person data.
Their vision was clear: they wanted to provide customers with an unparalleled experience that would underscore their dedication to innovation and customer engagement.
Approach
In a dynamic partnership, Absa teamed up with Inner Reality to launch a three-day campaign at the iconic Nelson Mandela Square and Checkers Court in Sandton City. The goal? To create an immersive journey for participants, complete with the opportunity to win an array of incredible prizes, including the grand prize of a brand-new car.
Introducing the Absa & Cars.co.za AR game—a virtual platform where fans could dive into an immersive world to collect Virtual Asset Tokens (VATs) for a chance to win an array of prizes, from key chains to generous R2,000 gift cards. From registration to prize reveals, participants were transported through a web-based AR app, adding an extra layer of excitement to the live activation.
The activation was strategically designed with geo-targeting, ensuring that virtual tokens were strategically dropped at Nelson Mandela Square and the Checkers Court in Sandton City—where the 39 best models in the South African new car market were on display for attendees to explore, experience, and even test drive. By dropping VATs with potential winning prizes within range of each location, attendees were encouraged to visit each spot for a chance to win.
But what truly set this experience apart? The introduction of an innovative loyalty feature—a first of its kind. Attendees were given the opportunity to enter the final draw for the new car by collecting a VAT at each specific location. A pre-filled VAT with a progress bar in the attendee’s wallet tracked their entry progress. Once VATs were collected at both locations, the progress bar filled, and the icon transformed to signal their successful entry for a chance to win the grand prize—a new car.
Results
Through the innovative integration of the Virtual AR platform, Virtual Asset Tokens (VATs), geo-location, and cutting-edge loyalty features, Absa achieved extraordinary outcomes with its campaign. Garnering impressive engagement conversion rates of circa 80%, users were captivated for an average of circa 15 minutes within the immersive experience. Notably, users revisited the activation on multiple days, demonstrating sustained interest, while an impressive average of 550-600 individuals registered per day—an exceptional turnout for a live mall display. Moreover, the bank successfully obtained invaluable first-person data from each user who participated in the AR game, further enhancing their insights and strategic capabilities.
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