Soap launches online campaign for Dick Smith

Dick Smith, via Soap Creative, is daring to go where no Australian brand has gone before, with the launch of TurboBoost Touchdown.

The two-week campaign aims to create talkability and excitement around a new retail promotion from Dick Smith, which will see one consumer winning a flight in a MIG jet to the edge of space. To give potential entrants a taste for takeoff, Soap has developed a playful and unique experience that blurs the lines between promotion, gaming, social media, real world content and campaign site. 

Every day in a secret location, four anonymous men in yellow suits will fire a model rocket to heights of up to 600 metres. Consumers are given a video preview before launch, along with flight and condition information. Using this information, they are challenged to guesstimate the co-ordinates of where the rocket will land. A daily prize is given to the most accurate prediction. The winner of the grand-final launch will receive a brand new laptop.

“Regular entrants will get better at predicting the trajectories of the rockets as the fortnight goes on”, says producer Lee Richards, “so repeat participation will be rewarded. In addition, clues and exclusive content will be distributed through Facebook, Twitter and YouTube in order to create a community around the experience.”

The Turbo Boost Touchdown campaign site combines video footage of the real-world rocket launches with a rich online experience. The flash website is centred around a map of the secret location, which has been modelled in 3D. Befitting the Dick Smith positioning as ‘the Techxperts’, the site also features GPS data and up-to-date statistics including wind direction and speed. 

The website changes depending on the time of day with the map and ambient soundscape reflecting launch conditions.

“This project adds an exciting “real world” element to the interactive creative,” says Creative Director Brad Eldridge. “To go out and play with rockets, film the experience and then create a way to share this content online has been a lot of fun. We approached this with passion and are genuinely excited about sharing the experience with consumers.”

Daniel McMahon, Head of Multi Channel, Dick Smith, is very enthusiastic about the project. “Soap Creative exceeded our expectations by creating not only a great online promotion, but a really rich brand experience as well,” she said. “So often in these promotions only one consumer ends up having the amazing experience. Now thousands of Dick Smith customers will get a taste for takeoff!”