Virgin launches nation’s biggest location-based ‘Game Of Phones’ mobile app competition and campaign via Havas Worldwide, OGB + Starcom
Virgin Mobile Australia has today announced the launch of an integrated brand campaign called ‘Game Of Phones’, bringing a range of rewards worth fighting for to people’s pockets to reinforce its commitment to giving customers so much more than mobile.
Players will be challenged to hunt for almost $200,000 worth of prizes in the ‘Game of Phones’ virtual world through a mobile app game that will see live interaction between tens of thousands of people on the streets of Australia. The ultimate winner will be rewarded with a $50,000 VIP voyage of royal proportions, and the grand title of ‘The King’ of ‘Game of Phones’. The winner will have the entire Virgin Family at their disposal to help create their dream escape.
The campaign launches via an irreverent branded content video that captures the spirit of the game and, introduces possible scenarios where hipsters slay accountants, vegetarians ambush butchers and daddy’s little princesses cross their BFF in order to stake their claim on a prize. Virgin Mobile has cast one of Australia’s biggest YouTube stars, beauty blogger Chloe Morello, in the ‘BFF’ role.
Media support at launch includes major national outdoor, digital, display, pre-roll video, rich mobile executions, premium Facebook advertising and commuter press.
Virgin Mobile has also partnered with Southern Cross Austereo’s national 
Today Network which will be amplifying gameplay with live daily updates, talent integration and utilising street teams nationally with promotion across thenetwork’s digital, social and radio platforms.
Outdoor media company oOh! Media have built a bespoke dynamic messaging platform that enables Virgin Mobile to control messaging in real time to any individual, or all sites on their digital network. Not only a unique way to enhance gameplay, it’s also a world leading technology execution that brings digital outdoor a huge leap closer to the capabilities of online media.
Together with the Southern Cross Austereo partnership, this enables live dynamic messaging to work together for the first time, in real-time across Radio, Online and now also OOH media.
‘Game of Phones’ marks Virgin Mobile’s first brand campaign since the telco underwent a major brand refresh in August this year, unveiling a new logo, a more mature look and feel, and a new customer-centric strategy which adopts the ethos ‘we look after our own’.
Says Nicole Bardsley, director of Virgin Mobile brand & communications: “Games are now the second most-used application on smartphones, just after Facebook and we are genuinely 
excited to be able to engage the public in our brand in a truly innovative, unique, fun and inherently ‘Virgin’ initiative that is ‘mobile first’.
“As Virgin Mobile continues to implement its new, 
customer-centric strategy, it’s paramount that we place our customers at the heart of everything we do. Game of Phones provides a great opportunity for us to do just this, continuing to highlight all the perks on offer that show how we look after our own, while offering Virgin Mobile customers so much more with an incredible prize pool.”
Continuing to offer its customers unbeatable perks, Virgin Mobile also recently announced a new Velocity Frequent Flyer offering for both new and existing customers across the suite of Virgin Mobile’s postpaid plans. All postpaid customers will now have the opportunity to earn 3 Velocity Frequent Flyer Points for every dollar spent with Virgin Mobile.
The ‘Game of Phones’ app is available to download from today, with game play commencing on 18th November.
How to play Game of Phones:
- Players will be challenged to hunt for virtual prizes found on the Game Of Phones’ app map screen on their Android or iOS smartphone.
- When players come within 50 metres of a prize icon, they can tap to claim it, but it can then be stolen by other players located within 100 metres – game on!
- Throughout the game, Virgin Mobile stores will act as safe houses and game play is live between 7am and 7pm AEDT Monday to Friday and 9am to 6pm AEDT on the weekend from Monday 18 November through to Sunday 8 December.
- Contestants will be able to retain a maximum of three prizes at any one time, from Virgin Australia Velocity points, Virgin Money EFTPOS gift cards, a Virgin Mobile Irresistible Plan and Virgin Wine mixed cases to Sony Xperia™Z1 mobile handsets, Sony 32″ TVs and Nespresso coffee machines.
- Prizes that have been protected and retained when the game closes will be available to redeem with the ultimatewinner crowned The King and rewarded with a $50,000 Virgin Mobile trip of alifetime.
Concept Creation: One Green Bean & Havas Worldwide Australia
App Management: One Green Bean
ATL: Havas Worldwide Australia
Digital Advertising Development: Havas Worldwide Australia
Media Innovation & Partnership Management: Starcom
Media Strategy, Amplification & Investment: Starcom
PR & Social Media: One Green Bean
App Design & Development: Locatrix
Video Production: Photoplay Films (Scott Otto Anderson)
Photography Production: The Pool Collective (Sean Izzard) / Cream
22 Comments
Awesome work! Well done CJ and Paris, this is going to be big!
Mini Getaway?
if an award school student presented this you’d giggle for a second then explain to them how shitfully embarrassing it is and not to do it again. worse than joffrey
Massive. Another great idea from Chris Johnson and Paris G. On fire boys. I want to play the game….
So it’s a bad pun and you’ve ripped off the multi-award winning Mini campaign from Sweden. Congratulations, you must be very proud.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMWu1h_6OfE
… so its same as Mini Getaway from 2010 but GoT themed?
the promo video is a lot of fun. really well executed. nice one guys
It’s hilarious and well directed, I reckon the punters will like
Nice work CJ, Paris, Scott and Sean. Looks beautiful, great to see some well produced work coming out Havas!
This is hilarious! Well done CJ, Paris, Fi and Floor.
Love it! Great idea …. can’t wait to play the game.
I’ll fight you for the 3D printer.
Amazing video, good work all. Virgin Mobile do it again 🙂
Hipsters on a killing spree… love it
great campaign guys! beautifully executed… (no pun intended) – see, everyone loves a pun.
A very funny parody, well executed
Creatives have been trying to get a client to buy a ‘Mini Stockholm’ inspired app for years. The guys pointing this out above have probably tried and failed.
The mechanics are similar – who cares. Instagram video is a copy of vine. So what? all advertising/interactive ideas must be 100% original in nature? Pffff…. please – get off it.
Not bad. I think there is some disconnect with some of the comms and not sure how ‘summer is coming’ has anything to do with anything apart from something the client wanted for the Xmas/end of year campaign. Using a nerdy app has nothing to do with getting outside and enjoying the summer weather, socialising, playing sport, BBQ”s etc. but yeah, it reeks of client vomit.
Yes, Mini Getaway.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMWu1h_6OfE
I did see a variation of this from an Award student this year for one of the briefs…
As an AD what frustrates me is that we tell the students not to do it (even if it looks fun and engaging and leverages improvements in technology), but then some other agency does it and get lauded for it. Mixed messages?
Advertising isn’t so much about how good the idea is, so much as it’s about whether or not you can sell it to the client.
idea wise I’m afraid this phone based game in real time / treasure hunt has been done a lot. The film is well done though.
I’m pretty sure ‘Summer is coming’ is another poke at the show, where they continually say ‘Winter is coming’ Pretty funny.
Will the prizes be from 2005 too?
Funny … great parody … sweet … but what a load of toss, tell me how it will sell one extra phone plan? Even voda have a better chance to succeed