Innovative Bristol game designers SlingShot have been commissioned to raise awareness of French cosmetics brand Bourjois during London Fashion Week beginning on Friday.
SlingShot are award-winning games developers and consultants whose range of games and services includes mobile phone apps and social media campaigns as well as games for clients in the public and private sectors. Their Fashion Week game will see eagle-eyed fashionistas hunting for a model, the Bourjois Belle, who is ‘lost’ on the streets of Shoreditch.
She will be made up in Bourjois cosmetics and fans will be able to pinpoint her location via the game’s Facebook page. In addition, between 12pm and 2pm, they will also be able to track her down via GPS using a live map on their mobile phones. If they find Belle, they will be able to claim free products at the exclusive Bourjois boutique.
SlingShot games are already well known to the gaming public. Their signature game 2.8 Hours Later, is a thrilling zombie chase played on the city streets at twilight. Last year more than 4,000 people played in Bristol, Leeds and London – and with more than 13,000 followers on Facebook clamouring for the game, its creators plan to roll it out to up to nine further destinations this year.
The strength of this online following demonstrates another facet of a game’s allure: while they might realistically be played by only a relatively small number, the buzz around them can attract many times the amount of players to follow the activity online, a phenomenon that is paradoxically heightened by the limited nature of the chances to play.
As one of the so-called Big Four annual fashion events, the London week has long been the home of cutting-edge design where trends are set for the year ahead – among them, it seems, immersive games. Slingshot director Simon Johnson said: “The current generation of consumers has grown up with games as pretty sophisticated products. ‘Game’ thinking has found its way into many corners of our lives and they are seen as a cool way of integrating ideas and products into the mainstream. It’s exciting to us that brands are catching on to the value of play, and it means we are now able to bring playful mechanics into campaigns for clients, resulting in fun games like Spot the Belle.”
A spokesman for advertising agency MEC, which commissioned the game, said: “Spot the Belle is an exciting way for Bourjois to connect and engage with their audience. The multi-platform approach gives users scope to engage with the competition at different levels, depending on how actively they wish to participate. The offline gameplay in particular provides a unique treasure hunt experience with the ultimate aim of driving footfall to the Bourjois Boutique.”
Spot the Belle will be running throughout London Fashion Week (Feb 17-22). Players should go to http://www.facebook.com/BourjoisUK and select The Bourjois Belle tab for more information.
