Enter SAB's Castle United Ultimate Game, which overcomes these difficulties through an innovative mobile Internet entry platform.
The campaign, which launched 3 August, was conceived by SAB and their below-the-line partner, thirtyfour, as a long-term promotion that aims to remind consumers why they still enjoy SAB's flagship brand, whilst ensuring an experience that will live on beyond the duration of its activations.
The Ultimate Game was designed for the good guy, the guy who is accepted as one of the boys, who enjoys the process of competition as much as the victory. “Castle has always brought men together; to watch sport, to braai, to relax and hang out. With Castle United, we are taking this to a new level,” says Castle Brand Campaign Manager, Roberta Donovan.
Castle drinkers must visit the Castle United mobile Internet site (or mobisite) by going to castlelager.mobi on their cellphone where they can play The Ultimate Game and compete with other Castle drinkers for a daily prize of R10 000.
Teams score points by entering the unique code printed under the crown on every bottle of Castle Lager. To boost their team's chances of winning the prize by scoring bonus points, team members must correctly answer the multiple-choice question printed on the back label of every Castle. Questions are distinctively South African in flavour, focusing on local sport, lifestyle and culture.
The Castle United team with the highest score at the end of the day wins the cash - guaranteed. Castle drinkers can play as individuals or, since as with any team sport, there is strength in numbers, they can unite with friends to increase their chance of winning.
Castle United is being promoted in 43 000 on and off-consumption outlets nationwide, with a multitude of promotional point-of-sale such as posters, tent cards, hanging mobiles, coasters and eye-catching standees. In addition, Castle has introduced nationwide WAP blitzes - activations in which promoters assist consumers to enable Internet browsing (WAP) on their phone for free.
Castle Lager is the first SAB brand to launch a promotion that uses cellphone-based Internet. “Using this technology as an entry platform makes a lot of sense in South Africa where almost everyone has a cellphone and access to desktop computers is limited,” says Donovan. “In addition, the cost per entry of approximately 2c is also substantially lower than for other entry platforms like SMS, which usually cost the participant around R1 per entry,” she says.
The potential of mobile Internet in South Africa is irrefutable; recent statistics from Vodacom put the number of South Africans who now access the Internet via their cellphone at more than 10 million (compared with an estimated 5 million desktop users); and a report from international cellphone browser, Opera Software, shows that the number of mobile Internet users in SA grew by 92.5% between January and September 2008.
“We are very excited about this promotion,” says thirtyfour Managing Director, Morné Fourie. “The ingenious mobisite entry mechanic not only allows users to participate and check on their score in real time, directly from their phone, but it's also an effective way to develop one-to-one communication with Castle customers.”
To get in on the action, go to castlelager.mobi on your cellphone now, and let the game begin.
