Malaysian Media Awards Winners Showcase

Objective & Challenge
Malaysia’s Movement Control Order (MCO) changed the fabric of “normal” in the country. Nearly overnight, people could not publicly gather, be near each other and were stuck at home 24/7 leading to psychological and emotional stress. A study found 1 in 2 Malaysians experienced anxiety and depression during lockdown. Coca–Cola Malaysia as business was also challenged to adjust to the new reality. Coca–Cola consumption outside of home was suddenly marginalized. We needed to shift our business priorities to focus on in–home meal occasions to drive sustainable volume since everyone was at home. We needed a solution to address both of our business and consumers we serve. We realized we had a unique opportunity help people cope by bringing back some joy and excitement into their lives in ways that are unique and meaningful to them, during these tough times. The launch of our Cari–Cari Gol campaign in partnership with McDonald’s in mid2020, at the heart of the lockdown did just that. Here’s our story.

Insight & Strategy
Malaysians, restless and stuck at home were missing three things: FOR 65%, WATCHING FOOTBALL: Malaysia is a football nation, handicapped from watching their favorite games and sporting events such as English Premier League or the Olympics due to sudden cancellations brought about by Covid lockdowns. GOING OUT AND EXPERIENCING OLD HAUNTS: Consumers, especially those 35yrs and below, missed going to old and familiar locations: their gym, school, urban exploration, nightlife, eating out in groups and enjoying the food and ambience, as well as for football crazies, missing the scale and energy watching as fans in stadiums. They missed the joy and excitement of being ‘in action’ and on the world ‘outside’ beyond home. GOING OUT AND FINDING SOMETHING NEW: Neuroscientific evidence shows people place great value and meaning to places, and that different places evoke different emotions, such as joy, security, and wellbeing. And that is why the discovery of new places and things within are compelling to people. It serves as a motivation for users to go and explore to trigger both emotional relief and excitement. OUR STRATEGY We merged Malaysian’s common interests together: Football, The Familiar and The New, to get them excited and be in ‘action’, through a gamified “Virtual Reality (VR) Football Treasure Hunt” unlocked through a meal– bundling activation with McDonald’s a long–term partner loved by millions of Malaysians. The McDonald’s and Coca–Cola meal, provided a “virtual key” to access this experience in three steps: 1. Consumers scan the QR code on the McDonald’s x Coke cup part of the meal. 2. Upload a receipt image as proof of purchase of McDonald’s meal with Coca–Cola beverage. 3. Start “Cari–Cari Gol” in our 1st ever VR football hunt! Stomachs happy, fun begins!

Execution
LOCAL BECOMES VIRTUAL We virtually augmented real locations in Malaysia and turned them into treasure–hunting virtual environments as game levels that users could immerse in, explore, and discover hidden prizes within, using their mobile devices or computers. The locations need to be familiar and missed among the Malaysians during the lockdown. The seven locations we chose were those commonly identified and missed publicly available spots by Malaysians during lockdown: Bukit Jalil Stadium, Shah Alam Football Stadium, historic Chinatown street (Lorong Panggung), several universities and gyms! These locations were also chosen because they were suitable for interactive and immersive treasure–hunting: rich in the number of exploration spots, with hidden spaces where our little JavaScript elves could hide the prizes. Treasure–hunt mechanics were weaved into the 3D data, and incorporated exciting football–related sound effects, imagery, prizes, and concepts to fulfill our young consumers’ explorative slant. KICKSTARTING THE GAME The experience kicks off with the sound of a football referee blowing his whistle. The player then navigates skillfully around the environment, weaving around walls, doorways, and pillars for a possible prize, which could be behind a door, on the ceiling, or in virtually any nook and cranny. When a prize is found, the player must make a game–changing decision whether to forego the prize for a chance to find a better substitute prize elsewhere in the virtual environment. Not an easy decision. The player might also find performance–enhancing powerups that add extra time to the game to find better prizes. Over +20,000 prizes were chosen specifically to cater to the football theme, namely Coke football keychains, EPL club jerseys, tickets to live EPL matches in the UK and more. SEAMLESS ONLINEOFFLINE INTEGRATION We made the gaming experience seamless for consumers as their brand experience starts from scanning a QR code on a Coca–Cola cup as part of every McDonald’s meal ordered, to direct them to the virtual game immediately. If the player finds a prize in the hunt within 60 seconds from the start, they will be notified immediately for verification, and for their achievements, have their football–related prize delivered to them shortly!

Effectiveness
We reached over 7M people and drove over 650,000 engagements on social media. The game brought over 76,000 visitors, with over 9,700 returning visitors. Business spiked! The average number of meals purchased for repeat participation in the game was also increased to five meals, within the two–month period, two meals greater than the norm. Best of all, players got absolutely immersed! Google Analytics shows 50% interested in sports, 8% in football, and 45% interested in fast food, a wide mix of players! The standard deviation of number of plays across the game levels by the end of the campaign rose to almost 2.5 times that of game level plays at the beginning. This trend coincided with the emergence of game levels with a high win–to–play ratio AND a high play rate. No doubt, players were starting to strategize and discuss tactics. Some players spent a great deal of time honing their skills, by playing more than 30 times! Half the players decided to keep the prize while the other half kept playing and “gaming the game” to find a better one. More than a game, we gave them joy, distraction, respite, and another reason “to play on.”