Buffalo Wild Wings Home Court Advantage
Best Mobile Marketing Campaign
Agency: BFG Interactive
Campaign: Home Court Advantage
Client: Buffalo Wild Wings
Nationwide restaurant chain Buffalo Wild Wings (BWW) wanted to be known as the place to catch basketball games during the 2011 season. They were looking for a non-traditional approach that included mobile and social media and that would keep people coming back.
They created a mobile-based SCVNGR game to get the chain’s 20- to 30-year-old audience – who is naturally competitive – involved in basketball-related activities, creating and sharing content at Buffalo Wild Wings locations and earning points and rewards.
Custom basketball-themed challenges were created that could be played at restaurant locations nationwide. As players took part in the challenges, they earned points, and virtual and physical rewards. A one-time visit and a few challenges would earn a reward of $5 off a $25 tab. Returns would earn morn points and prizes such as a free Coke, six free wings, gift cards and game tickets. The grand prize was a trip to the NBA Finals with Scottie Pippen.
The air of competition was fueled with a leaderboard that revealed rankings, as well as top
locations for SCVNGR activity. Staff were incentivized to get involved with the game and to promote it to restaurant guests.
The leaderboard could also be viewed at challenge.buffalowildwings.com, as well as on a dedicated Facebook tab. In BWW restaurants, the campaign, which launched the first week in January (2011) and ended the first week in April, was promoted on TVs, table tents and window clings.
Within the first two weeks of the program, there were 33,000 unique players. By the end of the three-month campaign, more than 184,000 unique players had participated. One in three people who played SCVNGR at a Buffalo Wild Wings location came back to play again. Game play was also shared on Twitter and Facebook 45% of the time, generating 118 million social impressions.
