The Heineken-owned cider brand Orchard Thieves has launched a new campaign on Instagram called #FollowTheFox, which includes an innovative Instagram Filter Game.
A first of its kind in Ireland, it was developed by THINKHOUSE, and the game features the Orchard Thieves fox on a deserted city street as it scampers to its unknown destination. The game player opens their mouth to make the fox jump to dodge obstacles like traffic bollards and seagulls. Players are encouraged to share their high scores for a chance to win Orchard Thieves prizes.
According to Paula Conlon, marketing manager, Cider at Heineken Ireland: “The brand needs to be authentic and true to what consumers love about Orchard Thieves – it’s edgy, urban and innovative personality. For us it’s about knowing our audience and giving them something fun and different as they endlessly scroll on their phones seeking escapism and to show up on Instagram, in this new way, is a great example of our ambition to always be at the forefront of an ever-changing social and digital landscape. True to the Orchard Thieves mantra to ‘Follow the Fox to the exciting unknown and you’ll be rewarded’ – our Consumers were indeed rewarded.’’
Following a number of AR/VR campaigns delivered by the THINKHOUSE in 2019, this is the first AR Instagram-filter game that the agency developed, demonstrating how AR is now very much a part of the new world social media experience.
Donagh Humpreys, Social & Digital Innovation Director, THINKHOUSE said: “This is a new digital idea that was initially part of a wider, multi-faceted marketing campaign for Orchard Thieves cider. But once lockdown was enforced, we knew that it was the perfect time to launch an innovative, fun campaign on a channel where huge numbers of people would be spending time. From Ideation, design and game build all happening under one virtual roof, the whole thing was developed by an ambitious client and agency team eager to demonstrate that now is the time for brands to deliver brilliant innovation and engagement in social.”
