Winner: Hunter Public Relations on behalf of Can Manufacturers Institute - Cans Get You Cooking Goes Mobile
For generations, canned foods have been a staple in America’s kitchens. From fruits and vegetables, to seafood and soups, canned foods have made cooking family meals deliciously simple for over a century.
In recent years, however, a focus on eating fresh and new package forms have put pressure on the can. So in 2013, the Can Manufacturers Institute launched Cans Get You Cooking, a national consumer campaign aimed at educating mom about the role canned foods can play in helping her get a nutritious, homemade meal on the table, day in and day out, without compromise; and helping drive increased canned food purchase and consumption.
Recognizing that the campaign’s target over-indexed significantly in mobile gaming, the campaign partnered with FarmVille2: Country Escape to create a custom event that would inform and inspire her by illustrating the field-to-can story and letting her participate in it.
New in-game features customized for the Cans Get You Cooking event allowed players to harvest fruits and vegetables from their virtual farms and send their bounty to be canned, underscoring that the canning process locks in foods’ nutrition, freshness and flavor.
In September 2014, throughout four weeks, Cans Get You Cooking was seamlessly integrated into the world of Farmville. Custom gameplay took players through 17 quests, during which they interacted with branded game board assets and were educated by game characters about Cans Get You Cooking and the value of locking in the freshness and nutrients of summer’s bounty through the canning process.
Cans Get You Cooking’s custom FarmVille2: Country Escape event delivered more than 164 million message-rich impressions to players, over-delivering on goal by 112 percent. During the four weeks, players entered the game twice as often as usual, and avid players crafted nearly four million canned goods.
Honorable Mentions:
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• Westat - CDC's National Flu Vaccination Incentivized Social Gaming Campaign