Mars Inc. Petcare is pitting cats against dogs in the “Season’s Greenies Snowball Battle”—an interactive online game designed to build brand loyalty for its Greenies pet treats during the holiday season.
Mars is directing one million “pet parents” in the Greenies’ consumer database to the online game at Greenies.com/SeasonsGreenies.
“Holiday season is the highest treat buying volume season in the year,” said Andrea Cook, vice-president, group account director, Grey Canada, which designed the game. “We recommended an interactive game option due to its strong viral potential and overall originality.
“The intent is to have customers engage with Greenies, thereby building brand value and loyalty,” she added. “This kind of awareness and engagement drives sales as well.”
To play, gamers first decide if they want to represent team cat or team dog, pick the breed and colour of their pet, and then dress it for the winter weather. Players then click their mouse to throw snowballs of varying sizes and speeds at their opponents, while dodging snowballs hurled in their direction. While online, visitors can also register to win the oral care treat for a year.
“Greenies is a fun and joyful brand, and these attributes are embodied in the game play and character styling,” said Cook.
“The holiday season is the time when pet owners go that extra mile to pamper their pets. In return, Greenies is thanking them with their own online ‘treat’ in the form of an interactive game,” said Carolyn Hanigan, vice-president of marketing, pet specialty, Mars Inc. in a release.
