Hungry Horse More Jingle More Bells

Over half a million games played

46,121 total players

15 mins avg. engagement time per player

Last-minute changes

After UK hospitality establishments were forced to close their doors ahead of Christmas 2020, many of their marketing campaigns also went out the window. Hungry Horse was no different.

When the lockdowns were finally announced, the original plan needed to change. Instead of the large-scale, cross-channel ‘More Jingle More Bells’ Christmas campaign, the team had to make tough decisions on how to approach their last quarter.

Game on!

Having created games for previous campaigns, the digital team understood their value in engaging customers and creating conversations. They decided that a game was the way forward. As a main CTA and integral part of the new plan, it was believed that as a tool it could raise spirits, offer a little entertainment, and provide a great way to connect with a customer base now staying safe at home.

They chose Peek & Poke as their trusted partner to deliver the goods. Having worked with the team before, they knew that Peek & Poke would be a safe pair of hands to meet the deadline while bringing a new character to life.

"I wouldn't want to risk a project like this with anyone else. The stakes were high and it required something special to raise awareness for the Christmas period ahead."

Mark Haslam, Digital Designer, Greene King

Hungry Horse Hospitality Industry Branded Game Menu Screen

Hungry Horse Hospitality Industry Branded Game Screenshot

Hungry Horse Branded Game Score Submission Screen

"We were introducing a new character that would be on our comms and star in the game, which needed the additional magic from the creative team at Peek and Poke to bring it to life."

Mark Haslam, Digital Designer, Greene King

Organic for the win

With the original campaign having to be stripped back and all paid promotion cancelled, the success of ‘More Jingle More Bells’ had to rely solely on organic traffic. To say that the game was played over half a million times, we reckon the organic approach through email and social media turned out to be a resounding success!

In addition to a landing page on the website (47.5k visits) and email to subscribers (generating 38,650 visits), the game also created a real buzz on social media where organic posts went out to the Hungry Horse Facebook account with nearly 200,000 followers.

The team monitored, engaged with, and replied to comments throughout the campaign. By establishing real connections between brand and audience, they managed to drive 28,406 visits through social media – not to mention multiple positive comments! 👇

"The final product exceeded our expectations. Our branding tied in so well with the game and the character design ended up being incredible. The game surpassed our expectations as it was shared without the spend and how it should be – organically!"

Mark Haslam, Digital Designer, Greene King

More case studies

View case study

See all

Latest from the blog

Euro 2024 Marketing Ideas: 7 Ways to Make Your Brand Stand Out

14 Fun Trade Show Game Ideas for 2024 (Any Budget)

What Is Trade Show Mode?

All blog posts