Shutterstock for Häagen-Dazs

Tea-time entertainment

In 2023, luxury ice-cream connoisseurs Häagen-Dazs launched a new limited edition collection of ice creams inspired by the delicate delights of afternoon tea. Refreshingly fruity Orange and Pomegranate Tart and Blooming Blueberry Tart evoked the bright colours of spring and summer – and Häagen-Dazs wanted to celebrate the launch with an equally vibrant campaign via their agency, Shutterstock. 

As part of the campaign, they were after a fun interactive experience to intrigue customers and boost brand engagement. So we teamed up with Shutterstock to create a short, addictive WebAR game that adds an extra scoopful of fun to the new ice-cream flavours.

A sweetly addictive game 

Inspired by the elegant tradition of afternoon tea, we dreamt up a game concept that gets players stacking plates of cakes to get the highest score, with a look and feel that aligns with the colour palette of the overall campaign. Players accessed the game from a QR code on the packaging – launching a bright and colourful animated afternoon tea scene for users to explore by moving their device, before the game begins. 

The aim was to create a short, fast-paced game that hooks players in, testing their timing, speed and skill. The experience would launch in countries all over the world, so it had to be easy to grasp, whatever language the player speaks. Gameplay saw plates appearing in the scene, hovering and weaving over the top of a plate on the table below. The player taps the screen to land the plate and build a tower of cakes, much like a traditional cake stand, before the next flies in – getting faster and faster as the game progresses. The more aligned the plates, the higher the score. 

We drew in the styling and colour palettes of the new flavours, alternating each layer of plates to reflect the two distinct packaging designs. Plus, we gave players the option to share their score on social media for the chance to win a month’s supply of ice cream, play again or visit the Häagen-Dazs website – encouraging engagement with the wider brand.

The results

Initially planned to run for three months from February 2023, Häagen-Dazs enjoyed the gamified webAR experience so much they extended it by another six months to run until October 2023 in countries across the world, including Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, Spain, France and the UK. 

It proved a hit with ice-cream lovers. The game racked up nearly 9000 unique users with an overall dwell time of 200 hours – equivalent to more than eight days – helping to enhance the whole campaign in a fun and memorable way, while creating a deeper connection between Häagen-Dazs and their customers.