Buffalo Wild Wings created a mobile game called SCVNGR to engage their target audience of 20-30 year olds in basketball-related challenges at their restaurant locations nationwide. Players earned points and rewards like food and merchandise for completing challenges. The game fostered competition through public leaderboards and encouraged sharing on social media. Over the 3 month campaign, 184,000 unique players participated, generating 118 million social impressions and increasing repeat visits.

1. Nationwide restaurant chain Buffalo Wild Wings (BWW) wanted to be known as the place to catch
basketball games during the 2011 season. They were looking for a non-traditional approach that included
mobile and social media and that would keep people coming back.
They created a mobile-based SCVNGR game to get the chain’s 20- to 30-year-old audience – who is
naturally competitive – involved in basketball-related activities, creating and sharing content at Buffalo
Wild Wings locations and earning points and rewards.
Custom basketball-themed challenges were created that could be played at restaurant locations nationwide.
As players took part in the challenges, they earned points, and virtual and physical rewards. A one-time
visit and a few challenges would earn a reward of $5 off a $25 tab. Returns would earn morn points and
prizes such as a free Coke, six free wings, gift cards and game tickets. The grand prize was a trip to the
NBA Finals with Scottie Pippen.
The air of competition was fueled with a leaderboard that revealed rankings, as well as top
locations for SCVNGR activity. Staff were incentivized to get involved with the game and to promote it to
restaurant guests.
The leaderboard could also be viewed at challenge.buffalowildwings.com, as well as on a dedicated
Facebook tab. In BWW restaurants, the campaign, which launched the first week in January (2011) and
ended the first week in April, was promoted on TVs, table tents and window clings.
Within the first two weeks of the program, there were 33,000 unique players. By the end of the three-month
campaign, more than 184,000 unique players had participated. One in three people who played SCVNGR
at a Buffalo Wild Wings location came back to play again. Game play was also shared on Twitter and
Facebook 45% of the time, generating 118 million social impressions.
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