GOOGLE ESCAPE

TitleGOOGLE ESCAPE
BrandGOOGLE FRANCE
Product/ServiceGOOGLE
Category A03. Augmented Mobile Experience
Entrant WE ARE SOCIAL Paris, FRANCE
Idea Creation WE ARE SOCIAL Paris, FRANCE
Additional Company THE Paris, FRANCE
Additional Company 2 SUPERBIEN Paris, FRANCE
Additional Company 3 FRANCINE FRAMBOISE Paris, FRANCE
Additional Company 4 ONIRIM Paris, FRANCE
Credits
Name Company Position
Sandrine Plasseraud We Are Social Managing Director
Nicolas Souffleur We Are Social Group Account Director
Julien Ouvrel We Are Social Head of Production
Thomas Guilhot We Are Social Creative Director
Ludovic Houdré We Are Social Account Manager
Arnaud Robin We Are Social Senior Account Manager
Corentin Picaut We Are Social Account Manager
Fabien Gailleul We Are Social Art Director
Aurélie Durand We Are Social Copywriter
Stéphane Maguet We Are Social Head of Creative Technology
Clément Procureur We Are Social Creative Technologist
Baptiste Leproux We Are Social Creative Technologist
Stéphanie Huguenin Francine Framboise Executive Producer
Alexis Moroz / Game Desiner
Vincent Dizie // Set Design and Scenography
Benoit Lemoine // Live Director
Thomas Bohbot // Author
Stéphane Beghounious // Author
Jean Marie Nizan // Author
Cédric Brunel & Aude Lepetit // Line Producers (Event)
Edouard Bonnet // Line Producer (Content)
Guillaume Forest // Technical Director

The Campaign

The creative idea was to showcase the magic behind Google’s products, in real life and in a way that would be the coolest possible: by playing and experimenting. We got inspired by the latest entertainment trend that are the escape games and kind of hacked their offering - any escape games’ rule is the ‘no mobile phone’ one. We used this limitation as a creative inspiration: to leave the Google Escape Room, you’d have to solve riddles using your mobile phone within 40 minutes, and therefore use and experience the full range of Google Apps. A fun escape game, full of technology and first and foremost, the first escape game where your smartphone is essential. Without your mobile you wouldn’t be able to solve the riddles and leave the room

Creative Execution

The Google Escape Room was an innovative mobile-centric installation which took place from the 20th to the 29th of May in Central Paris. To create the game we brought together creatives, game designers and set designers who designed a beautifully crafted gameplay around the whole range of Google’s Apps & Products so that players had 40 minutes to solve riddles using Google Apps and products on their mobile phones or via Google Cardboard. For example, they had to explore a 360° landscape with a Cardboard to find hidden symbols or solve a riddle using Google Instant Translate (the phone app which can automatically translate signs between languages).Altogether, over 200 people experience the Google escape game in real life (100 influencers, 100 who had a chance of winning tickets through PR partners or via Google’s social media channels). And many more were exposed to the experience via social media - as, of course, all participants of the room shared their experience in social networks, including the influencers who experience a Grand Première, live on YouTube, enabling us to reach our urban and connected audience.

Of course, we got great results (17 millions impressions, 1,8 millions engagement, 270 000 mentions of the hashtag), every participants of the room shared their experience in social media, including the influencers who experience a Grand Première, live on YouTube.. We also got great blog and PR coverage (Forbes, AdWeek, Gizmodo, etc) but most of all, people loved it and we gave everyone reasons to engage with mobile technology in a creative and innovative way!

The objective was to engage urban and connected people to experiment Google Apps, to prove the usefulness of those in their daily life to channel their curiosity and creativity. Once we identified a rising trend among our audience for live escape games, we knew we were on to something. And because Google believe that learning through play is the most natural and fun way to their users’ hands and hearts, we decided to create the first branded escape game: the Google Escape Room and first, and foremost, and the first escape game where your smartphone is essential.