RACE A NATION

Short List
TitleRACE A NATION
BrandVODAFONE
Product/ServiceTELECOMMUNICATIONS
Category C01. Live Experience Games
Entrant McCANN BUCHAREST, ROMANIA
Idea Creation McCANN BUCHAREST, ROMANIA
Media Placement WAVEMAKER ROMANIA Bucharest, ROMANIA
Credits
Name Company Position
ADRIAN BOTAN MCCANN EMEA GLOBAL EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR
CATALIN DOBRE MCCANN ROMANIA EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR
RUXANDRA PAPUC MCCANN ROMANIA GROUP CREATIVE DIRECTOR
DANIEL STRUGARIU MCCANN ROMANIA SENIOR ART DIRECTOR
ADRIAN RUSU MCCANN ROMANIA SENIOR ART DIRECTOR
DOINA IONESCU MCCANN ROMANIA GROUP ACCOUNT DIRECTOR
ANDREEA SPILCA MCCANN ROMANIA SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER
BIANCA TRONCEA MCCANN ROMANIA STRATEGY DIRECTOR
TIBERIU MUNTEANU MCCANN ROMANIA HEAD OF AV PRODUCTION
ALEXANDRU PLATON MCCANN ROMANIA AV PRODUCER
ALEX IONESCU MCCANN ROMANI AV PHOTO PRODUCER
CATALIN GAITANARU WAVEMAKER ROMANIA MANAGING PARTNER
VALENTINA DRAGHICI WAVEMAKER ROMANIA ACCOUNT DIRECTOR
ANCA SALTAN WAVEMAKER ROMANIA MEDIA MANAGER
BOGDAN MINCU WAVEMAKER ROMANIA MEDIA MANAGER
VICTOR ROTARIU WAVEMAKER ROMANIA HEAD OF A&I
GEORGIANA TICU WAVEMAKER ROMANIA STRATEGIC MEDIA PLANNER
ELENA OLARU WAVEMAKER ROMANIA OUTDOOR PLANNER
ORLANDO NICOARA 1616.RO DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
FLORENTINA NICA 1616.RO DEVELOPMENT PROJECT MANAGER
ADRIANA DADAU 1616.RO ACCOUNT DIRECTOR
GEORGE BESTELEI 1616.RO ART DESIGNER
OCTAVIAN NECULA DRAGOMIR 1616.RO PROGRAMMER
DRAGOS MATEI 1616.RO PROGRAMMER
DRAGOS TRAISTARU CARIOCA STUDIOS PHOTOGRAPHER
MARKUS BADER STUDIOSET FILM DIRECTOR
ALEXANDRU DOROBANTU STUDIOSET DOP
SORIN BAICAN STUDIOSET PRODUCER
NIKI GEORGIEV STUDIOSET EDITOR
ANA MARIA PAUN STUDIOSET POST PRODUCTION COORDINATOR

Why is this work relevant for Entertainment?

Vodafone wanted everyone, including the users of other mobile networks, to test its latest 4.5G speed so we transformed a stress test into an entertaining experience that anyone could join: a live mobile game. We teamed-up with the country’s top rally pilot and streamed his performance in real-time to the game, through the Vodafone network. From the most remote road in the Carpathians mountains, live on every phone, the car’s movement was instantly mapped in the game so that people could race against the real performance of the actual rally car.

Background

Vodafone was the first mobile operator to introduce 4.5G speed in Romania and wanted to make it attractive to those using other mobile networks as well. Competition was stepping aggressively into two of the main differentiators of Vodafone: network performance & national identity. Every competitor in the market was bragging about a different kind of network certification they got and building a local footprint pillar through communication. Thus, Vodafone had to prove its network capabilities by tapping into local pride, only this time in the most credible way – by engaging consumers in real life. We needed to develop an entertaining stress test for the network, that would demonstrate its power while offering a genuine brand experience for both customers and non-users, in order to increase network perception.

Describe the creative idea

We transformed Vodafone’s network stress test into a live game that even the competition could join. We developed a live mobile game where a real car’s coordinates were converted in real time through the Vodafone network. For the game play, we teamed up with 8 times national rally champion Titi Aur and mapped the rally circuit on the road every Romanian is proud of: the remote Transfagarasan in the Carpathian Mountains. We promoted the game through an integrated campaign and made sure everyone was online for the live race. From the road in the mountains, live on every phone, the car’s movement was instantly mapped in the game so that people could race against the real performance of the actual rally car. The pilot’s coordinates stood as proof of network while anyone could experience its strengths by joining the mobile game regardless of their own operator.

Describe the strategy

As one of the top players in the Romanian mobile market, Vodafone wanted to target all digitalized individuals, aged 16-45, including those using other mobile networks. For them, the phone is indispensable and their network’s performance determines the quality of their “mobile life”. We needed to develop a network performance test relevant to everyone that would also bring a genuine brand experience. So we’ve turned to national identity, as one of our brand’s core values, to help us make a statement. We used the most remote road in the Carpathians that every Romanian is proud of to put our network to a test in the toughest conditions and used real-time data to stream a real car’s driving parameters live into a mobile game

Describe the execution

We developed a live mobile game where a real car’s coordinates were converted in real time. For the game play, we teamed up with 8 times national rally champion Titi Aur and mapped the most remote road in the Carpathian Mountains as the rally circuit. The virtual car respected the real one’s unique features such as drifting capacity and aerodynamics so that the game matched exactly what was happening on the road during the live race. We promoted the game through an integrated campaign and made sure everyone was online for the live race. The game reached over 150 thousand game downloads and a total of over 24 200 hours in-app time. It made it to the country’s biggest gaming events and was covered by the most popular TV tech show as well as the #1 driving show and national news.

Describe the outcome

With 157 725 downloads and more than 24 200 hours total in app time, Vodafone gained “best network performance” among non-users and registered a 14% growth in perception.