• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, January 11, 2006

An online game site designed to promote Dunkin' Donuts Turbo Ice coffee drink has lured almost 100,000 Web users, who remained for an average of four minutes each.

The site, designed by online advergaming company BrandGames, was intended to appeal to users between the ages 18 and 24, said Jim Wexler, BrandGames executive vice president. To promote the site, Dunkin' Donuts arranged for rich media banners containing short-form animated movies to run on entertainment, music, and gaming sites. The company also purchased ads on blogs and social networking site Facebook, in addition to other promotions.

The game plays off a Dunkin' Donuts TV campaign featuring a race between a tortoise and hare (in which the tortoise wins with the aid of Turbo Ice caffeine). Visitors to the site (www.turbo-ice.com) are greeted by a screen that says "Welcome to Slacker Heaven" and shows animated characters--a college-age slacker half-dressed in a turtle costume, and a cartoon rabbit--sitting on a sofa. Users are then invited to play a video game; watch short features about the slacker's life; and enter to win prizes. A sweepstakes competition ended Dec. 31, but the site remains live.

BrandGames has conceived similar viral advergaming campaigns for brands including Coca-Cola, Taco Bell, and Pepsi--all of which covet the increasingly fragmented and TV-averse young adult market. "All the marketers are looking for ways to connect with this market," Wexler said. "It's harder and harder to assume that you'll catch a relevant chunk of the market with TV advertising."