Digital publisher Concrete Playground has announced the launch of its newly-revamped website with one of the largest brand collaborations in its seven-year history.
The partnership with Mazda will feature a new interactive search functionality called ‘The Playmaker’, allowing readers to personalise their experience on the site through a tool designed to give curated suggestions based on where they are, what time it is and what they want to do.
Forming part of Mazda’s content-lead ‘Detours’ campaign promoting short city-based experiences, The Playmaker is the first brand-sponsored tool to feature Concrete Playground’s full repository of cultural content, including suggestions for inner-city food, drink and cultural adventures, as well as longer road trips and activities.
Richard Fogarty, founder and director of Concrete Playground, said: “The Playmaker is designed to gamify your next night out plan.
“We’re tapping into our audience’s love of interactivity and personalisation by delivering relevant suggestions to readers based on their time, date, location and preferences.
“It could be dinner suggestions for tonight, where to invite your next date for brunch, or which coastal walk you should do on Sunday morning.”
The re-launch of Concrete Playground’s website will be the first major update since its Webby-nominated redesign in 2015, transforming the look and feel, as well as giving readers more intuitive, streamlined mobile navigation, search and directory functionality.
“Our readers are hard-working and time-poor, so our content is now more curated than ever before,” Fogarty said.
“It’s about inspiring our readers and giving them the tools to make the most of their spare time.”
Mazda’s ‘Detours’ campaign celebrates the car brand’s 40th anniversary in 2017, and will include a dedicated content hub on the Concrete Playground website, weekly editorial pieces, video content and a ‘Detours Calendar’ planning tool – a 12-month calendar showcasing the best events and experiences around Australia.
The campaign marks the second year in a row that Concrete Playground has collaborated with Mazda, following the successful ‘Road Trip Generator’ partnership in 2016.
