Kia’s Game On app, created to promote the car brand’s sponsorship of the Australian Open, has been labeled a “massive success”.
The app, which launched on January 13, pits TV viewers of the Open up against the killer serve of Australian tennis player Sam Groth.
Since launch the app has received more than 100,000 downloads and, in addition to its local following, it has been viewed as far afield as Guadaloupe, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Kosovo and Tanzania.
Steve Watt, general manager of marketing for Kia, said: “The idea of having over 100,000 Australians with Kia’s brand showcased in their pocket every day is very exciting.”
“The Australian market sells around 1 million cars a year so 100,000 interested customers spending more than 10 minutes with our brand, and proactively engaging with it every day for two weeks is an impressive result.”
The release of Game On’s midway point results comes after a study revealed one in seven people aged 14 and over associate the brand with Open, which it has sponsored since 2002.
Game On was created by mobile solutions shop Mnet and built in partnership with media agency Initiative and creative agency Innocean Australia.
The app, which promotes interaction between the Game On player and the Kia add, has been number one free app on iTunes and number one free game.
At the Australian Open’s halfway point Game On players were using the app for an average of 10 minutes a time.
Mnet CEO Travis Johnson added: “At this stage there are more than 100,000 people in Australia continually playing Kia Game On. It shows how mobile is the ultimate media channel to drive immediacy and frequency of people’s interaction with a brand.”
