Who: No Frills, John St., Relish Interactive (game creative and development), wonderMakr (arcade unit fabrication), SNDWRx Ltd. (game music), Video: Radke Films, Artjail, Married to Giants, The Vanity, SNDWRx.
What: Hauler: Aisles of Glory, a delightfully retro 8-bit video game that lets gamers simulate a No Frills shopping trip for a chance to win PC Optimum points. It’s an appropriately no frills game, with 80s-era visuals and sound.
When & Where: The web-based game can be played on tablet, mobile and desktop. It’s part of a broader campaign that launched on May 6 in support of the discount grocery chain’s “Hauler” brand platform that launched last year.
Why: The campaign is part of an ongoing effort by Loblaw Companies Limited (LCL) to promote the banner as a store where smart shoppers—or “Haulers”—can get a lot for less.
How: Hauler: Aisles of Glory is reminiscent of arcade classics like Donkey Kong, with players using just three controls (up, down and jump) to help their selected “Hauler” navigate through a No Frills store. The objective is to collect everyday grocery items from departments including meat, produce, bakery, etc. while at the same time avoiding unnecessary “frills” like diamonds, limousines and boats. Once their play-through is complete, players can enter their PC Optimum number to collect 500 daily points. The game will continue rewarding players until Loblaw has dispensed 50 million points to Canadians. The screen also shows the location of the player’s nearest No Frills location.
Anything else?: You bet. There’s also a 60-second spot called “Haul or Nothing” that’s decidedly unlike conventional grocery store advertising (see it below). There are also new items on HaulerShop.com that are slated to roll out next month.
And we quote: “Every major sport has a video game franchise, so why should hauling be any different? Much like the best athletes, the best haulers aren’t born—they’re made through mental and physical preparedness. We wanted to demonstrate to the world what goes into an epic haul.”—Uwe Stueckmann, senior vice-president of marketing, Loblaw Companies.
