Sephora, an LVMH brand reinforced health and safety awareness training through gamified microlearning experience for HQ employees, beauty consultants and retailers worldwide.
Case Study
Au Bureau – B2C marketing campaign for Customer Retention & Engagement
Solution:
Game 1, 2, 3, 5 & 6: Marketing –
Customer Acquisition & Retention
Game 4: Marketing – Brand Activation
Game format:
Digital Cluedo, Interactive Webpage,
Arcade Games – racing game, squid game gingerbread
Target:
Au Bureau’s clients
Client:
Au Bureau, Subsidiary of Groupe Bertrand
About Au Bureau
“Au Bureau” is a restaurant chain inspired by the British pubs, a subsidiary of Groupe Bertrand, the French-owned biggest restaurant group, founded in 1989.
Game 6: Au Bureau Christmas Village
Squid Game Gingerbread: Au Bureau’s Festive Marketing Triumph
This holiday season, Au Bureau Pubs and Restaurants are redefining Christmas fun with their Christmas Village campaign. Inspired by the hit series, the game challenges participants to carefully trace the rind of gingerbread shapes across three increasingly difficult levels, racing against the clock to secure a top spot on the leaderboard.
The Game Concept: Christmas Fun with a Competitive Twist
Au Bureau has taken a bold step in reimagining Christmas marketing with their interactive Squid Game Gingerbread. Here’s how it works:
Three Levels: Trace the rind of intricately designed gingerbread shapes across three levels of increasing difficulty.
Leaderboard: Scores are tracked live across all Au Bureau locations, fueling friendly competition and repeat visits.
Grand Prize: The top scorer wins a magical trip to Lapland, the ultimate Christmas destination.
The interactive challenge drives foot traffic, fosters customer engagement, and creates a buzz across all Au Bureau locations. With friendly competition and festive excitement, it’s a campaign that blends tradition with innovation to leave a lasting impression.
Ready to captivate your audience with campaigns that combine creativity and ROI-driven strategies? Contact us to learn how we can help your brand create memorable marketing experiences that drive results.
Game 5: Au Bureau Express
Digital Marketing Campaigns with HTML5 Mobile Games
Our creative team at Emeraude always enjoys developing HTML5 mobile games for Au Bureau’s innovative digital marketing campaigns. This marks our fifth collaboration with the brand, and each game has taken us on a unique journey.
This time, our challenge is to bring all Au Bureau lovers to embark on the orient express for a Digital Cluedo adventure. The game is set to launch alongside the introduction of a new menu tied to a themed event at all Au Bureau restaurants.
Gamification x Geo-location: A Winning Marketing Strategy
To enhance customer experience and engagement, we have consistently used the geo-location technology in developing marketing games for Au Bureau. This allows the brand to understand valuable customer insights, to increase brand visibility and drive traffic to its restaurants:
Geo-fencing Data – Identify popular locations or times, to inform future campaigns.
Community Interaction – The game encourages group participation and user-generated content, boosting engagement.
Location-based Incentives – Customers playing at the restaurant can participate in an exclusive lucky draw.
Scenario
The head chef of Au Bureau Express has vanished into the night with his new recipe, leaving no clues behind. Search the train, question the passengers, and solve the mystery before time runs out!
Au Bureau Express is set in a thrilling setting where sleuthing is exciting and fun. Players only need 5 minutes maximum to find the culprit and complete the mission to get a chance to participate in the lucky draw.
Mission
1. Find the ingredients
2. Find the chef
3. Narrow down the suspects
4. Catch the culprit
Key highlights
1. Gamified Storytelling
The interactive Cluedo game takes players on a journey, enhancing brand identity with themed visuals and challenges that offer a personalised brand experience.
2. Geo-location Integration
Geo-fencing and location-based rewards boost the game experience, drive restaurant traffic, and gather valuable customer insights.
3. Customer Incentives
The campaign rewards participation with a chance to win a European train tour, adding a tangible motivation for users to engage with the game.
A Digital Marketing Experience that Engages and Retains
The Au Bureau Express campaign effectively integrates gamification, geo-location technology, and HTML5 mobile games to create a dynamic and engaging customer acquisition and retention strategy. This campaign exemplifies how HTML5 marketing games and storytelling can boost customer engagement and brand visibility.
Targeting B2C customers through HTML5 mobile games
Au Bureau is always innovative with their marketing campaigns and is never afraid of testing unconventional marketing materials to bring in more customers to their pubs/restaurants.
This is why Au Bureau asked Emeraude Escape to create:
- ‘Back to the 20s’: a Digital Investigation Game inspired by 1920s Prohibition era in February 2022
- ‘Au Bureau Circus’: 3 mini HTML games using Three.JS technology for Christmas in December 2022
Both games have a live leaderboard with rewards and scores:
- A weekend in London for ‘Back to the 20s’
- A Trip to Las Vegas for ‘Au Bureau Circus’
Check out the video of Lola, Project Manager, Digital Marketing and Social Media – Au Bureau and Florian, Chief Creative Officer – Emeraude Escape discussed their experience working together to create two interactive digital games for customer-experience-focused marketing campaigns:
Game 1 – Au Bureau Cludeo / Investigation mobile Game (feb 2022)
Played by more than 70,000 players during 3 weeks, the game is set in 1920s London Prohibition era. Au Bureau launched a gamified marketing campaign to increase customer retention & engagement. The brand chose the game format of ‘Cluedo/Digital Investigation Game’, named ‘Back to the 20s’.
Every week a new episode was launched for three consecutive weeks for customers to come back to the restaurant to play the next episode and ultimately to win the grand prize at the end of the campaign.
Campaign: Customer engagement game to improve customer experience through positive customer interactions
Mode: Solo & Multiplayer
Benefits:
- To create a friendly atmosphere at the restaurant tables
- To create increased brand visibility through UGC on social media platforms
- To keep customers entertained during the waiting time before the food arrives
- To keep customers coming back to the restaurants by offering multiple episodes and a reward for best player
Reward: A weekend in London for two
Game Scenarios: Back to the 20s
Week 1
Investigation 1: Original Burger Murder
On the pavement at the entrance of Au Bureau Pub, the signature burger of Au Bureau was found dead. At the crime scene, the red onions, the cheddar and the burger sauce are all scattered around the burger bun which was still warm. But who could have killed a burger in such a barbaric manner? An investigation was opened to catch the murderer.
The customers have 15 minutes to solve the mystery.
Level: Easy
Week 2
Investigation 2: The Whiskey has disappeared
A few days have passed since the murder of burger committed by a member of the Pickles Gang. One morning the barman was taken aback. All the bottles from the bar were stolen and the whiskey crate was broken. It is highly possible that the Pickles Gang got involved again just days before ‘the prohibition party’ at Au Bureau where some new cocktails will be introduced. Another investigation was opened to catch the culprit.
Another week, another episode of 15-min digital investigation was launched.
Level: Medium
Week 3
Investigation 3: The Prohibition Party
A few days after the mystery of burger murder, Maddie Manhattan, a member of the Pickles Gang was suspected to have stolen the Whiskeys that were reserved for the exclusive party. Access to the exclusive party was strictly by invitation only and it got the whole town speaking. The evening of the party had finally arrived and all the biggest names in town were expected to present at the party. It was a perfect occasion for the Pickles Gang to commit a crime. Customers were tasked with on the lookout for the most notorious crime suspects of England. Au Bureau put its trust on their customers to stop the Pickles Gang at all cost once and for all.
The last episode was launched and all three episodes were available to the customers whether to perfect their scores or play all three at one go for the grand finale.
Level : Difficult
Game 2 – Au Bureau Circus – 3 casual Three.JS games (dec 2022)
For Christmas and holidays season of 2022, Au Bureau went along with the circus theme for their 3 mini-games, aimed to increase customer retention and engagement, to boost sales in all pubs, and to reward the loyal customers who would keep coming back to the restaurants during the campaign.
Players must activate geolocation on their smartphone and be located in one of Au Bureau’s restaurants to play the game. For this, we developed a solution to locate through GPS coordinates if the player is onsite. The winner will be chosen from the top 100 scorers through lucky draw by the end of the campaign.
Campaign: Competitions and giveaways to boost revenue through seasonal marketing strategy
Mode: Solo
Benefits:
- To create a friendly atmosphere at the restaurant tables
- To profile customers via dedicated platform for a better understanding and bonding between the brand and its customers
- To keep customers entertained during the waiting time before the food arrives
- To keep customers coming back to the restaurants by offering multiple episodes and a reward for best player
Reward: A $15,000 trip in Las Vegas
Game Scenarios: Christmas Circus
For Christmas, Au Bureau troupe set up their marquee in the restaurant! They have an announcement to make: Au Bureau Circus is looking for a new artist to join their team!
Episode 1: Catch the popcorn
Catch the popcorn! The rule is simple. You have to catch the raining popcorn with a bucket as many as possible in limited amount of time. There’s a catch. If the burnt ones fall into your bucket, you’ll lose points.
Accumulate your score:
- 1 popcorn = +1 point
- 1 burnt popcorn = -1 point
- 1 golden popcorn = +5 points
Level: Medium
Duration: 1 min
Episode 2: Walk the line
Balance is the key! You bring the tightrope walker as far as possible by keeping his balance while collecting presents on each side of the line. The tricky part is to avoid the rocket man because he will shoot you down from your line.
Collect your point:
- Keep moving on the line while maintaining balance to stay in the game
- Collect the presents on the side without falling down: 1 present = 2 points
- Touched by the canon ball from the rocket man, game over and restart
Level: Difficult
Duration: 1 min
Episode 3: Santa Says?
Can you memorise them all?
Inspired by the famous Simon Says, you have to memorize the different sequences and repeat them without making mistakes. The further you go in the game, the more complex the sequences are to memorize, but the more points you get. Be careful, if you make a mistake, you lose the game.
Level: Difficult
Duration: 2
Game 3 – Oburo and The Lost Costume (March 2023)
Following the success of the previous two mobile games, our third tailor-made game for Au Bureau took place in the very beginning of 2023. This time Emeraude Escape perfectly crafted again visually stunning B2C carnival themed marketing game where Au Bureau’s customers can win a trip to Rio de Janeiro.
Campaign: Event marketing to raise brand awareness and to help boost the sales
Mode: Solo
Benefits:
- To boost customer engagement
- To drive traffic to the customer relationship management website aubureau-lovers.fr
- To increase UGC on social media platforms by offering 360° experience with in-store event and digital mobile game
- To keep customer loyalty with familiar marketing campaign
Reward: A trip to Rio de Janeiro
Game Scenario
Oburo and The Lost Costume
Catástrofe! The carnival at ‘Au Bureau’ is in danger! Oburo, the carnival mascot, has lost his costume in the middle of his favourite pub and can’t get his hands on it for the big parade! His beautiful costume, made especially for the occasion… You must find it! We have an idea how we can help you out – the accessories to make a costume, let’s say they can be found within close proximity. Oburo is counting on you to find his costume in your favourite pub!
Apparently he’s offering people who help him find his costume a chance to win an incredible trip to Rio de Janeiro!
Play at the Carnivals
The game is divided into three universes corresponding to three carnivals: Venice Carnival, Dunkirk Carnival and Rio Carnival. For each carnival, the goal is to find the elements of Oburo’s costume.There are three levels of difficulty in no particular order. Players can start from any level they want.
Venice Carnival
Level: Easy
Players simply have to find the costume items displayed in the inventory as they walk through the scene.
Dunkirk Carnival
Level: Intermediate
In the inventory, players only have the silhouettes of the costume elements to find. In addition, they have to interact with certain elements from the scene to reveal missing parts of the costume. For example: press the switch to turn on the lights and see what’s inside.
Rio Carnival
Level: Difficult
In the inventory, players have small riddles. Each riddle corresponds to an element of the costume to find. Players will also find other interactions on the scene.
Points system:
10 points collected for good item found
5 points taken from wrong item found
Bonus on duration:
The faster the players find correct missing items, the more bonus points they get.
How Digital Interactive Games Help Drive Customer Retention
The collaborations between Au Bureau and Emeraude Escape have recurred within a year. While providing a service with unparalleled gamified experience, Au Bureau has found an excellent way to launch their marketing campaigns and the interactive games have helped the brand to hold the attention of their customers. At the same time, the brand fully understands how to keep their customers happy by giving the amazing prizes and the chosen material to deliver the reward is none other than Digital Interactive Games.
Au Bureau Brand Activation for Rugby World Cup 2023
Au Bureau has entrusted Emeraude Escape not only with gamification but also with the digital activation that offers interactive experiences for their marketing campaigns. For our fourth collaboration, we worked on a brand activation campaign together for the occasion of Rugby World Cup 2023; an interactive webpage where Au Bureau’s customers can access via Au Bureau Lovers platform. The page represents as Au Bureau virtual pub/restaurant where customers will find three clickable areas.
Three prompts with three purposes to feel the Rugby World Cup spirit:
- A TV screen that prompts to Red Bull challenge page to play the game and get the highest score to win a chance to meet a famous Rugby player
- A laptop screen that prompts to L’équipe prognosis page
- A newspaper that prompts to follow the latest Rugby World Cup news on L’équipe or Midi Olympique
Our collaborations with Au Bureau are always created with the objective of capturing customers’ attention, increasing customer retention and understanding customers’ behavior so that the brand can constantly improve their brand and marketing strategy. The campaign is set to run from the 8th of September to the 28th of October, 2023.
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