LONDON: HQ Trivia, the quiz show livestreamed via app, rapidly gained a following via word of mouth and has attracted adventurous brands keen to reach its particular audience.
“We’ve yet to spend a dollar on marketing,” Dylan Abruscato, the app’s director of partnerships, said at a recent conference.
“It’s all been word of mouth [and] everyone wanting to share.” (For more, read WARC’s report: HQ Trivia: no ads, just branded content.)
Players can get an extra game life by referring friends and co-workers, while organic social posts have also driven app downloads.
Additionally, promotional efforts by partners of custom-branded games have also boosted take-up. Warner Brothers offered cash prizes as part of a campaign for a Dwayne Johnson movie which also saw the star host a quiz; Nike offered customised sneakers.
There are no formal ad products, Abruscato added. “Right now we just want to do things that leverage brands and benefit players.”
And, so far, he hasn’t had to make much of a sales pitch as brands and agencies have been mostly approaching HQ Trivia, he reported. “The brands know that we know our players and what will resonate well with them.”
And it’s a moot point as to whether such ad products will ever be offered. “Interruptive ads are slowly becoming a thing of the past,” Abruscato stated.
“We’re definitely reaching an audience that is very hard to reach,” he continued. “We have those live eyeballs that TV used to have [and] there are no distractions, because you actually have to engage with the content in order to win.”
The ideal partner for the app, he suggested, “is one that is willing to take a risk.
“As long as a brand or agency is willing to innovate and trust HQ we can do great things, “ he said.
“We’ve yet to spend a dollar on marketing,” Dylan Abruscato, the app’s director of partnerships, said at a recent conference.
“It’s all been word of mouth [and] everyone wanting to share.” (For more, read WARC’s report: HQ Trivia: no ads, just branded content.)
Players can get an extra game life by referring friends and co-workers, while organic social posts have also driven app downloads.
Additionally, promotional efforts by partners of custom-branded games have also boosted take-up. Warner Brothers offered cash prizes as part of a campaign for a Dwayne Johnson movie which also saw the star host a quiz; Nike offered customised sneakers.
There are no formal ad products, Abruscato added. “Right now we just want to do things that leverage brands and benefit players.”
And, so far, he hasn’t had to make much of a sales pitch as brands and agencies have been mostly approaching HQ Trivia, he reported. “The brands know that we know our players and what will resonate well with them.”
And it’s a moot point as to whether such ad products will ever be offered. “Interruptive ads are slowly becoming a thing of the past,” Abruscato stated.
“We’re definitely reaching an audience that is very hard to reach,” he continued. “We have those live eyeballs that TV used to have [and] there are no distractions, because you actually have to engage with the content in order to win.”
The ideal partner for the app, he suggested, “is one that is willing to take a risk.
“As long as a brand or agency is willing to innovate and trust HQ we can do great things, “ he said.
Sourced from WARC
