Heineken | Star Player | 2011
Why you end up gripping your phone in front of the TV / Heineken "Star Player"
72% of Champions League fans watch at home, alone. Heineken and AKQA turned that loneliness into competition. Watching TV while predicting the next play on your phone — "Star Player" was the world's first live dual-screen football game.
The problem
Heineken had strong recognition as a Champions League sponsor, but sales weren't growing. Fans drink more beer watching together than watching alone. Yet in reality 72% were watching at home by themselves, and the brand wasn't reaching them there.
The insight
75% of TV viewers are already looking at their phones while watching TV. So why not turn that phone in their hand from a thing they're just fiddling with into a device that lets them take part in the match. Even watching alone, if you can compete against friends or people around the world, loneliness turns into competition.
The idea
A game where you predict and bet on what happens next. Will the free kick go in? Will the shot be saved? Will there be a goal within 30 seconds? Guess right and score points — the faster you guess, the more points you earn. During slow moments in the match, trivia questions pop up so you can rack up bonus points too. You can compete for scores against friends and players around the world through Facebook. According to AKQA co-founder James Hilton, it was "the most complex app we'd ever built."
What happened
It picked up a string of awards, including a Cannes Gold Cyber Lion, a D&AD Yellow Pencil, and a Webby Award. The app ran throughout the 2012 season and was also rolled out on iAd to coincide with the final.
Afterthought
Not pressing a button on your remote, but competing with someone, somewhere in the world, on your own phone, at your own pace. It's hard to believe they were already doing this back in 2011. This is probably where the second-screen experience we know today got its start.
Awards
- Cannes Lions Gold
