Inventing new tech is hard. Getting people to want to learn about it? Even harder. Given the Verizon 5G Home router’s unique shape and cordless form, we knew we couldn’t get people excited about it by resorting to the usual retail methods like signage, associates talking at you, and shelf displays. An unconventional product needed an unconventional way to get people’s attention.

Unlike competitors, Verizon 5G Home Internet offers blazing fast speeds, and no data caps or hidden fees. But customers were simply not aware or interested in learning of the benefits of 5G Home compared to traditional internet. It’s not that they were necessarily happy with their existing internet—they just lumped all internet under the same blanket of “does the job.” It presented an opportunity, a gap in the market where people couldn’t distinguish good internet from the bad.

We turned the pain points of bad internet service into actual monsters—well, AR monsters, technically. Then we let people weaponize the powers of Verizon 5G Home to blast them to bits.

Our target demo: early adopters in our stores and young people ages 18-24 on social media who would soon grow to be the core internet decision-makers in their households.

A geo-targeted Snap notification in the Home Internet area of our stores invited customers to see the AR monsters invade their physical space. With each win or loss, they learned about the key features of Verizon 5G Home in a playfully addictive game. Some lucky customers were even rewarded with prize money they could put toward their purchase. By extending the activation to social, we got young people to learn about 5G Home without stepping into our stores.

Our game increased brand favorability by 90% and action intent by 95%. On Snap, it got 18.5 million impressions, with a total reach of 6.6 million. These results exceeded our goals to drive brand awareness and loyalty. It demonstrated that customers wouldn’t mind taking the time to learn about our products as long as the information’s packaged in a charming, gamified way.