Champs Sporting Goods recently launched a mobile game, Secure the Bag, which features 1980’s-esque graphics and DJ Khaled on a time-traveling jet ski trying to capture Timberland boots.
DJ Khaled is a hip-hop artist as well as a strategic partner for Champs. Khaled knows a thing or two about social media (if you’ve heard the term “major key” in the past year, it’s likely due to Khaled’s immense social impact and vast following of the millennial generation). In efforts to promote Khaled’s actual co-branded Timberland boots, Champs launched the game with intentionally “old school” graphics. However, there are a few modern-day twists like making the digitized Khaled take selfies while he drives the jet ski. The sporting goods brand hopes that the rapper’s prominent social presence on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat will spread word of the game as well as the launch of the boots. Play it on your desktop if you’d like, but the minds behind the game say they expect most people to take part on their mobile devices. Like Khaled, the intended audience spends a great deal of time on their phones.
#SecureTheBag is a great blend of old-school meets new-school – a very strategic plan of attack for correctly targeting the brand’s target audience – with a throwback style incorporated in new age media. Those hoping to purchase the shoes are engaged directly by the influencer, which provides incentive to take part in the game.