Walmart, T-Mobile and Angry Birds developer Rovio have collaborated on a Facebook promotion that enables mobile consumers to unlock exclusive game content, the companies said March 22. Consumers can access the content by finding clues on Angry Birds branded products at Walmart stores and by “liking” Walmart on Facebook.
Each of the four clues will reveal bonus levels in Rovio’s latest game, which was released on March 22. One clue is accessed by liking Walmart on Facebook, said Sarah Spencer, director of media relations for Walmart U.S. The other clues will appear on Angry Birds product packaging at 3,000 Walmart stores across the U.S. beginning on March 25.
Spencer described Walmart’s agreement with Rovio as “a really interesting consumption loop.” The clues, Spencer explained, will be displayed on 25 different product packages at Walmart. Consumers will come to the store to buy Angry Birds items, which will allow them to better enjoy the game on their phones and tablets, she said.
“We’re going to drive traffic to our store that allows [customers] to find these clues,” she said. “We think it’s going to be a great opportunity. It’s a unique kind of consumption model.”
Andrew Stalbow, Rovio’s GM of North America, said the partnership with Walmart seemed a perfect fit. Last year, Rovio sold more than 25 million Angry Birds plush toys, and retail is a growing aspect of their business, he said.
“When you’re looking for scale and reach, Walmart’s an amazing partner. We’re trying to marry the digital and physical worlds,” Stalbow said, adding that since its inception in 2009, Angry Birds has had more than 700 million downloads. “We have worked with Barnes & Noble and Toys R Us before, but this is the biggest scale of anything we’ve done.”
As part of this agreement, T-Mobile will be offering any customer who buys a smartphone access to an Angry Birds Space Portal that includes an extra level. The agreement was a natural one for the company, said T-Mobile VP of national retail accounts Amy McCune.
“We have a strategic partnership with Walmart and as they worked on the plans for this program, it made sense for them to include a mobile phone in this promotion,” McCune said. T-Mobile already offers an exclusive $30 per month 4G plan at Walmart stores, she said.
McCune described the agreement as something that came about within a matter of months. Walmart first approached T-Mobile about the Angry Birds initiative in mid-November of last year, she said.
None of the companies involved disclosed any of the agreement’s financial terms.
