Interactivity at it’s Best My Dear Watson

In Septmember 2008, the snack brand, Doritos, started their 626 campaign with a freaky advergame called Hotel 626. With the help of  a webcam, microphone and mobile phone, visitors of the Hotel were trapped in and the only way out was by passing the spooky challenges presented in the hotel rooms.

Now, a year later the campaign continues with Asylum 626 where you wake up in an insane asylum in the hands of a mad doctor. Players are presented with flashbacks this time until they can break free from the shackles holding them prisoner. To give the game a more personal feel, players can login incorporate Facebook and Twitter, so that real friends can be included in the game.

“The big idea this year was how do we make this scare a lot more personal and really bring people into this interactive experience in a more tangible way?” says Hindman; group creative director at Goodby. “We really blurred that line between the virtual experience and the real-world experience.”

And like its predecesor, both games are only viewable at night between the hours of 1800hrs and 0600hrs; ultimately giving a more spooky feel….  all in the name of Doritos!

The latest interactive advergame promotes the upcoming Sherlock Holmes movie.

You start by signing in here and proceeding to a series of questions to figure out if you are more of a Watson or a Holmes, after which you select a friend from facebook to help you out with the investigation. I have already registered and it turns out I’m Watson, so I hired a friend to be Holmes… it should be fun!

“No Watson, this was not done by accident, but by design!” – Sherlock Holmes