12:52 is Game Time for LinkedIn
You’re better at work when you make time for play, at least, that’s what the product marketing professionals at LinkedIn deduced from their research, fully supporting the birth of Games on Linkedin!
Realizing only 50% of workers are taking breaks throughout their workday, LinkedIn was encouraged to develop a stunt to give people permission to take a break with their daily-thinking oriented games, created to help people connect with their networks and spark conversations. Inspired by the colloquial phrase, “It’s 5:00 somewhere,” Linkedin created their own expression: “12:52 pm is game time!”
With the time revolving so closely to lunch, it was the perfect opportunity to pair taking a work break with a New York foodie staple: hotdog carts. To help bring this vision to life, Tool was tasked with developing a design-language that incorporated the emblems of each of the three games on Linkedin (Pinpoint, Crossclimb, and Queens) into a large IRL experience, asking attendees to play a game, share their score, and get a free hotdog.
The User Experience
Counting down to 12:52, brand ambassadors were poised and ready to welcome attendees within the activation at Hudson Yards, a popular high-foot traffic venue for hundreds of office-going New Yorkers to stop by and grab a free hotdog.
Before walking into the activation area, brightly colored and decorated with fun and playful symbols reminiscent of the games, attendees were asked to use the various signs around the space to scan a qr code, play one of the three games, and show their scores to ambassadors. Afterwards, guests were welcome to grab one or more of three hotdogs, uniquely named after each game
Before walking into the activation area, brightly colored and decorated with fun and playful symbols reminiscent of the games, attendees were asked to use the various signs around the space to scan a qr code, play one of the three games, and show their scores to ambassadors. Afterwards, guests were welcome to grab one or more of three hotdogs, uniquely named after each game
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Capturing the Fun
Tool also produced social-first content, capturing individual experiences from some of the attendees with the help of influencer Robyn DelMonte a.k.a GirlBossTown. Using her game time mini mic, Robyn interviewed guests on topics like how to combat burnout during the work week and how they felt about the games, all while infusing helpful stats on the importance of taking breaks at work.
The Takeaway
After getting the chance to play games on LinkedIn and grabbing a free hotdog, attendees received branded swag including miniature clock keychains, eco-friendly lunch bags, and colorful stickers. Each guest was given the opportunity to enjoy their lunch breaks within the venue on Queens-styled seating blocks, connect with other game players in the city, or continue exploring the games on their own-time in the space.
