#MobExAwards highlight: How HSBC SG's Rugby Sevens kicked its way into consumers' hearts

The HSBC World Rugby 7s Series in Singapore is certainly a crowd puller every year, with about 60,000 fans packing the National Stadium to watch the sport. As part of the weekend's entertainment, the bank invites its most important guests to the HSBC Hexagon Suite, where they can meet, eat, drink, and watch live matches with family and friends. HSBC wanted to welcome guests to the suit in a way that connected rugby with its global promise of "Together we thrive". Together with Digitas Singapore, HSBC came up with the campaign HSBC Rugby Sevens "Kicking Game", which resulted in Digitas taking home gold for Best Use of Interactive Media/AR & VR at MARKETING-INTERACTIVE's recent MobEx Awards 2020.

Challenge

Its challenge for the event was to reward its most important guests with a unique "money can't buy" rugby experience and it aimed to achieve at least 30% participation. According to HSBC, the figure was calculated based on creating similar AR experiences in the past, the size of the location, and the total number of guests. With a large majority of guests being invited to the suite each year, it has become increasingly challenging for HSBC to entertain and reward them. That said, HSBC also knew that it has yet to leverage AR to entertain its most valued clients.

Strategy

The experience was to be built around four rules:
1. People will only spend a moment with you, so make sure the experience is short.
2. People behave differently in different settings, so make sure the experience suits the environment.
3. People appreciate unique experiences, so make sure the experience is memorable.
4. People appreciate simplicity, so make sure the experience works for all ages and interests.

The bank initially did not aim to create a rugby-themed AR experience, but rather a unique rugby experience for a very diverse audience. This is based on the knowledge that the Hexagon Suites attract various individuals - young, old, locals, expats, die-hard rugby fans, and those that have very little interest in the game.

It thought of more than 20 ideas before landing on the one that fit the brief and strategy. Several of the initial ideas were rejected because they were not simple enough. HSBC realised it was asking for too much of a person's time or expecting them to know the intricate rules of rugby. The idea for an AR kicking game came first, followed by the idea to partner with rugby legend Brian O’Driscoll to digitally host the experience. With O’Driscoll already booked to appear at the event as a HSBC Rugby Ambassador, including him in the immersive game worked nicely as an extension to the weekend's festivities.

The game itself was super simple. O’Driscoll welcomed each guest to the Hexagon Suite and challenged them to take three kicks on goal. There wasn’t a real ball to kick, but a digital ball on screen. Kinetic motion sensors enabled gameplay without the need for a traditional controller. After each kick O’Driscoll gave a coaching tip. The whole experience took 90 seconds, with participants entering their names on the mobile app or an iPad, taking three kicks on a goal, then collecting a printed photo. The game was simple for individuals across all walks of life too.

HSBC also knew that individuals would be open to playing its game because of the location, compared to if this was hosted in a HSBC branch. The Singapore Sevens is seen as a fun day out for the family and individuals want to enjoy themselves and relax. Hence, having this experience in a branch prior to the event would not have worked out as well because consumers are in a different mindset, with other tasks taking precedence.

Meanwhile, HSBC also felt that the need to have consumers appreciate and remember unique experiences. This was why the bank roped in O’Driscoll because it is not often that people get to kick with a famous rugby player. HSBC saw this as another way for it to build brand loyalty and love.

Execution

On the event day, O’Driscoll acted as the digital coach, challenging each player to take three kicks on a goal. The game used an algorithm that responded to the speed and direction of each kick, so every player received a different "coaching" response from O’Driscoll. For example, "Sensational kick. One more to go", "Wow that was close. Let's go again.", and "You just missed, let's go for a winner this time." Twelve coaching responses were prerecorded, meaning that players could play the game multiple times and get completely different coaching tips each time. The intelligent algorithm created over 100 customised, real-time responses for the players. The best kicker’s names were displayed on a live leaderboard and every player took home a personal photo of the unique experience.

The kicking game was powered by a mobile app and hard drive connected to the latest kinetic technology. Motion sensors detected the speed and direction of a player’s kick, enabling gameplay without a traditional controller. An advanced 3D modelling and animation application named Maya was used to build the ball and to recreate the National Stadium. Upon completion of the animation, a cross platform real-time engine named Unity was used to create the game.

A set build was undertaken to transform the entrance of the HSBC Hexagon Suite into a rugby pitch. The team laid artificial grass, rugby pitch hoarding was also erected, and the tournament's logo was printed next to the kicking spot. An automated camera and lightbox was erected to capture every player.

The kicking activation was conceptualised and delivered in six weeks. This included ideation, storyboarding, animation design, back-end build, app development and green-screen shoot with O’Driscoll in Hong Kong.

Results

In two days, more than 1,000 guests participated in the AR kicking game. According to HSBC, its initial KPI of 30% participation doubled. The HSBC rugby ambassadors also hosted an impromptu kicking competition, which was shared on their own social media channels.