mtv, hard times, wants your help

In a bid to generate some buzz surrounding its new series, The Hard Times of RJ Berger, MTV has launched an online game that encourages users to navigate through the hard times of adolescence.

This series, which premiers on June 6^th, is about an awkward 15 year old boy, who has a hard time talking with girls he has a crush on.

The game, called “Chain of Thought,” challenges the player to connect objects in such a way as to create a sentence that causes the in-game “crush” to respond positively.

MTV is slated to release additional game content as the show progresses, creating a unique user experience, in both the game and the TV program. It’s going to be interesting to see how these content elements play off each other, and if they form a symbiotic relationship. MTV is releasing the game earlier than the show, in hopes that it will catch on virally.

You can check out the game here: http://www.mtv.com/games/arcade/game/play.jhtml?arcadeGameId=10264361

Advertisements

7-eleven, facebook, and farmville one happy family

Perhaps many of you are already familiar with the various Zynga games on Facebook such as Farmville and Mafia Wars. If not, you need not worry…you’re most likely going to see more of these social-networking based games as Zynga has partnered with chain-store giant, 7-Eleven.

Both 7-Eleven and Zynga are hoping this could be a “win-win” situation.

Stephanie Hoppe, senior director of marketing at 7-Eleven states, “We know social networking and social gaming is something they’re interested in,” its all about giving consumer experiences that they’ll enjoy and that will bring them back to 7-Eleven. Zynga will compliment this effort by having virtual “goods” codes placed on 35 of 7-Eleven’s products, ranging from potato chips to Slurpees.

Consumers will be able to redeem the codes at http://www.buyearnplay.com for items in 3 of Zynga’s most popular games, Farmville, MafiaWars, and YoVille.

7-Eleven plans to begin a wide-ranging advertising campaign to promote the project, on June 1^st. Looks like this might just be the beginning of a long-term trend of brands teaming up with social-media networks, ultimately enhancing their connections with consumers, and enhancing brand loyalty.