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Mar 04.08

Shift Control Media Dances 2 DC with New Casual Game for BarelyPolitical.com

Branded entertainment company brings humor and interactivity to 2008 Presidential race

Greenwich, CT – March 3, 2008 – Shift Control Media, a branded entertainment company specializing in original game development, has partnered with political humor website BarelyPolitical.com to create Dance 2 DC, a humorous take on the American political process.

Dance 2 DC is an online casual game that’s fun and easy to play. Players can assume the roles of candidates like Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain, customize their wardrobes for each face-off, then set out on a cross-country dance-a-thon to raise approval ratings. Each level ends with a showdown between candidates, with the ultimate contest set in the oval office at the White House. The game can be found at www.barelypolitical.com. Read the rest of this entry »

Mar 01.08

Advergaming with Shift Control Media

tech vibes, February 28, 2008
By Rob Lewis

HF penguin

Glenda Luymes of the Vancouver Province profiled a local gaming success story today but this time around there is a slight twist. Shift Control Media (check out their site) specializes in Advergaming - the practice of using video games to advertise a product, organization, or viewpoint. According to Luymes, Advergaming is a $250-million industry and is expected to grow to over $1 billion in the next five years. The industry is grounded in the popularity of video games, which outrank social networking and video sharing as the #1 form of online entertainment. Read the rest of this entry »

Feb 29.08

Selling product engagement

The Province February 28, 2008
By Glenda Luymes

The product is simple — a bottle of Coke.

But the product experience is a whole different game.

For Vancouver video-game development company Shift Control Media, the way consumers experience Coke involves entertainment and technology.

By creating cutting-edge video games that consumers can play on Coca-Cola’s website, the two-year-old Fairview district company is bridging the gap between marketing and the large and lucrative gaming world. Read the rest of this entry »

Jan 29.08

Shift Control Media Goes to Work for AKQA and Coke’s “Happiness Factory” Website

Designs and builds four casual games for digital environment based on brand’s animated fantasy commercials

Greenwich, CT – January 29, 2008 – Shift Control Media, a branded entertainment company specializing in original game development, has created four original games that are incorporated into the recently launched Coca-Cola “Happiness Factory” website. The games are part of a larger digital environment created for Coke by AKQA that was built around the “Happiness Factory” motif first introduced by the brand in its 2007 Super Bowl TV spot. Read the rest of this entry »

Jan 18.08

Coke Brings ‘Happiness’ Franchise Online

Adweek, January 12, 2008
By Brian Morrissey

NEW YORK In “Happiness Factory,” an animated TV spot created for last year’s Super Bowl by Wieden + Kennedy, Coca-Cola had an undeniable creative hit. Now, the beverage giant is exploring how far it can extend the concept with a foray into digital games.

Coke shop AKQA has created a Web extension of “Happiness Factory” that invites users to experience the colorful, imaginary world inside a Coke vending machine and learn more about the characters introduced in the Wieden spot. Coke is housing the site at its Coke.com global hub, rolling out versions in over 40 markets worldwide. Read the rest of this entry »

Jan 16.08

Coke’s oddball employees invite you into the inner sanctum

Creativity, Jan 10, 2008

The Happiness Factory keeps churnin’ out work, and Coke’s Now Hiring site developed by AKQA invites visitors to go through the application process and join the team.

Once inside, you’re greeted with an alien-like receptionist who explains each section of the site in foreign tongue, with text balloons giving you an English outline of what it all entails. Click on “Workplace” to check out the latest Happiness Factory spot via an inflatable screen (which goes from small to large). Then, peruse through job openings, which introduces you to the four major “employees” of the factory including the propellor-lifted, blob-like Chinoink, the bloated furball Kissy Puppy and the shield-wielding, helmeted Capper. Read the rest of this entry »

Dec 03.07

Shift Control Media Launches Game Like Website

Brandworthy game company creates story-driven site that reflects point of view on marketing trends.

Greenwich, CT – December 3, 2007 – Shift Control Media, a branded entertainment company that focuses on original games, has launched its freshly redesigned website, www.shiftcontrol.com. The new site invites visitors to follow a series of character-driven storylines that convey the company’s perspective on the evolving media landscape, as well as the opportunities that original branded games present to marketers.

Based in Greenwich, CT with a development studio in Vancouver, BC, Shift Control Media has created games and emerging media strategies for such clients as Coca-Cola, NBC Universal and Yahoo. Read the rest of this entry »

Nov 14.07

Shift Control Media names Gaccione Director of Business Development

Greenwich, CT – Shift Control Media, the branded entertainment company which specializes in the creation of original casual games, has named Marc Gaccione to the position of Director of Business Development. Gaccione joins Shift Control from Eyeblaster, Inc., the New York-based rich media advertising company. The announcement was made by Tim Zuckert, President and C.E.O. of Shift Control.

“Marc’s experience helping brands connect with consumers through rich media, and his reputation for thought leadership with his clients, is an ideal complement to Shift Control’s approach to brandworthy games,” says Zuckert. Gaccione will work with brands and their agencies to identify opportunities for original games and game strategy within their overall marketing mix. Read the rest of this entry »

Jun 17.07

Bringing Brandworthy to Second Life

Second Life Logo

Second Life Image

Shift Control Media is a strategic brand consultant to Second Life—offering brands interested in establishing a presence in Second Life the insight and guidance necessary to succeed. Based on an understanding of a specific brand’s objectives, as well as best-practices across the category, we provide strategic planning and initial concept development, then help the brand to identify and brief the appropriate development resource for their project.

Mar 28.07

Developer debuts games made by Greenwich firm

from Stamford Advocate | Mar. 28, 2007

By Harold Davis

Greenwich-based Antares Investment Partners is known its impressive portfolio of real estate in the area, but the company is looking to add more marketing zing with three online games created with Shift Control Media, also of Greenwich.

The games were created to promote Antares’ controversial Greenwich Place and Greenwich Oaks properties, which include about 400 residential condominiums recently converted from apartments.

Residents of the properties, formerly named Putnam Green and Weaver’s Hill, are suing Antares, alleging that the developer failed to follow state statutes governing condominium conversions, unfairly raised the rents of senior citizens and improperly tried to evict tenants by putting their health and safety at risk.

Antares has disputed the claims.

“We’re looking to generate interest and target people interested in Greenwich. We hope to turn suspects into prospects and prospects into sales,” said Antares managing partner James Cabrera.

“The original idea was to raise awareness using a new medium, which are games,” Cabrera said. The games have a good tone and are not overly solicitous, said Tim Zuckert, president and chief executive officer of Shift Control.

“When people smell the marketing, they go away,” Zuckert said.

The games took about eight to 10 weeks to develop and were designed to be Greenwich-centric. The first online game, “Avenue Rally,” involves driving in the area of Greenwich Avenue to complete various tasks, such as returning a book to Greenwich Library.

“You have to avoid getting too many traffic violations. The more violations you get, the more aggressive the police get,” said Zuckert, whose company opened in July and has games for PepsiCo, Napster and FedEx.

“Hedger” will require getting a hedge fund manager safely from work to his boat, and “Trade Up” involves buying and selling real estate in order to get a mansion.

Since launching the game site, www.greenwichctgames.com , three weeks ago, Antares has received more than 15,000 hits, Zuckert said.

Players are eligible to win prizes from 150 Greenwich retailers participating in the games’ “Best of Greenwich Sweepstakes,” said Andrea Pirrotti, head of marketing at Antares.

Prizes range include $50 gift shopping certificates, dinner for two at restaurants such as Polpo and a stay at the Delmar Greenwich Harbor Hotel, one of Antares’ properties. The grand prize is $5,000 worth of shopping at Richards, which is also featured in the game.

Kevin McEvoy, professor of marketing at the University of Connecticut in Stamford, said that online marketing campaigns such as Antares’ have become more mainstream.

“Games for promotion and marketing are nothing new,” McEvoy said. “What’s new is what the Internet does for it. Its brings sound, noise and action, and you don’t need a game piece to play. The key is the interaction of games, which makes them so exciting.”

Companies that want to be “cutting edge, progressive and savvy” are using this approach, he said. Pirrotti said real estate development and private equity firm may consider more games in its future marketing campaigns.

“We’re assessing the results and optimizing this to the Nth degree to see if it’s a appropriate to do them for other properties,” Pirrotti said. “We’re very ROI (return on investment) driven, but the numbers are on the right trajectory.”

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Branded entertainment company brings humor and interactivity to 2008 Presidential race

Designs and builds four casual games for digital environment based on brand’s animated fantasy commercials

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