AT&T – WINTER ARCADE
Challenge
The holiday retail season is a war of attrition. Every carrier offers deals, every store screams "sale." AT&T needed a reason for customers to linger in stores, engage with the brand, and associate the visit with joy rather than obligation.
Idea
Turn AT&T retail stores into holiday arcades. A suite of four original mobile games — playable in-store on customers' own devices and on in-store screens — that gamified the shopping experience and created moments of delight during the busiest retail season of the year.
Execution
Four games were designed and produced, each with a distinct holiday personality: "Dashing to the Store," a character-driven runner; "Holiday Break," a brick-breaker; "Holiday Hop," a platformer; and "A Beary Holiday Adventure," a narrative adventure. A branded arcade hub at unlock.att.com housed the full suite. Each game featured leaderboards, character selection, and strategic product tie-ins — including accessory bundle promotions woven into the gameplay without disrupting the fun.
Results
The Holiday Arcade increased dwell time and established a new model for gamified retail engagement that extended AT&T's experiential strategy beyond tentpole events into everyday seasonal activation.
Credits
Designers: Devon Ott, Sarah Santini
Senior Designer: Kevin Karlowicz
Senior Copywriter: Ramsay Campbell
Associate Creative Director: Esmeralda Aguilar
Creative Director: Frank Lin
Group Creative Director: Alexandra Morton
EVP, Creative: David Motter
