Travel Channel's "Kidnap" Facebook App

Kidnap!(SM) is a Facebook application conceived by Rapp for Travel Channel. It is part of a broader Travel Channel online loyalty program.

The game challenges users to kidnap their friends to their favorite international hideout city using a variety of "methods" such as "Eight ball in the Sock" or "Faulty Human Slingshot." To escape from the hideout city and begin kidnapping their friends, kidnapped players must answer a trivia question related to that city.

Players earn points for answering questions correctly, and advance levels and gain access to new methods when they successfully kidnap a certain number of their friends. A leaderboard shows the top players and other game stats.

In the 6 weeks after launch:

• 1,711,300 Kidnap Requests Sent
• 225,521 Monthly Active Users
• 23,034 Daily Active Users

A video and more details on the experience can be found at http://www.rappcollins.com/
forrester/gs/travelchannel/

Drive traffic to TravelChannel.com; encourage deeper engagement:

"Cheat Sheet" contains link to right answer on TravelChannel.com; exposes players to site content and multimedia

• Scoring system penalizes wrong answers; players learn to rely on site
• New methods awarded on level-up and daily limits that slow level advancement to motivate play over longer periods
• RESULT: Site visits increased 28%, page views up 38%

Attract younger audience:

Travel Channel wishes to reach 26-35 demographic in order to grow a brand whose average TV viewer age has been increasing

• RESULT: 2/3 of players age 18-35; 36% are 26-35

Build brand loyalty:

Kidnap! begins unbranded to maximize adoption (audience resistant to overt marketing); connection to Travel Channel not felt until engaged

• Players become Travel Channel advocates as they kidnap friends
• Positive experience with TravelChannel.com because it helps players succeed
• RESULT: 54% of invites to play accepted; 5th most popular "Travel" application