Old Navy launches 'virtual Black Friday' in Facebook game

Old Navy launches 'virtual Black Friday' in Facebook game
Tags: Marketing, Multichannel Retailing, Online Retailing, Social Media, Technology
November 22, 2010

CrowdStar and Sibblingz, which provide platforms for building social games, today announced the launch of an in-game Old Navy branded virtual store for the upcoming holiday season. Old Navy also will host its first-ever virtual Black Friday party.

As part of the game, It Girl players can guide their avatars through an entire Old Navy store, picking up virtual Old Navy fashion, similar to that offered in-store, and socializing with fellow It Girls. The Old Navy It Girl virtual world will mirror the real world in-store experience.

Users can enjoy a digital shopping spree, grabbing items for themselves and gifting virtual Old Navy fashion to their Facebook friends, if the holiday season has them feeling generous. Co-branded interstitials in the game will display real world offers, including One Day Wonders. Players can complete Old Navy quests to earn virtual currency that they can put toward It Girl shopping sprees.

To celebrate the partnership, Old Navy and CrowdStar will host two virtual holiday parties. The first-ever virtual Black Friday party or "Gobblepalooza," already underway and lasting through November 27, will introduce It Girls everywhere to its unique Thanksgiving song and dance, "The Gobble." Beginning November 28 running through December 31, It Girls can continue the party on Old Navy’s virtual rooftop.

"Old Navy is excited to work with It Girl this holiday season," said Amy Curtis-McIntyre, senior vice president of marketing for Old Navy. "We hope our customers will have fun playing in the virtual Old Navy as much as they do shopping in our brick-n-mortar stores."

Inside the virtual world, users will be able to experience Old Navy’s Thanksgiving and holiday promotions throughout the streets of New York City’s Union Square by interacting with the Old Navy branded billboards to view its TV spots.

"It will be interesting to see the real world Black Friday go head-to-head with the virtual one within It Girl," says Niren Hiro, CEO of CrowdStar. "We applaud Old Navy for pioneering a new way for retailers to connect with consumers."