Snatch, a brand new Augmented Reality gaming app which allows consumers to win coupons and prizes, has won backing from Unilever Ventures, the investment arm of FMCG giant, Unilever.
Snatch is a virtual treasure hunt that uses a player’s smartphone location paired with Augmented Reality to help players seek out and ‘snatch’ virtual parcels they see on their smartphone screens, which contain prizes.
Once they have held on to the parcel for six hours and kept them from being snatched by others, the parcel can be opened – and the real prize within is revealed. The game is constantly being updated to give players the most rewarding experience – from in-app features to prizes. Players also have a chance to win a year’s university fees as one of the top prizes.
Top brands already on the app include Unilever’s own Marmite, TopShop, TopMan, All Bar One, Mitchells & Butler, Just Eat, Pizza Hut Delivery, Rock Pamper Scissors and Now TV.
Following a period of BETA testing, the app was launched two months ago – and 50,000 parcels have already been snatched to date.
Jan Harley, Director of Unilever Ventures Digital Transformation unit, says: “Over the past year, augmented reality has gone from a novelty to a real part of our day-to-day lives. We believe that Snatch has the potential to transform the way brands are engaging with consumers. Immersing people in an interactive environment where they’re actively seeking out products and feeling the elation of winning something tangible, is a really exciting addition to the marketing toolkit. It’s an exciting period for the industry and something we’re keen to be part of.”
Phil Lloyd, Chief Marketing Officer at Snatch (and formerly Head of Advertising for Paddy Power), adds: “Snatch is about our brands engaging with consumers in a place they’re accepted and welcomed, not interrupting them with advertising in places they’d rather they weren’t. Combining brand rewards, real-world gaming and AR is fairly virgin territory, so we’re delighted that an investor like Unilever Ventures is on board at an early stage ahead of some very exciting plans for 2017 and beyond. We can’t wait to get cracking.”
Snatch also has the backing of Velocity Capital Advisors, a consumer technology fund which were original co-investors in the app.
Unilever Ventures is the venture capital and private equity arm of Unilever, which invests in early stage, promising companies, accelerating growth by providing access to Unilever’s global ecosystem, assets and expertise.
