SmartGate-The Game JUST WENT LIVE!

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When I started writing the Dutch version of my book ‘A Brand New Playground’ (Laat met je merk spelen) and thought about how games could be used to achieve marketing objectives, the last thing I thought I would come across is the development of a game to support change management issues. Ironically this example was one of the first projects I was involved in when I founded my company BrandNewGame. Air Cargo Netherlands, Schiphol airport and the Dutch Customs approached IJsfontein (a Dutch gamedeveloper) to develop a game that would help them to improve cooperation between the parties in the logistic chain. I was personally involved as an advisor. Together with the client (Air Cargo Netherlands) we defined the overall goal for this project and game-specific goals.
The overall goal was for Schiphol airport to keep its international competitive position as a freightway to Europe.
To maintain this competitive position, Schiphol (and all parties in the logistic chain) needed to speed up the logistics process from intake to delivery. The overall workflow concept to increase efficiency, reliability and security was called SmartGate and involves e-freight, a series of licences and one Information System for all parties in the chain.

The three goals for the game where:

Increase awareness for SmartGate
Give insight in the logistic process
Internalize the new working method

After a thorough analyses we came up with three game concepts that should gradually grow from easy and fun towards a more serious and intense gameplay. IJsfontein embraced this concept and successfully developed the games.
I don’t want to give away too much of how the game looks, but basically you see an airport which you have to manage from a ‘helicopter-view perspectivewith all parties involved in the logistic chain. In the first game you can only ship goods (red and green) from shipper to handler toeventuallyload airplanes and increase your score. Red cargo (and red trucks) means that something is wrong. Either the information about this shipment has not been delivered in time, information on the airway bill might be illegible, information might be missing etc. The variables that influence the red or green status of cargo will be more detailed in the next games. The goal in the first game is to fly out as many planes as you can, (loaded from top to bottom to increase efficiency) and to keep your warehouses as empty as possible (Just In Time management).
We started this project early 2010 and the first game is almost finished now. Starting the 6th of January 2011 the game will be playable through www.smartgatethegame.nl and I’m really looking forward to the response.

This is just an example to illustrate how games can help to achieve marketing objectives, in this case even support change management issues within a branch.

‘A Brand New Playgroundwill show you how games can be used as a marketing tool and how to build brands in the digital era. We are talking about the era in which people have transformed from passive consumers to participating players.

This is an impression of the room and the crowd!

And me … 😉

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Games for Internal Branding: Microsoft Silver Line Society ARG

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Microsoft used an Alternate Reality Game to encourage players (employees) to increase cooperative working. The puzzles had to be solved by working together before the 7th of december….

The strength of the execution lies in the fact that both virtual- and real-world elements have to be combined to achieve all goals… check the films to learn more!

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Games to support change management problems

>Today my dear client Air Cargo Netherlands (Aniek) and I held a presentation at the Marketing Information Event 2010 at the World Forum in The Hague (Den Haag ;-).

IJsfontein GameWise, Atos Consulting and BrandNewGame have teamed up to develop a great game containing loads of e-learning elements in a series of three stunning games of which the first is soon to be released.

It all started end 2009 when Air Cargo Netherlands, Schiphol airport and the Dutch Customs approached IJsfontein GameWise with the question how a game could support their goals.

We sat down with them and decided to go into an ‘analyse-fase’ to determine if – and if so – how games could help to achieve their goals. Soon we discovered that this would be a really cool project and we have been working on it the past year, doing interviews with all the stakeholders within the logistic chain surrounding Schiphol. After the interviews BrandNewGame developed the first ideas which gameconcepts could be effective for their specific needs. IJsfontein is nearly finished developing the first game and I am very proud to have been working with them on this FANTASTIC project!

The presentation below will explain more about their specific situation and will give you insights how games can be used to achieve marketing goals.

The gametrailer for the first game is stated below:

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Games to help organizational transitions and as a training tool

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We are currently working on a real cool project for Air Cargo Netherlands, Schiphol Airport and Dutch Customs.
To support an undisturbed flow of goods and speed up delivery times, the three parties mentioned above came up with a concept called ‘SmartGate’.
It basically comes down to a combination of a central database containing all digital data necessary to accompany cargo from A to Z and an integrated process in which all parties work together and provide information upfront (in-time) and complete.
If shippers (like Philips or ASML for instance) send all the information necessary to inform Customs in-time and complete, the risk analysis can be done upfront and cargo can be cleared and marked ‘green’ before it even arrives to the airport. Some cargo (explosives for instance) need to be checked anyhow, but sharing information within the logistic chain is the first step towards an integrated process.
Together with GameWise, BrandNewGame has analyzed the logistic process and defined a game concept to increase awareness of SmartGate and internalize the required future working method.
The plan is to create a central game-dashboard where players login (check screen dump) through their web-browser. After they are logged in, they can play through the logistic process on a virtual airfield where they encounter various mini-games at each step in the process. These games will give insight in specific challenges and dilemma’s. Eventually the games will train the players which information is essential for specific cargo shipments, how completeness and sharing of information will improve the flow of the process.
Hope to inform you soon about more cases, BrandNewGame and GameWise are also working for a large international bank and the port of Amsterdam.

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