IQOS Polar Mission: Unique Gamification and the Creation of an Interactive Game

When we talk about production, it doesn’t always have to be just about building festival zones and physical stages. For Club IQOS, we were challenged to create a comprehensive digital experience an interactive game that we conceived and brought to life for the client, from the initial idea to the final visuals. Our task was to design an engaging story, creative game mechanics, and a complete visual identity that would immediately draw users into the plot.

The game’s concept was based on a strong motivation: players set out in a virtual world to search for the lost aurora borealis. The goal was to complete all tasks as quickly as possible and thereby unlock the grand prize for their team an exclusive trip (worth 100,000 CZK) to a crystal-clear, heated igloo where they could observe the real Northern Lights. However, we didn’t want to create just another click-through contest, so we developed what we called the “Curiosity Board.” Through it, contestants had to navigate a series of ingenious puzzles that cleverly linked the story to the client’s portfolio:

Diverse game mechanics

We divided the game into four phases. For example, teams had to determine the direction of their next journey based on the constellation Ursa Minor in the night sky, or decipher a light signal in Morse code emitted by a reindeer sleigh.

Natural product placement

We organically integrated brands from the portfolio directly into the logic of the puzzles. Players counted IQOS, VEEV, and ZYN products frozen in ice cubes, or deduced the final destination (Finland) based on the contents of a backpack, which contained a TEREA box alongside an old Nokia phone and a book about the Moomins.

The IQOS Polar Mission is clear proof to us that we’re not afraid of digital challenges either. From writing the script to graphic design to setting up the mechanism. It rewarded not only the fastest teams but also 1,000 other randomly selected players.

We managed to deliver an immersive gamification experience entirely under our own direction and confirmed that we can deliver unique experiences not only in person but also online.