Board games distributor partners with Deliveroo in business strategy pivot
- 15 May, 2020 13:15
Partnering with Deliveroo to provide board games to Australian stuck at home is about looking outside the box as a brand and responding to an unprecedented situation, Winning Moves’ marketing leaders says.
The board game distributor this month teamed up with Deliveroo on a new boardgame delivery service in Melbourne giving Australian consumers the ability to buy entertainment along with their food within 30 minutes.
Thirty different games are on offer, from Friends Monopoly to Harry Potter Cluedo and Morty Trivial Pursuit, delivered via Deliveroo’s Essentials kitchens in Richmond and Collingwood to a catchment area of about 600,000 consumers. Users click on the ‘grocery’ tab and choose their preferred game from there.
Winning Moves Australia commercial head and head of global licensing, Charlotte Waalkens, told CMO this was an entirely new business strategy for the company. It was prompted by a challenging and unprecedented time of huge change, where almost everyone except for essential workers are being encouraged to stay at home.
“We thought there’s no time like the present to look outside of the box when the world’s ‘normal’ way of life has been disrupted,” she said. “Like everyone, we tried to adapt and help in the way we can – bringing entertainment to people.
“We know people want entertainment to pass the time away while stuck at home. We saw a huge spike in the demand for our games – but one of our biggest issues globally is how to get these desired games into people’s hands.”
With many retailers shutting their doors and online delivery timelines in some channels really long due to heightened pressure and spikes in demand, Winning Moves looked at how to get games directly onto the doorstep of customers via a partner company that could deliver swiftly, Waalkens said.
“Deliveroo offers a world-class service, with one of the quickest and best delivery services in the world, taking items directly to customers doors,” Waalkens said. “They could provide the incredible service of delivering our games directly into the homes of Australians.
“We haven’t worked with any food delivery service companies because, this is the first of its kind for us, long may it last. We are thrilled to be partnering with Deliveroo.”
While the service is currently limited to Melbourne, Winning Moves is being flexible with the timeline and whether it could take the offering nationwide. Waalkens said the company will be looking into options following Melbourne’s launch.
To kick off the new offer from 11 May, the pair are giving away 5000 copies of the Top Trumps card games including Top Trumps Match and Top Trumps Quiz. Other games on offer include Waddington’s No.1 London playing cards with various themes such as Harry Potter, Friends, Lord of the Rings, Rick and Morty, Disney, Holden and Trolls. Winning Moves is also a distributor for Hasbro games, a list that includes Trivial Pursuit, Monopoly, Risk and Cluedo.
In terms of measures of success, Waalkens said the big one is knowing the company is helping Melbourne residents be happier at home.
“Success is bringing joy directly to people’s homes and establishing an ongoing partnership with Deliveroo following the launch of ‘Bored? Games in 30 Minutes’ on Deliveroo,” she said.
Deliveroo Editions head, Tim Talbot, said the company had been seeking out new ways of helping the public cope with the COVID-19 restrictions.
“After weeks of lockdown, we, like many others, have turned to board games,” he said. “The partnership with Winning Moves will provide some of the world’s most popular games to over 600,000 in 30 minutes. The games available are a perfect accompaniment to a great meal – just be gracious in victory.”
Follow CMO on Twitter: @CMOAustralia, take part in the CMO conversation on LinkedIn: CMO ANZ, follow our regular updates via CMO Australia's Linkedin company page, or join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CMOAustralia.