FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 18, 2013
Game’s On – Park Royal Launches Innovative Mobile Game Experience to Celebrate its Park Royal Retail Expansion
Partnership with SparkBridge Interactive delivers fashion/pop culture game app designed
to appeal to young female shoppers with rewards for playing
WEST VANCOUVER, B.C. – One of Metro Vancouver’s leading shopping destinations is playing to win – literally. In keeping with its reputation for continuous innovation on the retail landscape, Park Royal is leveraging the power of mobile gaming to gamify the shopper experience throughout the shopping centre.
The new Snappz app invites shoppers to use their mobile devices to play a custom Park Royal
mobile game centered around hip fashion and pop culture. Players get points for correctly
answering questions that are presented at different locations around the shopping centre and can receive a gift card when certain game levels are reached.
With a focus on attracting a younger, female shopping demographic to Park Royal, the game
complements the shopping centre’s successful new shopping area with its new collection of
trendy, hot local, national and international retailers that are now part of the thriving retail venue.
“Park Royal is a leader in the beyond-bricks-and-mortar strategy. Shopping is more than just about buying a product – winning retail delivers a full experience,” said Amanda Eaton, CommunicationsCoordinator for Park Royal. “Snappz fits right into that strategy. It’s a fun and hip mobile game centered around hip fashion and pop culture, which we think will be especially appealing to our young female shoppers.”
This younger demographic is a big user of mobile devices. According to research at the Pew
Internet & American Life Project, 78 per cent of young people aged 12 to 17 now have cellphones. Nearly half of those are smartphones, which is a number that is increasing steadily. According to the survey, older teen girls aged 14 to 17 were among the most likely to say their phones were the primary way they access the Internet.
Park Royal is launching this innovative pilot in partnership with SparkBridge Interactive. This awardwinning, Vancouver-based innovator on the mobile gaming and learning landscape has
introduced its “environmental experience” game apps into other venues, including the Vancouver Aquarium and Royal Botanical Gardens, as well as pilot programs being developed for airports and a high-end grocery retailer.
For more information about the Snappz app mobile game, visit SparkBridge.com.
About SparkBridge Interactive
SparkBridge Interactive, launched in a unique international partnership between the Vancouver Aquarium and Boston-based digital media developer FableVision, is an innovator in mobile apps optimized for experiential environments – from museums, zoos, aquariums, to retail, corporate, and airports. SparkBridge offers unique expertise in developing innovative game play for informal learning environments and their visitors. For more information, visit SparkBridge.com.
About FableVision Studios
Founded in 1996 by New York Times best-selling Author/Illustrator and educational technology leader Peter H. Reynolds (The Dot, Ish, I’m Here, The North Star, Judy Moody), FableVision Studios is dedicated to helping all learners reach their full potential and to telling “stories that matter, stories that move.” FableVision produces award-winning websites, games and activities, animated films, interactive graphic novels, museum kiosks, digital storybooks, desktop applications, and iPhone & mobile tablet apps for major publishers, broadcasters, museums, research groups, foundations, and educational institutions. Reynolds was born with his twin brother Paul Reynolds, FableVision’s CEO, in Toronto, Canada. For more information, visit fablevision.com.
About Park Royal
Home to over 280 stores and services, Park Royal and The Village at Park Royal feature over 1.35 million square feet of high quality retail. As the second largest shopping centre in Metro
Vancouver, Park Royal boasts some of the world’s best fashion brands, more than 5,000 free
parking stalls, and Canada’s first lifestyle centre – The Village at Park Royal. Situated at the foot of the landmark Lions Gate Bridge and minutes from downtown Vancouver, Park Royal is at the forefront of fashion and retail in the Lower Mainland. Learn more at shopparkroyal.com.
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Media Contacts:
Kirk Herrington
Chairman
SparkBridge Interactive
604-926-6652
kherrington@sparkbridge.com
Amanda Eaton
Communications Coordinator
Park Royal
604-923-4729
aeaton@parkroyal.ca