Host creates giant Vodafone Pinata on Facebook

Vodafone’s Facebook fans have the chance to win prizes by taking swings at a prize filled, giant Piñata thanks to a robot called ‘Carlos’.

Created by Host, the new Facebook page combines robotic technology and social media and allows Vodafone’s Facebook community to operate the remote-controlled robot to swing at the enormous Piñata using a variety of instruments including a baseball bat, axe and Samurai sword.

Click here to view Carlos in action and/or have a swing yourself and click here for behind-the-scenes footage on how it was done.

Once broken, 500 prizes – including Samsung Galaxy tablets, musicvouchers and Mexican wrestling masks – will be available for collectionby the community that have participated.

Ben Kimber, General Manager of Online at Vodafone said, “The Power Piñata is a fun way to reward our community during the silly season, engage with our customers and empower them to be part of our brand.”

Players can pick from a range of swings such as The Zorro Swing, The Hurricane, and The Slam Dunk in order to try to break the Piñata.

Pascal Winkler, Digital Business Director at Host said: “Like any Piñata we don’t quite know when it’s going to break. We have a range of instruments with increasing strike-power at our disposal – so we may arm Carlos with a sword or axe if the bat is not successful.”

The robot is programmed to respond to the selections made in real time and a live camera films what it does. Host worked together with robotics specialists MAR and live streaming experts Viocorp to make the idea a reality.

The promotion will last as long as the piñata withstands the efforts of robot Carlos and the Vodafone Facebook® community. The latest the piñata will break will be 9pm on 17th December.

Credits

Client:    Vodafone Hutchison Australia

Agency:   Host

Creative:   The Jamboree

Robotics:  MAR

Live Streaming:  Viocorp

Media:   Ikon Communications