The innovative social game ? it is billed as the first-ever Instagram-based virtual run ? asks players to search a grid of photographs on a special branded account as they hunt for a series of Pump ball icons hidden in the images. Once users find and click on all of the Pump balls, like each photo and reach the finish line, they will have a chance to enter the draw to win a pair the new Reebok ZPump Fusion. 

?The ZPump was already being promoted with print, television and other traditional media,? said Jimmy Burton, copywriter at Venables Bell & Partners, San Francisco. ?We wanted to bolster this with a cool social experience that would also give followers a chance to win the new shoes. 

?Hunt for the Pump was our idea to create the first-ever run through Instagram, while searching for the iconic Pump,? he said. ?It used the basic interface of Instagram ? photo grids, likes, tags ? but in a way that turned the platform into a competitive game.?

Reebok, Canton, MA, worked with Venables Bell & Partners to develop the Instagram strategy. 

To play the game, consumers begin at a specially designed Instagram account ? @zpump_startingline ? that acts as the start line for the run. 

 

Once the Pump ball has been found on a picture, players like the photo and click the associated tag on the Pump ball to continue the run by going to the next Instagram account. 

The first person urban run around the streets of San Francisco ? which Reebok claims is one of the greatest running cities in the world ? directs players to various landmarks. Once all of the Pump icons have been found and the finish line reached, players can enter to win a pair of ZPump Fusion shoes. 

The new shoes uses air-filled cage pumps to mold to any runner?s foot for a locked-in custom fit. 

 

The Hunt For The Pump continues through May 11. 

Reebok is promoting the game by sharing the starting line account to its followers. A number of athletes and celebrities are doing the same.

The Reebok program is an example of how marketers are flocking to Instagram for visually oriented campaigns. 

For example, Ann Inc.'s Loft recently rolled out a photo contest on Instagram over the course of seven days (see story).

Marriott hotels in San Francisco recently helped travelers keep their fitness goals on track with a campaign that rewarded participants for engaging with fellow wellness enthusiasts on Instagram (see story). 

?Instagram has been around long enough that people have seen brands do a lot of different things on the platform,? Mr. Burton said. ?With this in mind, it?s important to try to give people something new. Something they haven?t experienced. 

?Because Instagram is a visual platform, your idea should be inherently a visual one,? he said. ?Will your campaign catch people's eye when scrolling through all of the content that lives there??