Burberry releases surfer video game for summer fashions

Brief:

Burberry this week released its third video game, this time to promote the luxury fashion brand's TB monogram summer collection. "B Surf" is a multiplayer game that lets players dress up their characters in the brand's outfits before grabbing a surfboard and challenging friends to a race around a track, per an announcement shared with Mobile Marketer.
Burberry for the next two weeks is offering daily prizes to gamers, including a limited-edition TB surfboard and branded bucket hats. Players can also unlock digital rewards such as an augmented reality (AR) in-game character and face filter.
Burberry's in-house development team created "B Surf" as its first multiplayer game. Gamers can find "B Surf" on Burberry's website, luxury shopping site Farfetch and messaging app WeChat, per its announcement.

Insight:

Burberry's release of another video game indicates that the fashion brand has been pleased with the response to its first two games as it looks to drive awareness for the TB monogram pattern that was first introduced in 2018 and has been, in part, responsible for a resurgence for the brand.

"B Surf" follows Burberry's October release of "B Bounce," a video game has been played by 2 million people in more than 40 countries, according to the company. Burberry followed "B Bounce" with an extension called "Ratberry" in January. Unlike those single-player games, "B Surf" has a multiplayer mode that urges people to share the experience with their friends. Online sharing increases the likelihood that Burberry can extend its branding among a wider audience worldwide.

The news is the latest example of how luxury brands are embracing digital technology, often with a mobile push. The list includes Gucci, which is active on Snapchat, and Louis Vuitton, which also has a video game.

Burberry's "B Surf" can help to prolong its brand exposure among consumers who dress up their game characters in its clothing before they play. Gaming has become a more popular pastime worldwide, especially among people who have been forced to stay at home during the coronavirus pandemic. The number of people who play video games is forecast to exceed 3 billion by 2023, up from about 2.69 billion currently, per Newzoo research data cited by VentureBeat. By the end of this year, 2.5 billion people will play video games on mobile devices, making them the most popular gaming platform by far. Burberry has an opportunity with "B Surf" to engage casual gamers with a branded experience that's more engaging than other digital media.

Burberry has embraced digital media in its recent marketing efforts to showcase its latest clothing and accessories. The fashion brand in February partnered with Google on an AR shopping experience for consumers in the U.S. and U.K. Burberry in November opened a flagship store in Tokyo that lets shoppers scan QR codes with their smartphones to see AR content. The following month, the brand created a digital pop-up experience powered by Google Lens, showing smartphone-carrying shoppers a live feed of themselves surrounded by a herd of virtual Burberry deer.