Quick ... which do you think your pediatric patients would choose ... a piece of candy or a code for a free video game? The folks at PopCap Games already know the answer, and they are ready to help your patients avoid "zombie mouth" as we draw ever closer to Halloween.
"We've asked kids which they would prefer (candy or free video game) and nine out of 10 wanted the video game," said Keith Zentner, the director of brand marketing for PopCap Games. "Candy may be on their brain, but when given the choice, we know they will choose the video game."
With that in mind, Zentner and the team at PopCap Games, a division of Electronic Arts, have teamed up with the American Dental Association to give away a million packs of "Plants Vs. Zombies" trading cards this Halloween. Each pack of trading cards contains a code for a free video game. How will these cards be disseminated? Through dental offices just like yours.
See the official release about this promotion by clicking here.
With "Plants Vs. Zombies" being one of the hottest video games on the market (it has more than 9 million fans on Facebook ... including many of your patients and their parents), it's a great opportunity for your practice to hop on the craze and give away an alternative to sugary treats this season.
Best of all, the promotion is free for your practice. Just go to catalog.ada.org and order your kit. Each kit contains a "Stop Zombie Mouth" poster, 50 packs of trading cards, and a display to have at your front desk or in your operatory. The ADA will drop ship it to you and you'll be ready to go.
Click here to order your kit from the ADA.
I recently toured PopCap's headquarters in Seattle and talked to Zentner about the promotion and why the video game maker would team up with the ADA. You can see my exclusive video interview with Zentner by clicking here.
Henry: How long has this promotion been in the works?
Zentner: We had the idea a couple of years ago and but we've really been working on this campaign since April. We started talking about it and "Stop Zombie Mouth" became our theme very quickly. Within a couple of days, we had put together the sketches for what we wanted to do. Now we have www.StopZombieMouth.com which contains a lot of oral health information, coloring sheets and other activities, as well as codes for free games as well.
Henry: This kind of promotion is something completely new for your company, right?
Zentner: It's our first time to ever produce trading cards. We also made a video with the Putrid Posse that is two minutes long to tie in with the current PSAs about oral health. That video runs as long as a child is supposed to brush his or her teeth, so the timing of the Putrid Posse video with the PSAs was great for us.
See the Putrid Posse music video by clicking here.
We also turned down numerous offers to brand our "Plants Vs. Zombies" with Halloween candy this year. We didn't want to send out a mixed message.
Henry: How are you promoting this outside of the dental industry?
Zentner: We are sending out media kits with trading cards and other promotional materials to radio stations in the major markets so they can understand what we're doing.
Henry: For those who don't know, talk about the success of the "Plants Vs. Zombies" franchise.
Zentner: We launched the game in 2009. We didn't know how well it would be received but it became an instant hit. It's one of the top brands in the United States, United Kingdom, Southeast Asia, and China. It's popular with children and adults because the zombies aren't scary. The plants stop the zombies by doing things like shooting peas. We know a lot of parents and grandparents who play it with kids, so we know it's a game the whole family likes.
Editor's Note: Any team member in the dental office can request a kit from the ADA. Simply click here to request your kit.
