Feb 8, 2017

Unilever taps smartphone game to win consumers

Unilever is investing in a Pokémon Go-style smartphone game that gives players physical prizes at the end of a virtual treasure hunt, in a move that demonstrates how consumer goods groups are using increasingly unusual ways to stoke interest in their brands. Unilever's undisclosed investment of a six-figure sum in Snatch, to be announced on Thursday, has been made through Unilever Ventures, its private equity arm. 25 brands have signed up to the Snatch app, including Unilever, high street fashion chain Topshop, Rock Pamper Scissors beauty salons, Just Eat, Pizza Hut and Now TV, the digital television service. Mr Martin said the minority stake being taken by Unilever Ventures did not give the Anglo-Dutch company exclusivity and that Snatch would continue to broaden the range of companies offering prizes. Like many other consumer goods companies, Unilever is suffering from a slowdown in growth as brand-fickle consumers in mature markets increasingly turn to start-ups for exciting new products.

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