Brand engagement agency XSEM helped lager brand Carling build excitement and brand awareness with an interactive campaign for the Emirates FA Cup final, which saw Manchester United beat rivals Manchester City on Saturday (25 May).

As part of its official partnership with the Emirates FA Cup, Carling gave consumers the chance to win a host of exclusive prizes through an in-venue mobile game.

Working with XSEM, QR codes were displayed across 8,000 venues across the UK and Republic of Ireland, taking adult consumers to the app where they could take part in a penalty shootout style game on their handheld devices.

The ‘Score With Carling’ app launched in mid-March, closing after the semi-finals of the historic competition, at the end of April.

Consumers engaged with the campaign more than 50,000 times and handed out almost 3,000 prizes and experiences. Rewards included tickets for the final of the Emirates FA Cup, a stadium tour and Mitre vouchers for those who could successfully score and save a penalty in the app. Carling created a range of point-of-sale materials for on-trade operators to display in their outlets, including posters, bar stand-ups and tent cards.

Emma Derbyshire, assistant brand manager at Carling said: “In partnership with XSEM, we’ve delivered an incredibly memorable campaign. This year’s Score with Carling activation focused on Carling’s association with the Emirates FA Cup.

“Aligned with our wider campaigns, Score with Carling has helped us to reinforce our brand association with football and its given consumers the opportunity to have fun and win incredible prizes. We’re very proud of Score with Carling.”

Commercial director at XSEM, Michael Gwilliam, added: “This was a simple, fun and memorable experience and was key to driving customer participation for Carling in pubs and bars up and down the country.

“We know major sporting events drive footfall to pubs and bars and gives brands like Carling a unique opportunity to elevate not just the fan experience, but brand recognition and loyalty.”