Digital storytelling for HoZ Carnivia campaign

Head of Zeus has launched a “fully immersive, story driven” digital marketing campaign to mark the release of Jonathan Holt’s The Abduction in paperback.

The novel is the second in the Carnivia thriller trilogy, and the marketing campaign will be hosted on the Carnivia website, with Head of Zeus hoping it will drive sales of the novels and draw in new fans of Holt as well as existing ones.

Each layer of the game will unlock a chapter from the book, and users will be led to reviews and trailers. Head of Zeus is offering £2 off a paperback copy of The Abduction to readers, with a link to Hive.co.uk being given at the end of the game so people can use the discount.

The game sees readers take part in a fictional hunt to rescue an abducted 16-year-old girl by interrogating a suspected terrorist.
Users are given Q&A options, and smart tactical choices will secure the right information to free the girl, Mia, without breaking US government guidelines on interrogation and torture. However wrong choices will lead Mia into further danger.

Each layer of the game includes a clue or puzzle which leads to a code – readers who collect all five codes can enter a competition to win a trip to Venice.

Digital marketing director Kaz Harrison said: “As a publisher we have these incredible stories and this [the Carnivia series] fits well with the online world. Because we have this story it’s important to use it at the heart of our marketing. We wanted a campaign that transports you into the story.”

The characters and plot of the game are all featured in The Abduction, and the game features extra content from the books, such as an anonymous confessional where readers can leave their secrets.

All digital advertising for The Abduction will lead to the game, which will be used or adapted by Holt’s international publishers.

Harrison said: “We want to open the books up to a new audience, and the game is built with shareability in mind. We hope it goes viral.”

The game is live now, with the competition to win a trip to Venice open until the end of the year. Harrison said the game had been designed so that Head of Zeus could strip out the competition element, but still keep it live for readers.