National Book Tokens launches Hidden Book and Book Island Games

National Book Tokens has launched its annual festive campaign, with the return of its Hidden Book Game for a seventh year, and Book Island Game for children for a second year.

In the Hidden Books Game, book lovers are invited to spot all the books hidden in an image, with ten eagle-eyed bookworms to win a year’s supply of books. Fifty runners up will also take home a £10/€10 book token.

The 2019 design by illustrator Harry Woodgate has a high street theme and a Books Are My Bag tote bag with a bookshop at the centre of the image.

Woodgate said: “I'm really pleased and excited to have worked with the team at National Book Tokens on the Hidden Books Game, and having enjoyed taking part in previous years' editions, this was such a lovely brief to illustrate.”

Previous incarnations of the Hidden Book Game have been played by nearly 400,000 people to date, National Book Tokens said, with between 50,000 and 100,000 entrants each year vying for the top prize.

The Book Island Challenge is also being launched, a version of Hidden Books Game for children which is returning for a second year.Aimed at helping children aged from six to 12 read independently, it challenges them to identify children’s book characters from the clues given in a colourful ‘treasure map’ illustrated by designer Sofia Hericson. Fifty £10/€10 National Book Tokens are up for grabs for the winners of the children’s competition.

Both the Hidden Books Game and Book Island Challenge form part of the NBT's integrated Christmas marketing campaign, which is based around the brand’s enduring idea that ‘choosing a book is an adventure in itself’. Developed with creative agency Arthur London and media agency Wavemaker Select, the campaign will be deployed across traditional print media, digital display, video on demand, social advertising and through NBT’s rewards programme Caboodle.

Lisa Bywater, marketing manager at National Book Tokens, said: “2019 has been a strong year for National Book Tokens with sales up by over six per cent. We always invest heavily to support the National Book Tokens brand at Christmas and this year’s campaign, including the very timely high street theme for our Hidden Books Game, continues that support with our central message all about the joy of choosing a book."

She added: "We know that booklovers love choosing books and doing so in brilliant bookshops; National Book Tokens are the perfect way to give this experience to book readers of all ages.”

Visit National Book Tokens' website or Caboodle to take part. Entries close on 31st December 2019.