I run marketing for a canned kombucha brand. Our buyers are Gen Z, 18 to 28, into travel and going out, but wary of weight gain or breakouts from junk food and sun.

Here’s our problem: they already know kombucha is good for them. That’s exactly why it doesn’t sell in summer. When they’re out having fun, “good for you” loses to “fun,” and they grab a soda instead.

So we stopped explaining the benefits and built a game instead. It took one day. Here’s how.

The Idea

An endless-runner game called “Moving Forward.” The player runs through a summer trip, guided by a mascot: an animated kombucha can named Kombuchacha. As they run, the game shows the three moments people actually reach for kombucha: after greasy food, under harsh sun, and while traveling. No lecture, just the story doing the work. This kind of simple setup is close to what these gamification formats cover in more depth.

The 1-Day Build

Design (09:00–10:30): Keep it simple. Just answer three questions: who’s playing, what’s in their way, and what do they get at the end.

Assets (10:30–12:00): A vertical background for the running route, a finish-line scene, an animated running character, and clean product shots. Tools like Midjourney or Canva can build a character in about 30 minutes. Octokit’s own asset library also has ready-made options if design isn’t your thing.

Build (13:00–15:30): Drag in the running loop, set a score track tied to distance. When the player hits a milestone, a product pop-up fires automatically, so they learn about the product mid-run instead of before they even start playing.

Funnel setup (15:30–16:30): Turn on OTP login by phone or email to keep your data clean and block bots. Upload voucher codes as a CSV so finishing the run sends a real discount straight to the player’s screen or phone, giving them a reason to visit a store.

Test (16:30–17:00): Check for cut-off text on small screens, a smooth experience on bad connections, and vouchers firing on time. Scores are validated server-side, so leaderboard gaming isn’t a concern.

What Changed

• Kombucha started feeling like something to drink on the go, not just a detox chore
• People stayed with the game far longer than they would with a normal ad
• The voucher for finishing became a real reason to walk into a store that week

Two Mistakes to Avoid

Watch completion in the first 24 hours. Below 30% means the game is too long or too hard. Keep it to 6 slides per checkpoint, max. You can fix this live too. Octokit lets you edit dialogue and questions without republishing. For more on why campaigns like this stall out, this breakdown is worth a read.

Keep images under 2MB. A heavy image slows load time on mobile, and a slow load loses people before they see your brand at all.