J. Walter Thompson London creates online game for Freshers in latest HSBC Campaign

As hundreds and thousands of school-leavers prepare to fly the nest and become full-time students in the whirlwind of Freshers’ Week, J. Walter Thompson London has created a fun and playable online game for HSBC delivering the benefits of its student current account.

As well as the obvious debts, hangovers and living with complete strangers, there are a lot of unseen hurdles to overcome for students starting at University– everything from a broken phone or mum’s birthday to the dreaded not having enough money to go out.

Called “Freshers’ Fortune” and reminiscent of Sonic and Mario, but with a bearded and backpack wearing student, the game is based on the classic side scrolling computer game where the object is to collect coins.

However, the coins are replaced by benefits of the HSBC Student account all, of which can be used to overcome these unforeseen hurdles. These include an overdraft for the phone, credit card for mum’s present and Amazon Prime vouchers to alleviate the boredom of an enforced night in.

A player’s success in gaining these benefits is measured in degree classifications, from 3rd (worst) to 1st (best). The game will be playable on the HSBC Facebook page on both desktop and mobile. The game can be played here: https://freshersfortune.hsbc.co.uk/

Russell Ramsey, Executive Creative Director at J. Walter Thompson London, said: “Freshers’ Week is a frenetic time for students so we needed a way to cut through the noise and engage them while also fitting into that hectic fun-packed schedule.”
Chris Pitt, Head of RBWM UK Marketing at HSBC, said: “We know that while starting University, and especially Freshers’ Week, can be great fun, there are also a lot of concerns for new students and the HSBC Student account can alleviate many of these – and “Freshers Fortune” allows us to do this in a modern engaging way.”