The summer football game players couldn't stop playing

A football-themed game for Santa Maria's Tex Mex and BBQ summer campaign in Sweden kept players coming back for 57,000+ rounds and 1,667 hours with the brand.

+57 700

Total plays

1 667 h

Total time spent with brand

12:38

Avg. time spent per player

Intro

For summer 2026, Santa Maria brought its Tex Mex and BBQ ranges together in one campaign in Sweden, with football as the common thread. Santa Maria wanted a way to keep consumers engaged with both product worlds throughout the early summer, and we built them a game that people simply didn't want to put down.

Santa Maria summer football game on mobile

The game

In the game, players controlled a football on a stadium pitch, collecting Santa Maria Tex Mex and BBQ products while dodging red and yellow cards. Each round gave three lives, and there was no limit on how many times you could play.

That was the point. Every round was an entry to win one of over 500 summer prizes (beach towels, beach bags and footballs in Tex Mex and BBQ designs), so playing more meant better odds. On top of that, the top five players on the leaderboard won prizes each month, giving the most dedicated players something to chase.

We planned and concepted the game, and worked together with Change the Agency on the in-game creative assets.

Results

Between 18 May and 30 June, 7,922 players played 57,778 rounds and spent 1,667 hours with the brand, an average of 12 minutes 38 seconds and 7.3 rounds per player.

The game also held its pace. 61.6% of players came back for another round, and after a strong launch week it settled at a steady 6,300–9,300 rounds a week, with returning players accounting for close to nine in ten sessions.

Gust is a great partner for our gamification activations. They are proactive & ambitious and show a high level of engagement in order to make our campaigns/activations a success.