When the game starts at breakfast
“Quelli della Colazione” is Ferrero’s digital platform dedicated to the Nutella and Kinder universe: an ecosystem designed to transform promotional activities into interactive and ongoing experiences.
At the heart of the project is a gamification system that builds a daily point of contact with families, through progression, objectives and rewards.
Within this system sit Il Custode delle Parole and Lettere Misteriose, two word games designed to combine learning and entertainment. The games are not isolated elements, but part of a broader experience that accompanies the user over time.
How we created it
The main challenge was to design a gamification system consistent with the Nutella and Kinder universe, capable of integrating progression, objectives and rewards within an accessible and ongoing experience.
We worked on multiple levels: from defining engagement and progression mechanics, through to designing the gaming experiences and their integration within the platform.
In this context, the interface and the visual and sound feedback system played a key role. Every element was designed not only to be immediate and intuitive, but also to reflect the brand’s visual language and values. The interactions accompany the user and celebrate every success at the exact moment it occurs, maintaining constant consistency with the Ferrero universe.
The Project
Customer need
Ferrero’s goal was to evolve the “Quelli della Colazione” platform by enriching it with a gamification system and gaming experiences capable of speaking directly to children and families.
The experience needed to be both engaging and educational, stimulating linguistic and cognitive skills – such as attention, memory and creativity – without feeling didactic. At the same time, it was essential to maintain strong consistency with the brand’s visual and values-driven identity.
Identified Solution: gamification
We designed a gamification system based on progression, objectives and rewards, built to accompany the user over time and establish a positive habit.
The system was structured to support an ongoing experience throughout the entire year, through varied activities, immediate feedback and progressive milestones. Narrative plays a central role in this process: the character of Custode Lino and his cat Nocciolina guide the user, creating continuity and strengthening engagement.
Identified Solution: gaming
Within the system, two word games integrated into the platform were developed:
Il Custode delle Parole
A word game in which players form words by connecting adjacent letters on a grid. The objective is to build as many words as possible, earning the points needed to unlock new levels and rewards within the platform.
Lettere Misteriose
A riddle-based experience in which players must identify answers within a letter grid. The game integrates with Ferrero promotions, using narrative and thematic content to enhance specific products and campaigns.
Brand consistency
Every visual and interactive element was designed in continuity with the Ferrero universe, avoiding any forced overlap between brand and game.
The result is an experience in which the brand does not merely feature, but becomes an integral part of the system: the game is configured as a natural extension of Ferrero’s values, helping to strengthen an authentic relationship with the user.
Opportunities for the company
The project made it possible to transform the “Quelli della Colazione” platform into a daily point of contact between the brand and families.
Through Game Thinking, the platform builds a positive, recurring habit: users return to complete challenges, advance through the progression and earn rewards. This spontaneous return generates a form of ongoing engagement, deeper and more lasting than traditional promotional activities.
The gamified structure also allows marketing campaigns to be integrated naturally within the experience, avoiding interruptions and maintaining a high quality of interaction.
Conclusions
The project demonstrates how a Game Thinking approach can transform traditional promotional activities into ongoing experiences capable of generating real, lasting engagement.
The model developed for “Quelli della Colazione” is not tied to a specific context, but represents a replicable and adaptable framework applicable across different sectors, in which content, objectives and dynamics can be tailored according to the brand and target audience.
Designing systems of this kind means building relationships over time, transforming interaction with the brand into a meaningful and conscious habit.
Transforming the sweetest moment of the day into an opportunity for growth. This is the idea behind a gamified system designed for Ferrero’s “Quelli della Colazione” platform, where play, learning and brand come together in a daily, ongoing experience.
