Angry Birds is one of the hottest downloads in the App Store; Rovio has experienced over 350 million downloads of this popular game. The silly slingshot bird game is moving into other areas of pop culture such as stuffed toys, Halloween costumes, clothing and now possibly Starbucks?
Bloomberg recently reported that Angry Birds creator, Rovio Entertainment, is in conversation with Starbucks and other retailers. The goal is to bring the virtual world of Angry Birds into the real world by providing their gear, making a movie and partnering with retailers.
The discussion with Starbucks has included providing digital leaderboards in the stores, where customers can see the top-scoring Angry Birds players. There are also some discussions about in-store promotions.
Wibe Wagemans, the former Microsoft Bing executive who now heads the marketing efforts at Rovio said, “Having leaderboards will encourage Starbucks customers to play Angry Birds on their devices, so they can see their scores spotlighted.”
The idea behind the partnership with Starbucks and other retailers is an effort to attract more customers and diversify sales. “Retailers get new customers who’ve not been to their stores yet, and repeat customers” said Wagemans.
All of this is ahead of an initial public offering, which Rovio says may happen within the next few years.
We will let you know if Angry Birds goes live at a Starbucks near you!
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