Case Study

Crack a Joke is a fantastic, fun-filled game that delivers punchlines with high production values. This creative, new digital offering will provide kids with the material they need to become the comedy kings of the playground and it is the first of its kind on the CBBC website.

Brief

As part of the @North initiative, TH_NK was appointed to make CBBC the number one website for children to search for and enjoy jokes.

The @North initiative was delivered in conjunction with local partners Northern Film & Media, Screen Yorkshire and Vision + Media, providing £500,000 for digital companies across the North to make new interactive content aimed at the 6-12 age group for the CBBC website, one of the UK’s most popular for children.

Strategy

TH_NK were able to get right to the heart of the Children’s department within the BBC and create a jokes site specifically tailored to the 6-12 age group.

Execution

‘Crack a Joke’ is targeted at six to twelve year-olds and sits within the Games section of the hugely-successful CBBC website. In the game, children can see, read and listen to a wide range of jokes presented by their favourite CBBC characters including Hacker the dog and Barney from Blue Peter.

After a punchline has been delivered, children can award prizes based on their response to the joke. For laugh-out-loud jokes, users can select roses or giant bubbles to give to presenters. On the other hand, if the joke didn’t deliver a laugh, pranks like rotten tomatoes and custard pies can be thrown to add to the interactive and fun element of the game.

To further engage the audience, children can sign in with BBCiD and unlock presenter awards, new pranks and prizes. They can also save their favourite jokes to their ‘Joke Box’ to enjoy time and time again.

Results

In its first few weeks, the Crack a Joke site has received a positive response from children and the industry alike.