Zendesk Pinballer

Flipping the switch on direct mail with a winning interactive experience. Zendesk’s Support Suite is the ultimate solution for any business struggling with their CRM. So, to get the word out to companies trying to keep up with their customers’ demands, we created a dynamic direct mailer guaranteed to grab attention. Taking the nostalgic fun of an arcade classic, and combining it with today’s most innovative technology, we launched Pinballer — an interactive piece of experience-led marketing made for a truly contemporary brand. We built the world of Pinballer around Zendesk Suite’s unique offering, tailoring the messaging, design, and gameplay around each of the products’ features and benefits. Then came the tricky task of capturing the feel and physics of real pinball. We started by testing a proof of concept on Google’s Teachable Machine, before developing and training our own bespoke model using transfer learning. We then had to overcome challenges presented by factors like device-type, lighting and shape arrangement. Machine learning with neural networks was integral to successfully classifying shapes and extracting accurate positional information, and helped us deliver a seamless player experience. Acting as a multifaceted metaphor for keeping up with expectations in the competitive and often disconnected world of customer service, the game ensured Zendesk stood out from the mountain of pitch mail businesses receive every week. So successful has the DM been in generating new leads, and convincing decision-makers to start conversations, that a raft of developments have been planned for the coming year, including new features, enhanced gameplay, and migration to a live event experience.