Mercedes-Benz USA is giving away a sports car to the person who has his or her finger continuously placed on a smartphone screen for the longest while following around the virtual car during the Super Bowl.
As the New England Patriots and Philadelphia battle it out, “Last Fan Standing” challenges fans to avoid the distractions of Super Bowl Sunday and test their patience, stamina and digital dexterity as they focus their attention instead on the prize — a Mercedes-AMG C43 Coupe. Naturally, the football field where the virtual car will be roaming around on is at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, site of next year’s Super Bowl.
“We wanted to get beyond the traditional game-day executions and do something that was more reflective of the social co-viewing phenomena that game day has become with people alternating between watching the big screen and socializing on the small one,” Drew Slaven, vice president of marketing for MBUSA, said in a statement. “Earlier this year we launched a digital campaign for our high-performance Mercedes-AMG models called ‘Join the Obsessed’ and that’s what inspired Last Fan Standing. So, may the most obsessed win on February 4.”
The competition starts at the scheduled Super Bowl kickoff time at 6:30 p.m. EST after U.S. residents 18 or older register earlier in the day and get tips on how to keep their phone charged and deal with bathroom breaks. According to the rules, a contestant would be disqualified if at any time he or she uses another person’s finger to keep touch with the vehicle or uses any device to mimic the contestant’s finger being in touch with the screen.
Players who register and share on Twitter that they’re playing the game can score a one-time, five-minute “timeout” during the game. That could very well come in handy. According to the rules, touching a smartphone for a long period of time “may be an inherently dangerous activity” and adds that contestants with health risks or driving should not participate.
As the game difficulty progresses with distractions and contestants drop out by losing contact with the car, a live counter will show the number of players remaining. If Mercedes thinks the game has gone on for too long and will not result in any more contestants being eliminated, a deadlock will be declared with a random drawing awarding the car.
Beginning on Wednesday before the big game, players can even practice with an interactive training game.