MEC and digital campaign agency Social Ally have come together to employ real-time technology to launch Arnott’s campaign for new product variant Tim Tam Chocolicious Bites.

The campaign centres around an interactive consumer poll asking respondents to decide whether Tim Tam Chocolicious Bites are chocolates or biscuits – for the chance to win a year’s supply of Tim Tam (assistant editor’s note: a year on free Tim Tams, OMG!).

The poll allows consumers to vote in real time within ad units and instantly collating and displaying the results through a single back-end poll.

Consumers can vote through pre-rolls (the TVC continues to play as users cast a vote), within display units, through bespoke Facebook mobile ad units or Tim Tam’s Facebook page. The results of each vote are displayed instantly, across all formats.

“Real-time communications is the very essence of what we do at MEC and Social Ally’s technology was the perfect solution for amplifying the idea to deliver meaningful engagement and social interaction to our fans,” says Rebecca Twist, client & communications director at MEC.

“The technology allowed us to link all the ad units into a single experience, turning the digital marketing into a cohesive digitally led campaign that taps into the social nature of the web and audience.”

Social Ally co-founder and director Dan Ferguson adds, “As far as we are aware, this is the first time anyone in Australia has applied real-time technology in this way through multiple ad units creating a unified, multiuser experience. People want to feel like they’re part of a bigger conversation, they want the instant gratification of being able to see others participate as it happens.

“The real-time poll brings the chocolate-or-biscuit question to life and makes it a shared experience among consumers. We know that shared experiences are more compelling, and that as a result people are more likely to walk away with the brand front of mind.”