Lenovo India throws the ThinkPad challenge to find the real ‘Do-ers’ in its community and reward them with exciting prizes. Positioned around the brand’s philosophy of ‘For those who do’, the challenge known as ‘Where is my ThinkPad’ needs you to complete five different types of challenges around the ThinkPad. By completing all challenges you stand to win merchandise from Lenovo including speakers, wireless mice and hard disks. The final challenge requires you to share about the next big innovation for Lenovo and you stand a chance to win a trip to the Lenovo Innovation Centre in Beijing for a week!
Where is my ThinkPad
Where is my ThinkPad is hosted on a microsite that is powered by a Facebook login. If you are a ‘Doer’ and think you can make it, login in with your Facebook ID. Select each of the challenges and complete them. Then unlock all 5 parts and assemble them. Share the next innovation on ThinkPad and you are on your way!
Of the five challenges – which are also timed – I could unlock only 1. These are the challenges that test your skills from coding, circuit design to decoding ancient hieroglyphics:
The MOMA: The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) has the missing part and you need to crack the code to get to the Thinkpad in the MOMA. Fill blanks in the lines of code to unlock the cage in which the part is present. These are simple C++ program codes which are easy to crack.
The Astronaut: Here is where you can unlock a missing monitor at the International Space Station. Time the rocket to hit escape velocity at the edge of the atmosphere. If you go too fast, you won’t have enough fuel to reach the space station. The speed of the rocket can be controlled with the up arrow keys. This one is really really tough!
The Scientist: Here you have to travel to the North Pole and trigger the SOS to unlock the roll-cage. Design a circuit that can trigger an SOS using parts of your broken radio. All you are given is a light source, a power source, resistors and capacitors. Test your circuit design; if it works take a screenshot and send it to the given email id. I have forgotten all about circuit design.
The Archaeologist: Here you got to follow the Thinkpad into the harsh Nile Delta and crack the hidden code to unlock the missing shock-mounted hard disk drive. Crack the coded hieroglyphics to decipher the location of the hidden treasure, by first studying the Greek alphabets thoroughly. I managed a few levels here but soon lost my patience.
The Sergeant: Here you have to survive the battlefield by passing 8 MilSpec tests and you can earn the spill resistant keyboard.
Now you need to assemble all these parts, which I wasn’t able to. And send your next big innovation idea to win big.
Engaging with the Doers!
The legendary ThinkPad has travelled the world, and into space helping Doers accomplish difficult missions in difficult conditions. And the ThinkPad challenge tries to emulate this by taking fans to the same locations and putting them through a series of challenges. The ThinkPad travel diary gives you hard to believe facts about the notebook like it being used in the Vortex 2 project to study tornadoes and a space shuttle to run a NASA test program among other things.
A tough system like this needs tough doers, hence the ThinkPad challenge for those who do. The campaign not only strengthens the brand’s positioning but also helps bond better with its online community. The grand prize of an all-expenses paid trip to the Lenovo Innovation Centre must be a dream come true for some fan!
Participation is being driven through the social media networks of Lenovo with some Facebook ads to boost too. The challenge has been promoted on the Lenovo India Facebook page for its more than 1 million fans, as well as the Twitter page of 3K followers. But, being a tough one, it might not find many takers.
Did you attempt the ThinkPad challenge? What do you think about the incentives?