Game to Reach the Gals

When one thinks of games and dorm rooms, the mind typically wanders to shot glasses and bottles of cheap hooch.

J.C. Penney took a more sober route to promote its dorm-room products to college-bound women. This summer the retailer started an online game called “Dork Dodge” (www.dorkdodge.com) to engage shoppers with the brand.

In the game, set to run through mid-September, players navigate through different scenarios trying to avoid dorks and find true love. At the end, players can check out Penney's new Dorm Life lifestyle brand for young adults or get some tips on freshman life at www.facebook.com/dormlife. Word-of-mouth marketing and blog seeding support the game.

“When you're thinking about decorating a dorm room, J.C. Penney is not [a name] that will come to the surface for young girls,” says Kim Kline, vice president of account management and planning for EVB, the San Francisco agency that developed the concept and is handling the game.

But Penney believes it has an audience. More than 40% of all U.S. gamers (computer and console players) are women, according to the Entertainment Software Association.