Case Study: How Central Station Turned a Holiday Card into a High-Impact Digital Fundraiser

Central Station, a full-service marketing and creative agency, reimagined the traditional holiday card as an interactive digital experience. Instead of sending a static message, they launched a custom Snowball Throwdown game on the CUE Platform, designed to engage their network while supporting a cause closely tied to their industry.

For every game played, Central Station donated one dollar to NABS Canada, a national nonprofit that supports marketing and communications professionals facing financial hardship due to life challenges.

The result was a holiday campaign that blended creativity, participation, and purpose—turning play into measurable impact.

The Challenge: Making a Holiday Message Meaningful

Like many agencies, Central Station wanted to stand out during the crowded holiday season. Traditional holiday cards felt easy to overlook, and they were looking for a way to create something interactive, memorable, and aligned with their values without turning it into a promotional push.

The goal was simple:
Create an experience people would actually engage with, while giving back to the marketing community.

The Strategy: Gamifying Generosity

Central Station partnered with CUE to design a custom Snowball Throwdown game that was easy to access and fun to replay. Participation was voluntary, frictionless, and purpose-driven; each game played directly contributed to the donation total.

Rather than asking for donations outright, the campaign invited people to participate, compete, and return, letting engagement naturally fuel impact.

Execution: Simple to Join, Hard to Put Down

• Players accessed the game digitally with no app required
• Each play triggered a $1 donation from Central Station
• Replay was encouraged through fast, competitive gameplay
• Participation required no obligation beyond playing

The experience was intentionally lightweight, allowing players to jump in casually, or return repeatedly to climb the leaderboard.

Results: Engagement That Added Up

Campaign highlights:

• 451 total players
• Players averaged nearly five games per person, signaling strong replay value
• 2,966 total games played, generating $2,966 donated to NABS Canada
• 38 hours of total engagement time, driven entirely by voluntary participation
• One top participant logged 544 games, equating to more than 9 hours of gameplay

What started as a holiday greeting became an experience people actively chose to return to.

Why It Matters

This activation proved that meaningful engagement doesn’t require scale; it requires intention. By combining a simple game mechanic with a clear purpose, Central Station created a campaign that felt authentic, interactive, and generous.

The Snowball Throwdown didn’t just spread holiday cheer it demonstrated how digital engagement can drive real participation and real impact, even within a focused audience.

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