BackgammonMasters.com have just unleashed their own backgammon playing tiger to help promote their game software in the online game market. Jean-Claude is the animated mouth piece for the company, rumored to be a proud graduate of life, he clearly hasn't graduated from the school of fashion. Kicking back in the office of the used car yard he manages, Jean-Claude decks himself out in some John Travolta inspired 70's style threads. For some reason he reminds me of a badly dressed version of Tony the Tiger from the Kelloggs Frosties ads.

As an animated character, Jean-Claude has plenty of appeal, and it will be interested to see how he is received in the increasingly populated world of viral marketing. Perhaps the element that give Jean-Claude, and BackgammonMasters.com, the edge of other viral campaigns is the interaction, and sense of audience ownership, that Jean-Claude creates with his audience. The Jean-Claude series engages its audience through the use of 'give always', trivia questions and audience participation. Throughout the series the audience is invited to submit their own script ideas, which is sure to keep the concept fresh and bring back repeat viewers.

As a child of the Xbox generation, I have to be honest, I have very little interest in backgammon. But if I'm going to get a lesson in the game, I most definitely want it to come from a talking tiger!

This post sponsored by BackgammonMasters.com