Fresh from a successful first year, Kia?s Game On tennis serve-return application is moving into wearables, allowing players to return serves from televisions or laptops by using a smartwatch instead of having to hold a smartphone.

The changes kick off year two for the free app, which originally received 193,000 downloads in two weeks to rank atop both the Apple and Android app stores. The app?s durability underscores mobile?s value in building brand engagement for Kia, a South Korean automaker, through creating a fun game while providing users with a chance to win a Kia car. 

?For us, it's Kia's first foray into wearables,? said Travis Johnson, CEO of Mnet Mobile, an Australian agency. ?Smartwatches are becoming more popular in Australia ? you see them every day. 

?We wanted to test and learn using the wearable app and map user engagement, preferences, time spent other data to inform future uses and app interactions,? he said.

Every player can enter a draw to win a Kia Cerato hatch, plus other instant prizes, according to the Apple app store.

The original version of Kia Game On let consumers use their phone as a racquet to virtually return a serve from Australian tennis player Sam Groth, heralded as the owner of one of the fastest shots in the game. 

The original app was played an average of 15 minutes with 20 swings per person. It also won 20 global and Australian awards and was acclaimed by Millward Brown as a best practices second screen solution.

Kia Motors Australia, a longtime sponsor of Australian Open Tennis, believed the ultimate experience for millions of couch-bound viewers would be to actually face a serve from a tennis athlete.

By working with mobile partner Mnet and media agency Initiative and creative agency Innocean the parties moved the prospect a step closer to reality.

The app?s newest feature is a 360-degree panorama which lets the user see what it is like to stand on center court in Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia. The panorama even changes from day to night imagery after the sun sets.

In the new version, players also can log in by using their Facebook accounts to play against Facebook friends. Video replays of each shot show how well a ball is hit and where it lands.

Players wear the SmartWatch App for Samsung Gear Live, a light version of the Smartphone App. As players swing their arm, the watch syncs with the server to give scores.

Marketing features include integrated beacons to deliver exclusive offers, alerts and content. Push messaging alerts players to key tennis-match broadcast times for ads.

?Users wanted to further enhance the experience and make it more real,? Mr. Johnson said. ?A key part of returning a shot would be seeing where it landed so we added that capability. Every shot gets an instant replay.

?Along similar lines the panorama shot uses the phones gyro to let you look around center court just like you're there.

?Finally we learnt that the competitive component is critical and compelling. However, with hundreds of thousands of players it's not always easy to find where you rank so we integrated Facebook and you automatically see your friends that are playing.?