Entertainment Retailers Association: 20ten showcases a world of play

The video games industry has never been so successful, with titles depicting a vast range of subjects and actions. As the industry continues to enjoy this success, it has moved more and more into the mainstream view leaving itself open to comment and being judged on how it informs and maintains security across its multiple platforms. Part of this education is also about showcasing the breadth and enjoyment that gaming brings, which is where Must Play May began. A marketing campaign that was designed to increase awareness of some of the ways in which families can engage with the entertainment channel.

Strategy

The campaign was created with a desire to promote the idea that there really is something for everybody when it comes to the world of gaming, something which can bring families together over the bank holidays and half-terms. By celebrating the positive aspects of gaming through the lens of Must Play May, ERA and UKIE were able to deliver a month-long in-store and online activation that continues to build on the great work delivered through previous activations in the education of gaming arena.

Must Play May also enabled additional activations to join the month’s gaming celebrations. Initiatives such as Askaboutgames.com were given a platform to credibly sit alongside some of the biggest titles of the year as they look to deliver the crucial information gamers need to play games safely and sensibly.

The biggest challenge 20ten faced was to bring the gaming community together for one coherent campaign. Each featured title has its own unique visual style and personality, and for this campaign to work, the initiative needed to fuse together all of these differences under one memorable campaign brand look and feel.

Delivery

This was answered by the development of a full CGI world which showcased people playing their favourite games within sets which were inspired by the titles themselves. A bold and dynamic colour palette and art style gave the campaign a distinct look and feel which could be owned across all consumer touchpoints. The CGI world was then delivered across animated and static digital assets, as well as traditional media.

A toolkit was developed to allow retailers and publishers alike to deliver a tailored activation in their worlds for a consistent visual tone of voice across digital and traditional channels.

Dan Bacon, creative director at 20ten, said: “We wanted to create a living and breathing world where all the amazing titles could co-exist delivering the ultimate world of gaming for May.”

Lynn Li from ERA added: “20Ten were tasked with working up a creative concept for Must Play May that would seamlessly combine the strong brand identities of each game, stand out in a crowded retail environment and offer playful social media moments. The creative has been highly praised by games publishers, online and physical retailers and media for its freshness, stunning depth of feel and wide audience appeal.”

Results

The campaign was live throughout May in over 1000 stores across Sainsbury, Morrison’s, Asda, Smyths and Game retailers and online at Argos, Game, Smyths and across independents.

PR and social reached a combined circulation of 2.3m, including coverage in key online target Ask About Games.