Starcom and Bidstack launch out-of-this-world gaming campaign for Paco Rabanne’s Phantom
Starcom and Bidstack have teamed up to deliver an out-of-this-world gaming campaign for Paco Rabanne’s luxury men’s fragrance Phantom in the futuristic game Curved Space
The original activation celebrates the luxury craftsmanship and new-tech feel of Phantom with a custom in-game character that represents the fragrance’s collectable robot bottle. Phantom is the world’s first connected fragrance, which features a game-changing bottle design that connects owners to the Phantom Universe via their phones.
The unique, playable Phantom robot character launched in this campaign acts as a controllable companion and travels with the gamer through the deepest reaches of space. The robot can be downloaded from Curved Space’s start menu and is free for all players. They can explore the game’s vast maps, battle cosmic spiders and take on enemies with their partner’s powerful spray attack on hand to help them.
The Phantom robot was developed by Maximum Games and was designed to enhance the playing experience for the gamer. The companion acts as an extension of the player and becomes an additional tool in their toolbox - porting around the map, stunning spiders and assisting in battle. The character is also playful and breaks the fourth wall of the game with emotion animations that showcase the Phantom bottle, capturing light and reflections as it moves in a responsive, realistic and dynamic way.
Bidstack worked alongside Starcom to develop the strategy for the campaign and after exploring different ways to create an authentic in-game experience, they found an ideal fit in Curved Space.
The game, which is available across PlayStation, Xbox and PC, offers a radically different environment for brands to interact with gamers. With cross-platform reach and an intense arcade style, the game offers a perfect environment for an authentic gaming activation for a brand like Paco Rabanne.
Paco Rabanne take an innovative approach to engaging their target audience and this campaign represents the first time a fragrance has created a playable character in a premium game that respects and enhances the end-user experience. The in-game character launched at the start of November, allowing the brand to connect gamers with the world’s most connected fragrance in the run-up to the holiday season.
Of the campaign, Adam Fisher, head of US sales at Bidstack said; “It was a pleasure to work again with Paco Rabanne and Starcom for this exciting collaboration with our partner Maximum Games in their newest title, Curved Space.
Working with our partners to create an interactive brand experience for Phantom is something we are really proud of. The execution pays homage to some of the classic games that came before us and drew inspiration from titles like R-Type and Gradius.
Our number one priority for any partnership is to ensure we respect the game and I feel that we accomplished that with this free DLC activation.”
“Phantom is the perfect partner for this campaign,” said Shane Bierwith, evp of global marketing at Maximum Games added. “The fragrance and robot perfectly compliment the out-of-this-world action in Curved Space. New and existing fans can expect a lot of fresh twists and turns within the free DLC.”