2005 BEST ONE-OFF MEDIA IDEA WINNER

CAMPAIGN - The Killzone Experience: Evil vs Evil

AGENCY - Starcom Worldwide, Sydney

CLIENT - Sony Computer Entertainment

SPONSORED BY
Advertising Standards Bureau

OBJECTIVE

First Person Shooter (FPS) games are an extremely violent and dark genre, and Starcom was set to launch the KillZone franchise, mostly appealing to hardcore gamers. While hardcores were the primary target, to reach sales goals hardcores and casual gamers had to be won over.

CAMPAIGN

Faced with major clutter, poor reviews (due to product development delays) and narrow sales opportunities, Starcom decided to turn the hardcores into their communications army. Hardcore gamers crave special treatment and insider knowledge - and they know their words can influence casual gamers.

A national VIP KillZone event was organised, with the hardcore troops recruited online. Cinemas were hired to showcase Killzone on the biggest screens with surround sound.

Special privileges included unseen footage, an audience with their God - the Killzone programmer bigger than life, recorded especially for them - and plenty of freebies. Cinema had never been used to showcase a game, so it was a cinema and category first.

RESULTS

Fifty per cent of sales reached within three weeks and the game is still selling six months on - not typical of the category - showing casual gamers bought in. This, despite a huge Christ-mas and massive Halo explosion. Testimony to the word of mouth wave: a hardcore gamer turns up to a focus group on 2 September; an hour later he posts on Play- Station; within 24 hours 46 replies have been posted and comments are viewed by 380 gamers.

JUDGE'S COMMENTS

"An idea that created genuine excitement and fuelled raw envy amongst a group over-romanced by youth brands. Importantly, this represented an idea born of insight - the bragging rights hotly desired by your garden variety gaming geek."