The Brief
Announce the brand-new Call of Duty game in a memorable and innovative way.
The Strategy
While we could have announced the new Call of Duty game, Infinite Warfare, through any number of paid media outlets and reached millions of people. But why do that when you can deliver a memorable message through the game itself?
We created a four-day "Hostile Takeover" puzzle for gamers inside Black Ops 3, Activision's massively popular 2015 COD title, that culminated Monday with the reveal trailer for Infinite Warfare.
The Execution
We announced a "NukeTown Weekend" in advance, to trigger Black Ops 3 players to play the map all weekend. During the weekend, players noticed a mysterious spaceship hovering overheard in the cinematic that ends the level.
The next day, on Saturday morning, the bad guys from Infinite Warfare infiltrated the Black Ops 3 universe, leaving propaganda all over the place.
On Sunday morning, the hero from Infinite Warfare, Lt. Reyes, appeared and directed players to what he described as the only secure communications channel left—Facebook Messenger—where players could interact with him and get help finding clues hidden within the game and elsewhere the internet.
Players who found the codes could unlock the Infinite Warfare reveal trailer at 9 a.m. Monday morning, an hour before it was scheduled to be released widely. Those players were rewarded with special content they could carry with them into the new game when it launches this fall.
Result
More fans and in-game players viewed and engaged with this tease than any previous Call of Duty reveal tease.
In-game Participation - More than 8 million players participated in the in-game tease in Black Ops III.
Messenger Engagement - Fans exchanged over 6M messages with the Call of Duty Messenger experience within the first 24 hours.
Media Coverage - 171 million media impressions with 43% positive, 0% negative sentiment, including coverage from Mashable, EW, Adweek and CNET.
Social Media - 94 million social media impressions, fueled by 1.9 million engagements and 238k mentions.
Year over Year Increase - 5x more impressions, 8x more engagements and 2x the number of mentions across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat compared to last year’s highly successful tease program.
Awards
Webby Awards 2017
Honoree for Best Use Of Social Media
Nominee for Experimental & Innovation
2x ADC Awards 2017
Gold - Digital Experiences - Guerrilla / Stunts
Bronze - Digital Interactive - Games for Web or Social Media
4x Shorty Awards 2017
Best Use Of An Emerging Platform
Best Use Of Gamification
Best in Games
Gold - Best Use Of Facebook
2x The Drum Social Buzz Awards 2016
Gold - Most Innovative Use Of Social Media
Gold - Best Use Of Facebook
The brief
Create an unique journey for We Own The Night Amsterdam, empowering women to own the 10 km race from the moment they sign up through finish.
The insight
10K feels like a long way. “I feel like I will fail.” (Roos, 19)
Belief is a muscle. The more you use it, The stronger it grows.
Instead of doing a 10K run all at once, we divided Amsterdam in smaller challenges and runs. Step by step, street by street, park by park, challenge by challenge, they own Amsterdam - together.
The idea
AKQA created a 360° training program challenging women to own the city like never before.
- 10-week personalised training program on Nike.com and Facebook
- Weekly organised Run Clubs
- Influencer and partnership collaborations
The impact
200% - Twice as high sign ups compared to last year.
175% - Almost twice the amount of women trained with the Nike Run Club every week.
187% - 87% more sales at the Nike store Amsterdam versus last year.
The brief
Apple and Samsung are still the only brands that matter in the tablet market. But tablets are not made equal.
We need to communicate that Intel-powered tablets have the same quality and speed as Intel-powered PC's.
Insight
The target audience are young, active, social and living in the moment. As the flow of information accelerates it is becoming a challenge for these people to keep track of it all. Bucket lists are getting longer, music is released every minute and there is never enough time to try out all the new apps available.
For them, there is no time to lose. There is nothing more annoying than waiting.
The idea
We created an integrated campaign, inspiring the young audience to save time and do more with Intel inside. Because when life goes fast, you can #GoFaster.
We developed super-fast speed-reading banners, Vine videos and social posts that ultimately led them to a microsite with a super-fast product demo.
The campaign ran in 10 countries in APAC including: Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
The result
Reach 610M (Target 161%)
Engagement 3.5M (Target 2400%)
Purchase interest 940k (Target: 3200%)
The brief
Create as much buzz and excitement for the launch of Need For Speed Rivals: Cross the Line.
The Insight
We know that NFS players are not angels; breaking every single rule to get ahead. But more surprisingly, after conducting in-depth research, we found out Need for Speed has been in the top 3 most pirated games for years.
The idea
We seed torrent files that appear to be "real versions" of the game on the most popular illegal downloading sites.
Once players open the downloaded file, they are busted. But instead of punishing them for downloading the torrent, they are rewarded with a chance to get the real game for free.
To get the game, the player needs to convince at least three friends into downloading the game as well. These friends can also win the game for free, but they have to lure even more friends in.
The insight
When potential buyers look for a new coffee machine, ratings and reviews have the most impact on preference and are crucial in driving conversion. Our task was to turn brand owners into ambassadors, so they'll influence their peers.
We found out Saeco owners are eager to learn more about coffee and want to be recognised for their expertise.
Strategy: Experience Map
I developed an experience map that distils research into a concise, visually compelling, story of the customer’s experience across all touch points. The map puts the consumer at the centre of the entire learning and buying process, turning Saeco owners into coffee connoisseurs.
It also identifies which factors are most influential, what drives affinity, where the opportunities are and how Saeco can add value and build stronger relationships with their customers.
The idea
Engaging tutorials and interactive lessons on all digital touchpoints, that helps Saeco owners get most out of their purchase.
We educate them through the process of pairing the right bean with the right coffee, discover coffee culture around the world and eventually pair coffee with food and become the ultimate connoisseur.
We developed a digital service designed to inspire and help men with their grooming routine. The free mobile app offers men clear guidance about how to get to the style they want.
The app provides personalised expert shaving advice, salon-like style advice and an opportunity to easily try over 22 different beard styles directly on your face, simply by taking a picture. The app also comes with easy-to-follow how-to videos and useful tips and tricks.
Experience flow
I developed an experience flow, which is a walkthrough of the customer experience across all touch points – including social media. The map distils research into a concise, visually compelling, story of the customer’s experience across all touch points. The purpose of the map was to show Philips the key role of each channel and platform, but also which features and content should go in the Minimal Viable Product (MVP) of the app.
The brief
Create the most socially connected runway event for the highly anticipated New York Fashion Week "14.
The insight
Journalists and bloggers want to give their audiences unique content as quick as possible. We wanted to help them out.
The idea
AKQA crafted the most socially connected runway event in the brand’s history: The Social Concierge.
The Social Concierge service delivered exclusive photos, videos and other premium runway content to attendees in real time.
Lytro cameras enabled attendees and influencers to capture the event and create immersive experiences for their followers on social media.
The impact
Garnering a total reach of more than 200 million impressions on Twitter and Instagram (+230% compared to last show).
Partnering with AKQA, Tommy Hilfiger successfully delivered a democratic and inclusive runway experience that leveraged real-time social commentary, connected digital influencers with unique content, and introduced a global audience to a new digital age of fashion.
The brief
Competitors are stealing more and more market share. AKQA was tasked to come up with a digital and social platform, driving engagement and distinctiveness.
The insight
The “modern man” has a lot of confusion and mixed signals going on in his daily life. Men crave simplicity.
The idea
We turned NIVEA MEN's online channels into the ultimate destination for men in search of simplicity.
We created #lifehacks to arm modern men with everything they need and want to know.
We unravel things that are considered confusing, explaining them simply, with humour, enabling this man to be the master of his world.
NIVEA MEN's social channels were turned into an invaluable place to inspire and entertain the community throughout the year.
