Agency / Omelet — Client / Google Stadia — Integrated Campaign — 2020
How do you steal market share from gaming titans?
Creative Strategy — Audience — GTM — Qual Research
The promise of Google’s cloud-based gaming platform was intoxicating — AAA games and powerful specs, delivered on any screen, with no physical console. The problem was that Stadia had under-delivered at launch, lost the trust of the core gaming community, and now, one year in, faced down the arrival of long-hyped next-gen Xbox and Playstation consoles.
Building upon a recently completed quantitative player segmentation, we raced out into the field to talk to a range of demographic and player profiles. We discovered a pocket of players who felt stuck — their desire to deepen their relationship with gaming running up against intimidation by gaming culture and the cost of next-gen consoles. This insight was key in pivoting audience strategy away from unreachable core gamers and toward an audience for whom Stadia could provide real value.
You Have What It Takes said it all. You, emerging player, have everything that's required to play games on Stadia. You have the hardware. No need for expensive consoles. You have, well, yourself. No need to be someone you aren't. The campaign lowered these barriers to entry, and the creative delivered on the strategy with a sort of veritas feel, showing over 40 players, of various profiles, in their homes, playing on surprising devices and in unexpected scenarios.
The impact of the work extended beyond lab testing and media performance (which were themselves significant, resulting in the work becoming the highest performing creative across the Hardware portfolio for the year). Play For Everyone was born, a new tagline or true north for the organization, shaping a runway for product and marketing innovation for years to come.
CDs: Jimmy Barker, Brianna Lohr + GCDs: Josh Smutko, Raul Montes + Account: Andrew Krensky, Luke Lamson + CSO: Pete Talaba + CEO: Thas Naseemuddeen + Strategist: Christine Sasaki + many more — please shout if I've been a jerk and left you off here!
