Advertiser: XBOX
Agency: WUNDERMAN3
Category: Best Sponsorship or Partnership Campaigns
Vp/Creative Director: Dave Rothkopf (Wunderman3)
Account Executive: Jed Strong (Wunderman3)
Account Supervisor: Kristin Olson (Wunderman3)
Production Manager: Mat Krawcyzk (Wunderman3)
Svp/Group Account Director: Jim Rappel (Wunderman3)
Vp/Account Director: Kate Blevens (Wunderman3)
Art Director: Lauren Schroer (Wunderman3)
Implementation
Dance Central 2 needed to reach girls in a social setting where they could interact with the game and become advocates for the franchise. We identified Varsity, the national cheerleading and dance association. Varsity was an ideal target: hundreds of thousands of young, passionate dancers, and predominantly female.Dance Central 2 became an official sponsor of Varsity. We focused event activation at Varsity’s four national championship competitions, where we could reach dancers en masse. We developed an exclusive video promotion for the Varsity event audiences and beyond, in addition to offering onsite gameplay and custom integrations into their TV competitions.
Outcome
A budget of $335,000 created almost $3,000,000 in program value, resulting in a program ROI of 9:1. The broadcasts of the four Varsity national championships – which included Dance Central 2 commercials and custom integrations – attracted 30 million total viewers. More than 106,000 people attended the competitions themselves, while Dance Central 2’s onsite presence resulted in 26,600 trials of the game.Most importantly, Dance Central maintained its title as the #1-selling Dance franchise and highest-rated dance game on Kinect.
Relevancy
The sponsorship of Varsity and the activation at the four national championships allowed Dance Central 2 to shine for the ideal audience. We showcased its superior gameplay to dedicated influencers in the dance community.Varsity’s cheerleaders are hyper social and dedicated to social media. We filmed a video onsite – “Why Do You Dance?” – asking these enthusiastic dancers to explain their passion for the art, all for the chance to win the game and star in an Xbox video. The girls responded with emotion, sharing their love of dance (and the game!) on video, social media, and beyond.
Client Brief Or Objective
The Kinect for Xbox 360 game Dance Central 2 was much anticipated. The game featured authentic, physical, and truly modern dance routines that appealed to beginners and experts alike. Although the original Dance Central was a top-selling game, there was a new challenger: Just Dance, an extremely popular franchise on other systems, now available on Kinect.Dance Central needed to retain its position as the top-selling Kinect dance franchise and establish itself as the franchise with the best routines, music, and graphics. Plus, Xbox very much wanted to broaden its reach to female athletes, and girls in general.