Electronic Arts: NEED FOR SPEED

Credits & Description:

Category: Best Use of Integrated Media

Advertiser: ELECTRONIC ARTS

Product/Service: HOT PURSUIT RACING GAME

Date of First Appearance: Nov 7 2010

Entrant Company: MEDIACOM GERMANY, Düsseldorf, GERMANY

Group Head Planning: Sebastian Schönfeld (MediaCom)

Managing Partner: Clas Jelinek (Magic Moments)

Senior Consultant: Matthias Höppner (Magic Moments)

Art Director: Claudia Di Giorgio (Magic Moments)

Creative Director: Georgios Engels (Magic Moments)

Media placement: TV Campaign 'Duel Split' - DMAX - 07.11.2010

Media placement: Cinema Campaign - Sound-Check Spot - Cinemas Nation-Wide - 11.11.2010

Media placement: TV Campaign TV Spot 30' - Pro7 - 16.11.2010

Media placement: TV Campaign 'Simpsons-Split' - Pro7 - 18.11.2010

Media placement: Print Campaign - 6 Page Photo Story - FHM - 18.11.2010

Media placement: Print Campaign - Fake Small Ads - Auto Motor Sport - 18.11.2010



Insights, Strategy & the Idea



Need for Speed, the most successful racing game ever, was facing a decline in sales over the last years due to strong competition and declining product quality.



The communication objective was to create a hype around the game by showing that Need for Speed – Hot Pursuit was everything it once stood for: Stunning rides and car chases, with keenly realistic graphics and a competitive game play.



The product addresses Casual Gamers which are highly relevant to gaming market. They seek entertained within action-packed gaming environments. Casual Gamers are naturally hard to get, considering that the market offers a wide range of blockbuster games.



Due to its realistic graphics, NfS offers another source of entertainment attracting Car Enthusiasts. These gamers want to see realistic cars and drive through real life environments.



This results in the challenge to position NfS – Hot Pursuit as THE source of entertainment for different audiences.



Creative Execution

Surprise the audiences in their hero-media:



Casual Gamers: Gaming is entertainment

- TV: we integrated NfS into “The Simpsons” using the “Simpsons – Split”. A fluent crossover from programme to commercial break made it look like NfS was an actual part of the show.

- Print: in the no.1 men’s magazine FHM, a 6 page photo story featuring girls and NfS-branded cars was published.

- Cinema. a state-of-the-art sound spot was produced to demonstrate the powerful sound of NfS to let the audience “feel” the action.





Car Enthusiasts: Gaming is a real life experience

- Using small fake advertisements in car magazines, offering vehicles featuring in NfS, we showed how realistic the graphics are.

- We teamed up with a TV station. To get as close to the content as possible, we created a new TV special ad, the “Duel split” for the "Bullrun" broadcast, a high-end automotive rally.



Results and Effectiveness

Sales soared with 40% vs. the last release.



Additionally the gaming community went crazy about the NfS – Hot Pursuit. In the launch week a huge buzz was created with a raise of 254% in blog communication and an uplift of communicating users of 400%. We got enthusiastic reactions towards the game not only in tests and in gaming magazines but also in forums.



However, not only Casual Gamers showed enthusiastic reactions. Car Enthusiasts didn’t even realize at first sight that it was an ad for a racing game, so they called up the magazines to buy the hot rides.