Ea Sports: Case study

Credits & Description:

From in the game to on the pitch then across the globe, watch FIFA 18's Cristiano Ronaldo, Antoine Griezmann, Dele Alli, and James Harden put their spin on the latest skill move from The World’s Game.
Alternative Title: El Tornado
Category: Gaming
Client FIFA
Brand: EA Sports
Agency: DDB
Geo: United Kingdom
Advertising Agency: adam&eveDDB, London, UK
Group Chief Creative Officer: Ben Priest
Chief Creative Officer: Richard Brim
Creative Directors / Creatives: Tim Vance, Paul Knott
Creatives: Rasmus Smith-Bech, Jonas Roth
Agency Producer: Sian Parker
Agency Assistant Producer: Christopher Battye
Planners: Martin Beverley, David Mortimer
Chief Executive Officer: Mat Goff
Managing Partner: Dylan Davenport
Account Director: James Derrick
Account Manager: Max Sullivan
Designer / Typographer: Alex Fairman
Media Agency: Starcom Mediavest
Media Planner: Robbie McCawley, Tony Medio
Production Company: SMUGGLER
Executive Producer: Fergus Brown
Producer: Emma Butterworth
Director: Adam Berg
DOP: Erik Sohlstrom, Mattias Rudh, Simon Chaudoir
Editing Company: Trim
Editors: Paul Hardcastle, Dave Davis
Post Production: The Mill
Executive Producer: Alex Fitzgerald
VFX Creative Director: Jonathan Wesley
2D Artist: Joe Tang, Dan Adams, Nina Mosand, Jeanette Eiternes
3D Artist: Jonathan Wood, Tom Hales, Maria Carriedo
Colourist: Dave Luddy Ludlam
Lead After Effects: Jakub Skorupa
Music Supervisor: Raphaella Lima
Audio Post Production: Factory
Composer: Run the Jewels
Additional Content Production: Cain & Abel
Executive Producer: Brett Kelsey
Post Producer: Leanne Tarvin
Senior Motion Graphics: Edward Christie
Assistant Motion Graphics: Joe Hollingworth
Content Director: Robert Spary-Smith
Content DOP: Noemie Bottiau
Published: October 2017
Synopsis
FIFA is one of the most popular computer games in the world. Already known to football fans across the globe, to expand FIFA’s reach further, we needed to attract casual gamers – those who only buy games their friends, family and idols talk about. Therefore, the only way to convince these people to buy the new FIFA18 game was to make it the hottest topic in the social groups and newsfeeds of our audience.
Strategy
We were targeting young people across the world. This was a hugely diverse audience, but they all shared a passion for football and football culture and we wanted to use that to bring them into FIFA18.
They chose entertainment based on wanting to connect with friends, so they would listen to, watch and play the things that are most talked about by their friends and celebrity heroes.
Our goal was therefore to make FIFA the biggest talking point in football and gaming culture. To achieve this, we needed to create a social phenomenon that could change behaviour and fuel debate across real football, FIFA18 and social channels
By hiding a new move in FIFA 18 and using pro footballers, celebrities, and other gamers to challenge football fans to ‘Put your spin on it', we created a simple, global mechanic to drive amateur and pro, real and virtual attempts at #ElTornado.
Relevancy
To reach a wider audience, the FIFA 18 'More than a game' campaign challenged the game's existing fan base to create their own versions of ‘El Tornado’ a secret move we created and hid within the game. The +50k in-game ‘El Tornados’ uploaded by core fans went on to inspire thousands of how-to videos, memes, GIFS – and ultimately real-life attempts by the world’s best footballers.
Outcome
+20% new players recruited
304M+ views
50K+ trick uploads
+250% launch conversation and social mentions
42M El Tornado GIFS posted
Broke all FIFA franchise engagement records.
Execution
The campaign was executed globally across multiple platforms in the week before the game launch, centering around the trick hidden in the console game itself. A TVC and online film (300M+ views) challenged our audience to find the hidden combo and PUT YOUR SPIN ON IT. After launch, Youtube tutorials (both branded and organic) helped newcomers to pull it off, weekly El Tornado goal highlights videos celebrated those pulled it off best. Real life attempts were showcased on Instagram. When Pro-Footballers, pressured by fans, demanded that EA allow their virtual-selves to do the move, we launched ‘El Tornado Certified’. Footballers who posted video evidence of their El Tornado ability received FIFA18 footage confirming their upgraded in-game character.
Campaign Description
Traditionally, what happens in football determines what is possible in FIFA. To launch FIFA 18, and find a wider audience, we wanted to prove the virtual game had the power to influence real football and culture beyond. So we created and hid a new skill move called ‘El Tornado’ in the console game, then challenged gamers to find it – and PUT YOUR SPIN ON IT. Pro footballers, FIFA’s biggest Youtube influencers, football skillers, digital artists, rappers Run the Jewels and partnerships with Adidas and Coke kicked off a frenzied search for the secret combo across multiple social channels. Once discovered, a whole new audience began uploading their own versions of the trick, then creating how-to videos, memes, remixes and real-life trick attempts by the thousand.