Electronic Arts: Electronic Arts

Credits & Description:

Brand EA GAMES
Entrant ADAM&EVEDDB LONDON
adam&eveDDB London, United Kingdom Entrant Company
adam&eveDDB London, United Kingdom Idea Creation
SMUGGLER London, United Kingdom Production

Ben Priest adam&eveDDB Group Chief Creative Officer
Richard Brim adam&eveDDB Chief Creative Officer
Tim Vance, Paul Knott adam&eveDDB Creatives Directors
Rasmus Smith-Bech, Jonas Roth adam&eveDDB Creatives
Sian Parker adam&eveDDB Agency Producer
Christopher Battye adam&eveDDB Agency Assistant Producer
Martin Beverley adam&eveDDB Executive Strategy Director
Mat Goff adam&eveDDB CEO
Dylan Davenport adam&eveDDB Managing Partner
James Derrick adam&eveDDB Account Director
Max Sullivan King Henry Account Manager
Alex Fairman King Henry Designer/Typographer
Robbie McCawley &Tony Medio Starcom Mediavest Media planner
Fergus Brown SMUGGLER Executive Producer
Emma Butterworth SMUGGLER Producer
Adam Berg SMUGGLER Director
Erik Sohlstrom, Mattias Rudh & Simon Chaudoir SMUGGLER D.O.P
Paul Hardcastle & Dave Davis Trim Editor
Alex Fitzgerald The Mill Executive Producer
Jonathan Wesley The Mill VFX Creative Director
Joe Tang, Dan Adams, Nina Mosand, Jeanette Eiternes The Mill 2D Artist
Jonathan Wood, Tom Hales, Maria Carriedo The Mill 3D Artist
James Bamford The Mill Colorist
Jakub Skorupa The Mill Lead After Effects
Raphaella Lima The Mill Music Supervisor
Brett Kelsey cain&abel Executive Producer
Leanne Tarvin cain&abel Post Producer
Edward Christie cain&abel Senior Motion Graphics
Joe Hollingworth cain&abel Assistant Motion Graphics
Robert Spary-Smith cain&abel Content Director
Noemie Bottiau cain&abel Content DOP
David Mortimer adam&eveDDB Planning Director
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.