Cannes Lions
ESSENCEMEDIACOM, New York / GOOGLE / 2024
Overview
Entries
Credits
Background
Google and Samsung teamed up to generate mobile gaming excitement for their latest foldable device. With massive dual-screens, more precise controls and the ability to simultaneously run different apps, Samsung Foldables open up new ways for gamers to experience their passions with the magic of Google. Google Play partnered with Supercell & optimized Supercell titles, Clash of Clans, Clash Royale and Brawl Stars specifically for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 to unlock a new level of immersion for gamers. With 75% of gamers looking for a new phone (YouGov), the timing was perfect. Our goal? To showcase how Samsung foldables with Google Play empower gamers to do more of what they love. It's not just a phone upgrade; it's a portal to a bigger, better, and more immersive gaming world – one that gamers can proudly be a part of.
Idea
Google Play and Samsung gave gamers ‘More room to Play’ by making mobile gaming epic and unmissable where gamers play every day, celebrating and dramatizing the parts of mobile gaming culture that have been forced into hiding to unfold a new era of play.
We couldn’t truly shift gamer culture without an iconic, famous game IP so Google Play teamed up with the legendary Clash of Clans, a game specifically optimized for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5, to show gamers that they can play more of what they love with the magic of Google.
Our ‘Fame-ification’ creative strategy of ‘More room to Play’ was three-fold: 1) breakout mobile gaming culture on gaming’s biggest night, 2) celebrate + represent mobile gamers with a new community award and, 3) challenge ‘legit’ gamers to show their love for mobile gaming.
Strategy
Mobile gaming make up half of market share, and 74% of PC gamers play mobile games. Yet mobile gamers aren't taken seriously and aren't seen as "legit" gamers (Statista). This is played out in various aspects of gaming culture, including The Game Awards where mobile games are the number one fan voted category, despite being only one of 31 categories.
Mobile gaming is considered less than due to its small screen - now the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 is a game-changer as its dual screens unfold a larger, more immersive playable space than ever before.
Our approach was ‘Fame-ification’ - giving mobile gaming the fame it deserved by moving it from tiny screens to the biggest screens & stages, from hidden spaces to must-share social & from one award to most talked about integration.
Execution
Pioneering one of the first 3D anamorphic creatives on Sphere was both a thrilling challenge and an opportunity to craft a truly unique experience, making our brands stand out in the crowded Sphere landscape. Capturing Sphere footage for The Game Awards integration presented the tightest deadline, but our perseverance paid off - we were the only sponsor to leverage Sphere's potential at the show. To ensure a smooth approval process across multiple stakeholders, we strategically built extra time into our timeline, accommodating input from Google, Samsung, Supercell, and Sphere.
Outcome
Mobile gamers came out of hiding and took the stage across social, beating Twitch’s audience chat interaction by 483%. The campaign ignited a flurry of positive conversations, from “WOAH I LOVE MOBILE GAMES,” “that’s actually REALLY fire,” “wait that looks so good with the Fold” and much more. We challenged the stigma of what a gamer is and created ‘More room to Play’, which clearly resonated with gamers by racking 4.7M hours of Streamer content watchtime, 47% beyond Twitch’s benchmark.
We amplified The Game Awards Sphere creative and Faux OOH videos on TikTok, Snap, Instagram and across a YouTube Masthead takeover, scaling impressions to over 363M across gamers. Our social-first creative resonated with gamers - TikTok VTRs exceeded benchmarks by 33%, and Instagram CTRs exceeded benchmarks by 52%.
For a community notoriously hard to please, with the magic of Google, we unfolded a new era for mobile gaming.
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