NETMARBLE; BLADE AND SOUL REVOLUTION
INTERACTIVE AR REVENGE
CONTEXT
Netmarble was very concerned about decreasing popularity of Blade & Soul IP across the globe after passing a peak time in 2018. Also, many internal research indicated that awareness of the IP is lower than expected in most western countries, in the US in particular. Hence, Netmarble wants to run branding/viral campaigns from a very initial stage of marketing activities with outstanding creative with engagement components in creative assets.
INSIGHT & STRATEGY
RPG players consider the game's story and worldview when choosing a title to play. So, we designed 3 interactive AR filters based on the storyline to entice gamers. By providing an Indirect and Immersive experience through AR, we were able to maximize gamers’ expectations before launching.
Therefore we designed a creative strategy to link the marketing process from [Teasing]-[Pre-register]-[Launching] to [Invitation] - [Training] - [Revenge].
CREATIVE IDEA
Interactive 3 ARs as a gateway to the holistic campaign.
The AR filters were the starting point of each chapter's story, and the feed videos supported it. 3 AR effects tell the story and attract gamers' interest, give them missions, and provide rewards for completing tasks. We built three chapters by actively reflecting the game's storyline; [Invitation]-[Training]-[Revenge].
Coupon codes were provided at every step and led to in-game redeem. Through the redemption, gamers can get unique in-game weapons and armors.
Chapter1 Inviting [AR letter]
BNS is a game about a character that lost his family to a wicked woman named Jin Soyun. After this tragedy, he decided to take his revenge. We created an AR letter to invite players to the journey, and let them pre-register the game thru the AR.
Chapter 2 Training [AR Windwalk]
WindWalk is designed to train an essential skill in the game's story through AR. After this experience, we exposed the launch date to maximizing expectations for the game.
Chapter3 Revenge [AR Battle]
After training, gamers will finally be able to do fight an AR battle with the first boss.
This filter was released on the game launching day when players were able to download the game.
In Game Rewards
Coupon Codes appear at the end of each filter. Gamers could redeem codes in the game, and receive Silver chests. These are the rewards of the entire AR Experience.
Result
Brand Lift % for the test are better than Gaming Vertical and APAC Benchmark.
x3 lift Brand Awareness
x2 lift AdRecall
x3 lift Action Intent
Reach 8.51M
Frequency 2.5
Impression 21.31M
LEARNINGS
- Storytelling is working well with AR creatives (Invitation - Training - Revenge)
- A well-made indirect experience is very effective and increases immersion for gamers.
- More engagement components are MUST (e.g. coupon redeem, posting challenge)
- AR can be a very effective marketing tool for gaming companies that already own 3D assets.