Bungie
Destiny 2 Free To Play Campaign
GUARDIANS WELCOME
Targeted Campaign Spots
SPACER
SPACER
THE CHALLENGE
CAMPAIGNING FOR THE FREE-TO-PLAY MODEL
Destiny 2 is a thriving Massively Multiplayer Online Game with a devoted fanbase, featuring genre defining art – a legend in its own right – and yet, Bungie saw the tides of the MMO world turning to Free-To-Play. They understood that making the game more accessible meant adopting a Free-To-Play model.
Navigating the new world required a new marketing approach that would showcase the core gameplay loop from a whole new POV. Campaign spots needed to highlight this incredibly rich game with just a quick overview of what makes Destiny so unique in an increasingly crowded market.
THE APPROACH
HIT THE BOOKS
Adopting a free-to-play model meant opening up the world of Destiny to a whole new audience. The first step was getting to know their potential audience a little better, through demographic investigation and distillation. Making sense of thousands of anonymous questioners can be daunting. Translating that information into themes and marketing approaches is just what we’re made for.
With the research Bungie had done, we were able to create a handful of marketing tracks that would target three distinct segments: Gladiator, Skirmishers, and Strikers. Not all of these gamers identified as hardcore, so our language and style had to adapt to a crowd more used to short gaming sessions and quick rewards.
THE PROCESS
Develop a Voice
As our process developed, three unique narrative structures were set in place, each speaking to unique crowds. With one, we would speak to the vast Universe of the game, and the lore behind it, while with others we would champion the loot and progression system. Who doesn’t love some loot! These narrative tracks would change the tone of the spot, all informed by the play style of the targeted groups.
THE DESIGN
Designing for A new crowd
When it came time to design for these new narrative spots, we set out to explore the Destiny visual vernacular. The style Bungie has set is beautifully rich in detail and impeccably executed across all sorts of mediums. Our goal for this Free-To-Play initiative was to bridge the gap between their deep world building and a more modern marketing approach.
We landed on an editorial mix that captures best-of-gameplay moments in rapid-fire 30 second spots which feature clean typographic headlines drifting over textured white backgrounds. Double exposures are used to pull hero moments to the forefront with layered action.
THE PAYOFF
PAYOFF HEAD
The Free-To-Play campaign was launched around the world with localization for a multitude of countries. As the data rolls in, the campaign is designed to adapt and target the most active audiences. With a flexible campaign like this, just about every aspect can be changed on the fly to capitalize on a moment.
In today’s market, you’ve got to respond quickly to shifts in trends, and plan for the unexpected in your audience. By building a campaign with this mindset, Bungie has created the tools to honor their core fans, while activating new Guardians who’ll throw down in the latest raid, strike, or in the crucible.
