Code Strike
Kerry Foods
Issue 46 | March 2018
Agency
Saatchi & Saatchi London
Creative Team
Creative Executive Creative Directors Rob Potts, Andy Jex Creative Director Will John Copywriter Rob Watts Head Of Design Bruno Di Lucca Goncalves Designers Daniel Reeve, Talveer Uppal
Production Team
Production Production Company Inside Job Director Chris Thomas Producer Stephen Riera Digital Creative Lead Jay De Silva
Other Credits
Other Planners Raquel Chicourel, William Poskett Account Handlers Adrian Ash, Vitor Forte Senior Project Manager Hitomi Kato - Moore Media Buying Agency Vizeum Media Planner Jess Wong
Date
December 2017
Background
61% of teenagers in the UK game and snack when they get home from school. Mattessons wanted Fridge Raiders to be the go-to snack for these young gamers. The brand had already been talking to the gaming community for five years when the world's biggest gaming franchise, Call of Duty, prepared to launch Call of Duty WWII.
If back in WW II times Bletchley Park, the original home of MI5, had recruited a generation of code breakers with a cryptic crossword in The Daily Telegraph, helping to turn the tide of the war, perhaps 75 years later, a new generation of code breakers could be recruited with an app.
Idea
Partnering with Call of Duty, Code Strike was a mobile game set within Bletchley Park. The game tested their code-breaking skills, from reaction speeds and memory recall, to reasoning and computational thinking as players set about trying to decipher enemy signals.
Each mini-game was specifically designed with a hidden challenge, which only the most capable code-breakers could unlock. They were designed to recruit the next generation of code breakers and were developed with Cyber Security Challenge UK, the country's leading cyber skills initiative, with the intention of fast-tracking the best players into a real career in cyber security.
Gamers were recruited by three 30-second films, which appeared on Twitch and selected YouTube channels. Special Call of Duty packs were available with exclusive 2XP codes that enhanced the gaming experience.
The app was launched in a live event on Facebook by top gaming influencers Ali A and UniLad.
Results
- Over 100K downloads
- Average season time just under an hour.
- 98% of challenges completed.
- Best players currently being screened for internships.
Our Thoughts
I keep reading clever people who say that referring to 'digital' as if it is a separate channel or discipline is ridiculous. But as long as clients see it as being an add-on to their traditional media campaigns, then 'digital' will continue to exist.
Not an accusation that could be levelled at Mattessons. This is brilliant marketing with equally brilliant creative support from an agency that really understands what it's doing.
Targeting gamers is smart. There are millions of them glued to their screens. What a great territory to own, if you're a snacking brand.
But, over the years, Mattessons has been consistent in letting this community know it understands them and their culture. They've done this partly by understanding the role key influencers play and partly by getting great creative work from their agency.
Offering gamers the chance of a career in gaming is so relevant to the times as well as to their passion points.