A game where security is at stake
Issue 19 | June 2011
Agency
OgilvyOne Copenhagen
Creative Team
Creative Director: Ole Rydal; Art Director: Ole Rydal; Copywriter: Laila Lundgaard
Other Credits
Marketing Strategists: Laila Lundgaard, Ole Rydal and Dan Forsberg Project Manager: Sissel Helsinghoff Account Director: Dan Forsberg
Date
2011
Background
Many consider IT security to be a diffuse issue and it is difficult to sell solutions to a threat that no-one quite understands or recognises.
210 selected companies in the following two segments:
- It managers.
- Top executives and financial executives.
Campaign goals
- Getting 15 meeting appointments.
- Obtaining sales at index 1500 compared to the investment within 12 months.
Idea
IT security is a big issue for many companies because breakdowns can paralyse the organisation and cause great losses. IBM, who offer complete and integrated security solutions covering everything from data storage to external threats, wanted to create a piece that would help them get meetings with both IT specialists and company decision-makers.
To explain the issue of online security with a glimpse of humour, cartoon-like characters were created, each symbolising one of the many threats. And each character had its own card in the sort of card game recipients would remember from their youth.
The game also included a joker, in the form of a white SecureDevice knight that could beat all the other cards. The card game was distributed in a box with an elegant pattern, which turned out, on closer examination, to be made up of tiny skulls.
The message was “A game where security is at stake” and together with the game there was a small brochure explaining the threats.
The game cards helped the recipients learn more about the sort of risks they could be running and a few days later SecureDevice called to book a meeting to discuss the issues raised.The sales reps used the cards at the meetings to talk about how SecureDevice dealt with each of the threats.
Results
- 42 companies (20%) chose to set up a meeting immediately.
- Sales reached index 4,700 after 12 months.
When the challenge is to make yourself heard in an environment where there is already a great deal of noise, then it was well conceived to use the sort of simple game recipients would be familiar with to explain what is, after all, a complex story.
The campaign scored high in strategy, creativity and performance alike. Also note the elegant feature of using the cards again when the sales reps explained the products at the follow-up meetings. This is the way to go if you want to attract attention.