The Challenge:
Esports is the fastest growing sport in the world. When a $3.5 billion industry is projecting growth to $10 billion in the next few years, it’s no surprise when every major brand wants to be a partner with it.
The challenge for brands is that this audience takes no prisoners. If your brand is not endemic to the esports space, you are an outsider. A big, corporate brand like AT&T must walk the walk if they want to get any traction.
The Idea:
Achievement Unlocked laid the foundations for a strong and ownable position for AT&T within esports. It gave everything AT&T did within this partnership a focus on the real-life motivations that drive modern gamers to strive for greatness underpinned with a fun and light-hearted tone.
The Execution
A 360 integrated plan that included co-partnerships with collaborators, streamers and distributors, a loyalty program, traditional media and live experiential came to life.
We created events like Unlocked Games: an open platform to inspire greater participation from women in gaming development. AT&T Power Plays, which was our very own awards system where gamers submitted their best gameplay clips for the chance to hear their C9 heroes watch and rate them live. And the AT&T Annihilator Cup where 20 Esports competitors would battle it out in a first of its kind live streamed Twitch tournament for a $300,000 prize.
