BRIEF
Genshin Impact is an RPG open-world game developed by Asia developer Mihoyo. It was launched during COVID-19 and had 65m+ active players. The game is known amongst hard-core players but unknown to GenZ target audience. As part of its 2nd Anniversary Global Celebration 2022, Comms8 was tasked to bring the game to life in the UK. We initiated three groundbreaking activations at Boardmasters Festival, a real-world treasure hunt in Central London and River Thames across 10 weeks in summer. We position Genshin Impact at the heart of GenZ, and enjoy music, create content and connect in the real world together.
STRATEGY
GenZ played 16 billion more minutes than Millennials. They crave the connections that communities create. Festivals and events allow them to interact and celebrate for the moment.
So we connect with GenZ through gamified performance and experience at Boardmasters Festival, real-life treasure hunt for a moving totem in Central London and a gigantic surreal character on River Thames that coincides with London Marathon.
And we completed the experience with a fans meet-up party on the River Thames with Tower Bridge as a backdrop. We connect the virtual game world with the real-world experience that everyone can be part of, creating the moment where they can connect with others and providing the backdrop for creating great social content for amplification.
EXECUTION
Virtual-real life integration strategy
Instead of being an ordinary sponsor for Boardmasters, we brought to life an immersive summer- themed gameplay experience, topped with a media-first co-branded performance on the Broadmasters' mainstage to release the original playlist created with local musicians in the UK.
We integrated in-game food and gameplay in a gamified beach-themed experience at our brand zone, where visitors could purchase brand-themed churros and try the game to win free churros or co- branded merchandise. To drive social engagement, we had cosplayers interact with festival-goes and capture the moment for social content #GenshinRock.
Real life Treasure hunt engagement strategy
We elevated the RPG gameplay to a new level - and prompted the audience to treasure hunt for a real- life waypoint in Central London. We mobilised the waypoint, toured it in Central London through landmarks, and took over a 40m-long billboard and installed the waypoint at Waterloo station during the busiest time of the Bank Holiday.
Offline activation strategy
To bring the campaign to its climax, we set sail on River Thames with a 6m tall giant character of Genshin Impact, embarked on a river voyage, strategically coincide with London Marathon. With our original music playing in the background, the character passed London's prominent landmarks, including Westminster and Tower Bridge.
Brand ambassadors cheered and greeted the pass-by and runners along the journey.
We seeded real-time social content to hint the whereabout of the Waypoints and the characters. Fans successfully 'hunted', captured the moment and shared content on social media to win a limited edition of merchandise and in-game reward.
We wrapped up the experience with a flagship finale 2nd birthday party at Tower Bridge pier, where the giant character moored. Attendees came to meet & greet with the character, connect with other community players, and enjoy the bespoke Genshin Impact-themed birthday cake and drinks at the event.
RESULT
According to App Store and Android data, the game download achieved 11-20% growth in the
UK after the campaign period of August - October. With reference to the data from our channels, partners, and 3rd party UGC tracking tool, the campaign drove over 73.2m of impressions.
There are over 100 media coverages in the UK & globally, including Times UK. The whole campaign had more than 37.2 million reach on social media, including TikTok,Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook.
Over 190,000 individuals reached the three activations, tracked tally counters, prizes and merchandise handed out to attendees, and festival ticketing records.
Through the campaign, we also engaged with local media, influencers and local partners like Boardmasters & Global Media, putting Genshin Impact under the radar of mainstream platforms
The data had indicated that the campaign successfully helped Genshin Impact win the hearts of GenZ.