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Across their sports franchises Xbox and EA faced a commercial challenge: gamers were delaying upgrades, waiting for prices to drop. This meant missing out on valuable early revenue from in-game purchases. The task was not just to drive upgrades, but to accelerate them, without reinforcing perceptions of a cynical cash grab.
Research revealed that while gamers were sceptical of publishers, they remained deeply connected to the athletes they played with in-game. Crucially, they were far more likely to listen to those heroes than to the brands themselves.
Our strategy reframed upgrading to new titles as an emotional act of respect between player and athlete. Instead of selling the upgrade directly, we got a sporting icon to deliver the message, asking players to join them in the latest version.
Executed through a WhatsApp chatbot, social-first content, and peer-to-peer sharing, the campaign drove record engagement, shifted behaviour, and delivered double-digit revenue growth.