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Creating a board game to help build client/agency relationships.

The Challenge
Strong creative work is born from effective collaboration. But in the digital age, where calendars are filled to the brim, getting teams to Catchup! is proving more and more difficult.

This Christmas, we set out to give our clients and contacts a gift that keeps on giving; a reason to get together with their teams, and rediscover the secret recipe to effective collaboration.

And have heaps of fun!

The Solution
A classic strategy board game where shift happens.

When we think of Christmas, we think of avoiding brussels sprouts, unwrapping memories like a tin of Roses, and getting together around a stack of board games.

Everyone’s sick to the teeth of Monopoly and Scrabble though, so we created a new Christmas classic -- Catchup!

To win, be the first to get your team of Creative, Strategy, and Client in a room together. Sounds easy, we know, but it’s a game where ‘shift happens’, so there are many tongue-in-cheek obstacles you’ll have to overcome.

The game is controlled by cards that allow you to jump forward for things like ‘quick and speedy feedback’ or ‘genius insight’ or force you backwards when ‘the brief isn’t right’ or ‘the client needs room to breathe’.

The process, challenges & results
From playing pieces to cards to the board itself, every element was designed in-house.

There was always a risk of creating an extremely fun game, without a hint of collaboration in it. We spent weeks fine-tuning the rules of the game to ensure both shone through. We quickly realised that copy will be doing most of the heavy-lifting, so crafting lines that will not only resonate, but also entertain, was extremely important.

A total of 4050 playing cards, 1080 playing pieces, and 360 stickers were sorted by hand into 90 board games.

Finally, in true board game fashion, we set up a Catchup! Tournament and invited our clients along to compete. The goal was to meet up over some light bites and mulled drinks, have a bit of fun, and show how powerful it can be to build relationships with the people you work with.