Best Entertainment Rich Media Online Campaign

In spring 2007, Ubisoft asked AKQA to create an online campaign for Assassin's Creed, the most-anticipated, most-talked-about, and most-lauded title of the year. Hardcore gamers had been buzzing about the title since the E3 conference in 2006.
Because of their sway with the larger gaming community, we specifically targeted those hardcore gamers, mostly 18 to 30-year-old males. Through screen captures and game play videos, we wanted to show off the game's cinematic quality and intense action. We needed to let the diehards and the skeptics see first-hand that the game would live up to the hype.
We developed a three-flight campaign that built their anticipation to a fever pitch, but also encapsulated the game for a less fanatical audience, too. The first flight of banners focused solely on building buzz; a second flight aimed at driving pre-orders and limited edition unit sales began its run. Then finally, just a few weeks before launch, the last round of rich media gave fans three uncensored trailers, so true to the M-rated game that the ad required an age gate.
Over the course of the campaign, the ads generated more than 12.6 million minutes, or 210,000 hours, of brand interaction. The roadblock spot generated a 71 percent interaction rate, while interactions averaged an impressive 34 percent on the rest of the campaign.
Ultimately Assassin's Creed sold over 1 million units in its first week on the shelves, making it the fastest-selling new video game franchise of the last five years.

Contributors:

Art Director:	Michael Powell
Designer:	Khoi Tran
Creative Developer:	Scott Little
Account Executive:	Ed Davis
Senior Designer:	Elizabeth Bieber

AKQA

Location: USA