Tennis lovers, Serena fans, old school gamers and Snapchatters can replay every major title match of Serena Williams’ glittering career as Gatorade leverages excitement around the US Open with a Snapchat game called ‘Serena Williams’ Match Point’.
Designed to be an accessible, 8-bit style game experience recreating her legendary career of winning tennis Grand Slams, the campaign can be played either online or within Snapchat.
More specifically, via a broadcaster partnership the game can be accessed through ESPN’s Discover channel as a Snapchat advert (when users are encouraged to ‘swipe up’ the advert to get directed to the in-app game), or alternatively it can be played online (on mobile or desktop) at SerenaMatchPoint.com (http://www.gatorade.com/serenamatchpoint/).
The game itself, which unfolds across 22 levels, one for each of her victorious Grand Slam final matches, is an old-style piece of fun focused on the simple act of using the control buttons to tap the left and rights sides of the screen in order to return to ball in either direction.
‘Great’ and ‘perfect’ shots are rewarded with a classic Williams’ grunt.
The initiative, developed by Gatorade in tandem with creative agency TBWA/Chiat/Day LA and game designers Ludomade, aims to exploit interest in the last tennis major of 2016 and in Serena’s assault on claiming her 23rd Grand Slam win.
Indeed, ‘level 23’ of the game will automatically unlock on 10 September (the day of the US Open Women’s final) – which could be Williams’ 23rd major title win.
The game is being promoted digitally and socially across Gatorade’s own channels.
Become @SerenaWilliams in Match Point as you battle through all 22 of her grand slam titles. https://t.co/V6Mdt2yhXA pic.twitter.com/SFNLKKqh65
— Gatorade (@Gatorade) August 29, 2016
Comment
Gatorade’s approach combines two addictive obsessions into a (deliberately) work-distracting, 8-bit, old-school tennis game.
And by mixing gaming with Snapchat, this initiative combines two hut button trends and some may even see it as a totem of contemporary marketer/sponsorship activation ambition.
Gatorade claims it is the first multi-level video game playable on Snapchat.
A long-time Gatorade athlete ambassador, this initiative follows the sports drinks earlier Williams fronted ‘Fuel The Love Forward’ campaign for the brand which rolled out in late May.
This work explores how, at a young age, Serena Williams’ home away from home was the tennis court and how she fell in love with the game and now fuels this love forward by building tennis courts for kids.
This was part of the brand’s pre-Olympic Games sports star spot series that also included pieces led by star sprinter Usain Bolt.
While Gatorade’s 2015 US Open work featuring Serena also celebrated 21 slam wins through art, outdoor, TV and digital (see case study).
Links
Gatorade ‘Serena Match Point Game’ Web:
http://www.gatorade.com/serenamatchpoint/
Gatorade Twitter:
Gatorade Web:
Gatorade YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/gatorade
TBWA/Chiat/Day LA
