cloudraker: splinter cell pitch 2011

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THE CAMPAIGN BRIEFMandate

Teaser campaign for fall launch of Splinter Cell Conviction across Canada

ObjectivesSOFT: Increase fan base of Splinter Cell by reaching a more mainstream target. HARD: Pre-sale 10K orders (focus retailer Future Shop).

Medium360-degree - whatever works

Budget$45K

Campaign launchSeptember 2009

Strategic blender

Half the battle of a good strategy is asking the right question. Based on our reading of your brief here�’s our take on the big problem that we need to overcome with our creative.

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BACKGROUND SITUATION

Splinter Cell was the Ubisoft franchise. The series dates back to 2002 and Conviction (5th release) was originally slated to launch in Nov-2007 but at last minute got pulled for some rumored reasons*. With a 3-year gap from last release a lot has changed in the gaming world, and the original core fans are now older….7-years older! Ubisoft wants to give luster back to this franchise.

* The best rumor we found on some forum is that Michael Ironside, the voice behind Sam Fisher, was suspected by FBI of being a Canadian spy in real life and so Ubisoft shelved the launch to avoid bad PR. We think the truth more has to do with the wise decision in 2007 to wait to launch with the much improved game.

Primary : “Lapsed fans” : who lost interest in game because of lack of game innovation, too repetitive, or not action oriented enough.

Primary : “Newcomers” : gamers who play Halo-3, Call of Duty, and AC2.

Secondary : “Core fans” : gamers who fully embrace Splinter Cell.

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WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CONVICTIONConviction lets you unleash the ferocious skills of a renegade spy. That’s right, Conviction lets you unleash the ferocious skills of a renegade spy.

REINVENTED GAMEPLAYThe game is radically improved, easier to play, more action-oriented, !lled with new innovations like mission goals projected on walls and has rid itself of slow transitions.

SAM FISHER IS THE DUDE

He oozes with personality. He wants revenge for his daughter’s assassination. He does not shrink and hide

away. He acts more like 24’s Jack Bauer. He is a panther on the move and on the hunt for his targets.

CURRENT PERCEPTION

DESIRED PERCEPTION

Splinter Cell once again has pushed boundaries of stealth games with super game-play

and a ‘real’ character.

Splinter Cell the old hit that cannotcompete in the league of newgames out there.

good newsThe produc t is as good

as i t promises.

THE WRITING IS ON THE WALL SPLINTER CELL CONVICTION ON ITS WAY TO BEING A HIT

“You know, as cool as it was to see"Paul and Ringo, for

some reason when I think back over

today's press conferences the thing that sticks with me is Splinter Cell: Conviction.”- Joe Rybicki, G4TV Writer “Coolest thing

of day” E3 2009

“There's nothing laughable about

what Ubisoft is doing with Splinter Cell: Conviction....may be nothing short of revolutionary.”

- Patrick Klepek, News Editor G4TV

THE MESSAGE WE NEED TO SPREAD

Sam Fisher + Speed + Brutality = Metric assload of awesome.�“ �”G4TV blogger commenting live from E3 2009

bad newsI f o u r l a p s e d f a n s a n d newcomers do not hear the good news, they may miss out .

How do we blow the ‘dust’ off the perception that Splinter Cell is yesterdays game and get gamers across Canada to discover that this is not just a dull sequel but that Conviction is a metric assload of awesome game storytelling and action.

THE BIG PROBLEM

W E N E E D T O F I X

Brands tend to lack the necessary skills for the

seduction ritual. They are used to revealing everything about themselves at the very first encounter, eager to get customers in the sack as soon as possible. But today’s

savvy audience is reluctant to allow

themselves to be seduced so quickly and

openly. They prefer brands to seduce them

little by little, revealing their message slowly

intelligently, and flirtatiously. - Tom Himpe, Advertising Next

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CREATIVE CONCEPT

The challenge: how do we introduce a whole new segment of gamers to the man that is Sam Fisher? The answer: use those who know him best to help spread the word and build on the intrigue and mythology of his past.

SAM FISHERIS MISSING.

IMAGINE A CUTTING-EDGE, COUNTRY-WIDE GAME OF CAT AND MOUSE WITH CORE FANS THAT THE BROADER MAINSTREAM AUDIENCE CANNOT IGNORE.

By playing o# of Sam Fisher’s hiatus over the past years we re-insert him into the pop culture lexicon by announcing he is back... but his exact whereabouts are unknown.

We !ll the streets of major Canadian cities with missing posters with Sam Fisher’s face on them, all driving to a url.

We hire a Sam Fisher look-a-like and a camera man to travel across the country with tactical destinations to hit. Sam Fisher appears, face obscured, in places that can be clearly identified by locals. The video footage is then uploaded to our social media centers (though never aggregated in an o!cial way, we would leave that up to the fans).

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Sam Fisher can show up in obscure places like campus bars or in and around landmarks like the CN Tower. He passes through crowds causing a minor stir (nothing violent, just simply behaving like a man on a mission).

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We build a youtube channel, a "ickr account and a facebook page dedicated to locating Sam Fisher. We feed the channel with sightings across Canada.

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We take a cue from Splinter Cell itself and do huge projections on buildings in the downtown core of major cities. The messages are cryptic and the sole purpose is to suggest that Sam Fisher is in town. These images are captured on video and in photos are also added to the social networking sites on the subject of his whereabouts.

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The messages can appear on abandoned factories, in key downtown locations, or on buildings where major events are taking place. Those who notice them are a bonus, the important aspect is the recording of these projections, so they can be uploaded to our relevant social media tools.

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samfisher.ca is an intentionally simple site that o"ers no clues to his whereabouts and contains no viral elements. It is a clear push to pre-sell based on momentum and hype. The credibility of the new and improved game is leveraged through the critics quotes that are undeniably enthusiastic.

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The final clue to Sam Fisher’s whereabouts drops on the day that Splinter Cell Conviction is launched.

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It reveals that Sam Fisher is on his way to Washington D.C., where Splinter Cell: Conviction takes place.

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Let the game begin.

MISSIONCOMPLETE

ON TIME, ON BUDGET