Case Study 01 /
Verizon x Gaming
As Strategy Director, I led the winning pitch, campaign plan & creative briefing to reintroduce a play-it-safe TelCo brand among notoriously skeptical Avid Gamers.
summary /
Making Verizon Player 2 and Taking aim at Lag
How does a historically safe Phone & Internet Provider like Verizon break through the wall of Gamer Skepticism?
You take aim at one of their most hated enemies:
L A G
By telling a bold story of a surreal world riddled with lag, bugs & secret easter eggs, campaign OLV “The Reset” drove 8M organic views and 81% affinity among gamers.
The award-winning ad was featured in Communication Arts and won recognition from The Clio Awards and The One Show.
The new positioning “5G Built for Gamers” ran across event partnerships, experiential, owned social activations & paid media.
strategy deep dive /
Brand reinvention to win over Gaming Skeptics
Objective
Launch 5G at the height of the pandemic.
Build brand affinity among the world’s most skeptical consumers: Avid Gamers.
Obstacle
Avid Gamer Skeptics saw Verizon as “Brand Dad” —no more than tired product promotions & logo-slap sponsorships.
With the launch of the first 5G iPhone, Verizon needed to grab these early tech adopting skeptics. And then the pandemic hit.
Insight
Trying to colonize the gaming community ends badly. You have to put them first.
Become gamers’ Player 02.
Solution
Get Gamers who drag unwelcome, non-endemic brands barging into their space
To stop seeing a Brand Dad & start seeing a Gaming Insider by
Celebrating the details gamers love as much as the lag, bugs & glitches they hate.
the work /
Selling the need for 5G through surreal spectacle
Verizon’s “The Reset” directed by Doug Liman
Awards — Cannes: Shortlist • D&;AD: Wood Pencil, Shortlist • One Show: Gold (VFX), Shortlist • Clio: Gold, Bronze, Shortlist • Muse: Platinum. Featured in Communication Arts.
Idea
“The Reset” proved that Verizon knows gaming inside and out. With sci-fi fidelity, it depicted a surreal world of lag, riddled with deep gaming lore Easter Eggs.
This ensured that the central campaign OLV worked effectively as content engine first, advertisement second.
Supporting launch assets included IRL Experiential & custom digital OOH in high traffic areas of Manhattan.
Impact
Igniting a cultural conversation, Avid Gamer engagement skyrocketed with an initial organic Twitter repost helping net 8 million views, 254K likes, 85K comments & 12K retweets. This succeeded in driving positive brand lift across key perception metrics.
Positioning
The campaign leveraged a new advertising playbook of distinct gaming brand assets & confident tone of voice.
Gamer targeted paid media assets ran online year long.
The new positioning 5G Built For Gamers elevated innovation & community. The work put gamers first.
social /
Winning share of conversation
Taking the conversation directly to distinct gamer tribes, social activations led targeted community outreach.
This follow through won share of conversation at the biggest eSports tournaments with League of Legends, Valorant, Pokemon Go superfans, proving that Verizon is as deeply passionate about gaming as they are.
Collaborations with FaZe Clan, Dr Lupo, Dignitas & Team Liquid helped Verizon become embedded in esports & streamer culture.
And one of a kind giveaways made sure the everyday gamer was part of the action too.
driving consideration /
Step into the world of 5G gaming
‘Got Any Games On Your Phone?’
Show a 5G future within reach
With Gamer brand affinity unlocked, “5G built right” shifted into driving product consideration.
If 5G represents a revolution in gamers’ lives, they don’t know it. Yet. Verizon needed them to see and believe in 5G’s power.
Play the impossible
AI. A/R. 5G. Rapidly advancing tech is outpacing our ability to predict the future.
The campaign evolved to demonstrate a taste of what’s possible today, depicting extended reality on Verizon’s 5G network.
testimonial 01
“The strategy is sound and the approach is comprehensive. I’m not surprised bc this is how you approach everything you do and what makes you and [the team] so special. Thank you.”
Diego Scotti, Verizon EVP & Chief Marketing Officer
testimonial 02
“Ben is a fantastic strategist, leader, partner and human. He excels at simplifying the complex, and his passion for culture results in strategies that are authentic and timely.
Ben and I worked together closely for 2+ years. He was instrumental in building our (Verizon's) plan to drive perceptual change with avid gamers. He led strategic platform development to bring together a huge number of then-disparate teams, initiatives and partnerships. He briefed Verizon leadership and third-party gaming & esports partners. He collaborated with our media team to craft smart plans, and he worked with our consumer insights & marketing effectiveness teams to ensure timely, accurate and actionable reporting on our creative work.
Ben was a true partner to me. I can't imagine having led these initiatives at Verizon without his thoughtful guidance.”
Will Langenberg, Verizon Senior Manager Strategic Marketing