Getting Greaseproof for PUBG

Challenge

How do you launch a product to an audience already using it? This was our challenge with the release of PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS (PUBG) on Xbox One. While the game was one of the most hotly anticipated titles in Microsoft’s 2019 lineup, a ‘test’ version of the game had been available to the public for almost a year and was readily accessible on other game platforms (PC, mobile).

Culture

We knew our biggest asset were our super fans – and if we armed them with the right story they would tell it for us. We also had two strong creative elements to work with. First, the iconic shape and design of the Xbox controller. Second, the on-screen congratulatory message that appears when you win a match in the game – ‘Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner’ – which had become a cult phenomenon in the gaming community.

Creativity

We created 250 Greaseproof Controllers – a limited edition Xbox controller painted in a trademarked coating that literally repelled grease. Custom-built for our audience and coordinated to the game’s colour scheme, it allowed our super fans to keep playing – even once they won that elusive chicken dinner.

Clout

We turned a product relaunch into the main meal by tapping into our community of super fans. Using their interests as our insights, we created a cultural moment that delivered. With 160+ pieces of coverage (including its own dedicated segment on Channel 10’s The Project, we saw a 52% increase in online conversations around PUBG in ANZ the week following the campaign. We had 1.4m engagements on public social channels, with an 18% engagement rate on posts on owned channels - all of which was organic. We even saw significant peaks in both sales of the game and controllers around our campaign! Winner winner...