Panasonic faced the daunting task of introducing a new product to a burgeoning customer segment. In order to be successful, it was imperative we create an emotional bond between players and their gaming movement. With the execution we aimed to create a deeper connection, with a focus on camaraderie instead of transaction, was the goal the creative content strategy.
The primary means of connection for this brand would be social media, namely Instagram. From creative ideation through to execution of branded content creation, I led the charge through the campaign’s art direction toward our goal of connecting with gamers.
One of the first things to be addressed was how to visualize sound in a digital medium. With some experience in illustration, I proposed to the brand team the idea of creating a cohesive look and feel by creating literal worlds of sound to fill up the space and wrap around the listener - as would the surround sound itself. The more detailed the imagery would be, the more time spent on the post to digest the visuals in full, optimizing not just the reach, but the quality of each impression.
Throughout the gaming experience, there are many tasks and rewards to achieve. The very act of unlocking or earning a reward triggers dopamine which makes gamers feel good. With creative but familiar-looking graphics that provide positive messages in the form of unlocked achievements, gamers associate that feeling of positivity and empowerment with the Panasonic SoundSlayer itself.
Dolby Atmos is an extremely impressive value proposition for this new gaming product. It enables gamers to hear enemies or NPCs around them coming from all directions, thus giving them a fair, yet undeniable advantage. By visualizing the Atmos experience as a literal sphere of sound waves, it became easier to understand what Atmos does compared to other audio codecs and formats. It might be hard to explain spatial audio in words, but everyone can understand the visual.
Panasonic partnered with Square Enix and Final Fantasy XIV Online sound composers to create SoundSlayer’s unique audio array. The limited edition product featured the unique art style of the Final Fantasy universe. The content created for this announcement needed to provide adequate connection to the game’s fanbase, as well as deliver important messaging about exclusive giveaways of the (very) limited edition SoundSlayer.
Outside of the aforementioned serialized content buckets, a new social metric was being pursued by our team. Likes and Follows had become less important than Saves and Shares. We began creating content that would not only stop thumbs, but compel thumbs to hit save and share the content with friends and fellow gamers alike.
