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Poppy Thaxter‘Ready. Set. Playtest.’ UnitedUs deliver a nostalgia-packed global campaign for Player Research
Based in Brighton, UK and Montreal, Canada, Player Research is one of the world’s leading gaming research companies that has completely transformed the landscape of high-fidelity remote playtesting. As pioneers in the field, having literally written the book on playtesting, there was no doubt about their unmatched reputation. However, they were determined to appeal to a broader and more diverse community of gamers, and extend their network of playtesters beyond their primary locations in Brighton and Montreal. In order to accomplish this, they reached out to UnitedUs to create a campaign that would specifically target different gamer groups, resonate with various gaming styles, all while equipping Player Research with a comprehensive toolkit for long-term brand communication and customisation. This follows the brand identity that the independent brand agency had created a year before, which established the creative foundations and nostalgic elements of the campaign project.
Previously, Player Research had used the catchy strapline ‘Play Games, Get Paid’ to attract UK audiences. However, they realised that this message was not resonating with audiences in other markets around the world. As a result, they decided to switch gears and adopt a more universally relatable concept that paralleled the user experience of becoming a playtester: ‘Ready. Set. Playtest.’ This playful and encouraging call-to-action was intended to attract potential playtesters and position Player Research as the preferred choice over other gaming researchers.
From this starting point, UnitedUs crafted an extensive campaign, designed to target unique and hard-to-reach gamer groups by leveraging iconic visual tropes and incorporating gamer language. Showcasing the diverse range of gameplay experiences available to playtesters, the Brighton-based team created eight hero assets, each representing a different gaming archetype. The design team drew inspiration from the video games and TV series of their childhoods, utilising a variety of media, including purchased stock photography, composite images, AI elements, and in-house illustrations.
In addition to the hero assets, Player Research wanted to ensure that the campaign had longevity. To achieve this, the team delivered a three-tiered workflow. Tier 1 involved the production of the hero images, alongside custom typography and imagery. Tier 2 introduced the ‘Playtester Alphabet,’ a custom typeface where each letter was inspired by popular game genres. Finally, Tier 3 brings further depth to the campaign with custom art-worked backboards. Armed with this functional toolkit, Player Research and their design partners can create their own customised content and maintain brand consistency, while never skipping a beat.