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As proud storytellers hell-bent on digging into the minds of our clients’ brilliant people, seeing creative storytelling anywhere in the world is joy. Whether that’s in a simple news story or a podcast, an epic movie or engrossing novel.
But the story you’re about to absorb is 40 years in the making.
The saga of Clash of Clans
I’m obsessed with this. Fully obsessed. Not Kim Kardashian’s just been sent a new product alongside a $50,000 paycheck obsessed. Like, dog to their owner obsessed.
Clash of Clans exploded into the mobile gaming space. An ‘in-app purchase’ town builder with raids, gems, prizes and, yup, clans. Community. A simple concept with recognisable characters and a string of celebrity cameos in previous campaigns. This phenomenon still hits at Comicon around the world.
I stopped playing Clash of Clans about a year after I started playing. I hadn’t thought about it more than a handful of times until a few months ago. And to use that metric now would require, I dunno, 15 hands?
But I’d like to take you on a journey. A journey of silliness and genius.
The brilliance of geek culture
The whole concept is the epitome of a geek out. A dedication to gamers by gamers.
It’s a brilliantly executed poke at consumer trend; a satire of the home-footage documentaries that plague our small screens.
Effortlessly engaging, beautifully shot, simply told.
Think archive footage…
- Expert interviews with impeccably developed characters…
- A movie trailer…
- A fragrance…
And a series of three video games, each inspired by an iconic era of gaming.
But here’s the catch.
It’s a fabrication. A fictionalised franchise of full-on fun and fantasy.
The greatest brand campaign: Lessons from Clash of Clans
I’m so inspired by this. In fact, I’d go as far as to say it’s the greatest brand campaign I’ve ever seen. It’s got everything. Bravery, great writing, comedy, and fierce originality.
It’s a celebration of a company. Of a game. The tenth anniversary of a game pushed to the absolute limit to get people thinking ‘what if’ and also… ‘why not?’
The way we discuss the world evolves rapidly – perhaps too rapidly – but Clash of Clans debuted in 2012, taking 11 years to develop.
It’s a breath of fresh air. A gutsy piece of work I’ll admire for years to come.
And those three things we can learn from this?
- Are you having fun with your creative? If not, why not?
- There’s always a unique way to tell your story.
- The best ideas require bravery. And also some time, too.
Anyway, enjoy…
