24: The game it's not just gimmick

April 02, 2006 - Adverblog

I loved watching 24 on TV so I've been immediately very curious when Mark emailed me the link to their new integrated campaign for 24: The Game. As you can see from the screenshot below, the teaser is simple but effective, and immediately grabs visitors' attention. But the campaign of course isn't just about this gimmick, it develops through two online films personalized for the subscribers of the Sony Playstation newsletter.

As Mark Riley, planning director at 20:20 London (the agency behind the campaign) explained me, the story in the game involves Jack Bauer's search for his daughter Kim who has been kidnapped (story based on events between series 2 and 3 of TV programme). Gamers on the Sony Entertainment, PlayStation database received an html email that linked them to a personalised internet film, in the film Jack Bauer is seen sending an SMS to CTU (headquarters) asking them to contact YOU (your name appears in the text he's writing), then in minutes you receive an SMS on your cellphone, it asks for your help and gives you a unique URL to go to.

This second internet film again shows Jack searching for Kim, he is interrogating a suspect who had a memento box that belonged to Kim, we see an envelope, on the label is your name and address. 48 hours later this package arrives on your doorstep! It contains an old cigar box with Kim's old photographs and saved trinkets, and bits from her time at CTU, but there are other clues to find too, and if you follow them there is a fully working demo of part of the game that references many of the things you've learnt throughout this marketing activity.