Nowadays, kids are choosing screens over parks. As kids grow more interested in the video gaming industry, classic playground games are on the verge of extinction. After two decades of encouraging kids to spend more time outdoors with its “Dirt Is Good” platform, Persil discovered that the average British kid can spend over three months without playing outdoors. Over 36% of children have never played the classic playground game “tag”, and the numbers only get worse when asked for other classic games. That’s why the brand decided to remind them how exciting the outdoor world can be – as exciting as a video game. Our goal was to encourage kids to go out and play in the real world, increasing their interest in playing outside and advocating for more balance between indoor gaming and outdoor fun. 

We decided to use all the video gaming aesthetics to “relaunch” the classic playground game, “TAG”. The idea was to trick everyone into thinking this was an actual video game,  only to later reveal that this game was only available in real life. For that, we developed a trailer using Epic’s Game graphic platforms –Unreal Engine and MetaHuman Creator– to make it look realistic and create hype in the gaming community. To release Tag, we partnered with renowned influencers in the UK to make reaction videos of this film, without telling them about our real intention. This way, they found out as they watched the trailer, sharing their authentic surprises with their communities. We also put posters of “Tag: The Game” close to big parks across the UK. And to take this prank even further, we introduce it at the Insomnia Festival, the biggest gaming festival.

According to research, 36% of children in the UK have never played the classic playground game tag. That’s why we decided to relaunch tag as if it was the latest video game and show young gamers that playing outdoors is as exciting as video games. We invited five renowned gaming influencers to be part of the first launch of a (fake) new gaming studio in the UK, DIG Studios, which was presenting a new gaming trailer developed with Unreal Engine. Each influencer made a reaction video of this trailer on YouTube, without knowing its true intention. So, their communities were able to watch their authentic reactions when it was revealed that this game was “only available in real life” and encouraged them to “go out and play”. Then, we also took this prank to the Insomnia Festival, the biggest gaming event in the UK, where we introduced Tag to gamers.

“Tag: the game” was launched with an epic trailer, which looked exactly how a videogame trailer would look like. The film was developed using Unreal Engine, the most powerful gaming graphic engine in the industry. Then, we invited renowned UK gaming influencers to join the launch of a new (and made-up) gaming company, DIG Studios (for Dirt Is Good). An introduction kit was sent to their houses, linked to a fake YouTube and Instagram accounts to make it all look legit. Each influencer made a reaction video of them watching the trailer for all their followers. And only then, they all found out the real intention behind this campaign. Also, the trailer was introduced to gamers of all ages at the Insomnia Festival, taking this prank even further. And finally, DOOH were placed near the main parks of the UK to invite people to play tag for real outside.

Tag was reviewed by big names of the gaming community in the UK, allowing us to reach our main target (young gamers), getting over 4.6 million gamers fooled and 5,7% engagement – +270% vs. the average industry engagement rate. During the launch week, the interest for outdoors games went 9 times higher, according to Google Trends. This idea got huge consumers’ media coverage in the UK – Daily Mail, Express, The I – and also trade media – Campaign, Shots, Contagious, etc. –, leading to a 364M earned media reach. Over 40.000 gaming fans watched our trailer at Insomnia Festival, the biggest gaming event in the UK. This campaign allowed Persil and its “Dirt Is Good” platform to land in the gaming community with a coherent campaign for the brand’s purpose, while creating an interesting and engaging content for gamers. But most importantly, we reminded people of the fun of outdoor play.