Our client 2K, where Jean-Paul Hardy is Head of Marketing and Communications, will soon release the sequel to one of its biggest games: Borderlands 3. The game developer, owned by Take-Two Interactive, has been working toward this moment for 7 years. Let that be exactly as long as 2K ánd Jean-Paul Hardy has been working with Stroom , all the more reason to ask Jean-Paul some questions!
Jean-Paul, can you talk a little bit more about Borderlands 3 and what your role is in this from 2K Games?
Borderlands 3 is the long-awaited third installment in the Borderlands franchise that began in 2009. Fans have been waiting seven years for a new installment and we are extremely excited to finally give them what they have been looking forward to for so long. It will be a chaotic and crazy roller coaster ride full of wacky characters, new places to explore with your friends, racing around in various vehicles and not to mention countless bizarre weapons to collect.
On behalf of 2K, I lead the marketing and communications team in the Benelux region overseeing the launch from initial concept to launch and well beyond.
The game will be released Sept. 13. What marketing strategy are you maintaining to make the release a success?
The common thread of our campaign is that the fans always come first. Everything we do, we do with that in mind. That's why we involve our community as much as possible, so they know they are part of the release.
For the campaign, we walk two paths:
On the one hand, we have that group of loyal fans who have been eagerly awaiting a new installment for years.
They want to know every new fact, see every trailer and are very informed. It's up to us to meet that information need through various online, and social channels. They are our brand advocates and that's how we treat them.
In addition, you have a large group of gamers who were not yet familiar with Borderlands 3 or the franchise as a whole. For example, they were too young to play the previous parts, or are currently playing other games. We will familiarize this group of people with the world of Borderlands leading up to the release.
We explain what the game is all about, what you can do and why it is such an incredibly fun game to play. Because Borderlands is all about having fun. We try to convey this feeling and that culminates in a launch campaign that conveys this. We are using all means that fit a modern marketing campaign. We work with well-known influencers such as Gio Latooy, have a sophisticated social strategy and react quickly when we see that a certain part of the marketing mix performs above or below expectations.
How does Stroom help achieve this objective?
Stroom is our essential partner in the conception and execution of the campaign. From the beginning (2012) we worked together and Stroom was both sparring partner and sounding board. Together we came up with new insights and ways to optimize and improve the campaign. We are in close daily contact and a successful launch is therefore 100% a shared achievement that we can hopefully look back on with pride.
Finally: You've been working in this industry for a while what makes it so fun?
Never a dull moment! When I started 14 years ago, online advertising was the future. Only to be rock hard overtaken by social. And now it's data-driven performance marketing and influencer campaigns again. We are still learning every day and working on autopilot is simply not in the cards. The nature of our industry combined with a target audience that is both empowered and technically very up to date. Means we are always on the front lines of innovative marketing.
More on games? Check out 2K and Stroom 's case on Mafia III or read the interview with the man behind Red Dead Redemption.