Ubisoft Brazil
Launching Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope game on TikTok
The Objective
Raising awareness and driving consideration for Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope in Brazil
Ubisoft, one of the biggest gaming publishers in the world, has been advertising on TikTok in Brazil since June 2021. Since then, the brand has set a best-in-class example on the platform, following TikTok's best practice of combining paid peaks with always-on organic content from their Business Account and maintaining regular creator partnerships.
Gaming content has been skyrocketing on TikTok due to the gaming community being highly active (+58% time spent on TikTok vs. non-gamers), incredibly engaged (+137% average video comments vs. non-gamers) and passionate about gaming (install 50% more games than non-gamers).¹
When the time came to launch Mario + Rabbids Spark of Hope, the newest installment in the Mario franchise, Ubisoft turned to TikTok to create awareness and a sense of excitement among the gaming community. Building off a strong organic presence on the platform, Ubisoft Brazil wanted to promote their new game by generating buzz and curiosity around the game’s content and mechanics.
The Solution
Combining two creative approaches to maximize awareness and improve interest through Display Cards
Ubisoft Brazil ran an awareness campaign during the launch phase of Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, focusing on reaching a broad interest-based audience, as well as people who had previously interacted with related content, such as announcement assets. They set a Focused View objective, which optimizes for 6-second video views.
In terms of creatives, Ubisoft used their own branded assets, adapted for TikTok, alongside content from local gaming creators. The latter featured well-known creators from the local gaming community that used a cultural joke, adding a sense of hyper-local relevance. This combination enabled Ubisoft to maximize their own assets while tapping into the power of communities on TikTok.
Within these two types of ads, Ubisoft made use of Display Cards. TikTok Display Cards are Interactive Add-Ons that offer a unique way to entice engaged viewers with popups, stickers, and other visual elements. Viewers who have shared, liked, or commented on a TikTok brand video are 150% more likely to buy a product or service.²
Ubisoft used different CTAs in their Display Cards, such as "Play game" and "Visit store," to arouse players’ curiosity and drive them to the game's home page, where they could find more information.
The Results
Reaching valuable players and sustaining interest
People come to TikTok to discover moments, movements, and also new game titles. Ubisoft generated over 12.7M video views, with 2.6M Focused Views (people who watched for at least 6 seconds), and an overall average watch time of 4.9 seconds - an incredible number, especially when considering that TikTok ads are skippable. These numbers indicate that users are interested in the content and are willing to learn more about the product. The gaming community on TikTok is active and willing to play, as proven by the 1.61% engagement rate.
Newzoo and TikTok for Business, "TikTok: The New Destination to Reach Global Gamers", October 2021
TikTok user survey of US, Suzy, May 2021
It is nice to see how different CTAs on display cards have different impacts on convincing players to click it or not. It can be used as a tool to make them take an extra step into knowing more about our games, and give us a chance to amaze them with its content. Another great takeaway was to see that people are more prone to watching fun, casual and community-inspired videos, even if it’s an ad, than traditional commercials.
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