With videogames among the most popular forms of entertainment, particularly to the elusive male demographic, it should come as no surprise that there’s a TV network devoted to them–called G4, the videogame network. As can be expected, along with a network comes an awards show–G-Phoria, which took place in late July, and debuted on the channel in early August.
The show celebrates the year’s hottest games as well as the videogame lifestyle. Hosted by Wilmer Valderrama–a.k.a. Fez on That ’70s Show–the event featured musical performances by acts like The Black Eyed Peas and The Bravery. To promote the awards, agency 72andSunny, Los Angeles, created the G-Phoria experience–TV spots, online ads, wild postings, posters. The agency also designed the invitation, and re-designed the trophy presented to winners.
Monique Veillette, head of broadcast at 72andSunny, produced the TV spots and worked closely with print producer Jan Weinberg to find the designer for the trophy. Weinberg also worked on the print-related elements of the project. “I love it,” says Veillette of the multiplatform approach. “It’s always a new challenge, and I approach it as I would any new challenge–head on with a lot of research and questions.”
A team from Blind Visual Propaganda, Los Angeles, created the stop-motion animated spots in the package, “G-Phoria Bar” and “Cool.” In “G-Phoria Bar,” a marine from the videogame “Doom 3” and Sam Fisher from the “Splinter Cell” game are drinking beers in a dive bar, talking about their respective G-Phoria nominations, and trying to one up each other over seating arrangements at the show; eventually the two are distracted by the buxom Sally Mae from the “Leisure Suit Larry” game. “Cool” features Fisher and the soldier talking about the acts scheduled to appear at the show. (The team at Blind Visual included executive creative director Chris Do; creative directors Tom Koh and Vanessa Mazaroli; and producers Corey Schmidt and Tino Sladavic.)
Other elements from the package included the trophy, which went from being a silver-plated joystick to being an authentic world championship boxer’s belt with “Video Game Award World Champion” engraved on a massive medallion littered with videogame icons and symbols from yesterday and today. The invitation to the show was highlighted by a black leather wrist-cuff emblazoned with studs that loosely formed a space invader. The actual invitation was stuffed inside.
Veillette relates that the animated ads were all completed in three weeks, a fairly short turn-around for the work involved. It was that tight schedule, coupled with talent and experience, that fueled the decision to go with Blind Visual Propaganda. “I have worked with Chris Do and his team in the past, and they are some of the best and one of the few who could ever pull it off on such a short schedule,” she explains. “We knew we would not have to sacrifice quality because of schedule with them on board–they were/are/always will be one of my favorite groups to work with.” Veillette had collaborated with the company while at GMO, San Francisco, and the Blind Visual Propaganda artisans also animated some Quicksilver spots for 72andSunny.
At the moment, Veillette is shooting in Buenos Aires, working on the Xbox 360 launch campaign, which the agency is teaming on with McCann-Erickson, San Francisco. She reports that she is seeing more and more integrated projects cross her desk, something that leads to tighter relationships, and an evolving workflow. “We definitely work very closely [with media], she notes, “but we still find in some situations that the media buy is not set until well into the production process–so many times the creative and the strategic direction play a leading role. At 72andSunny, creatives are always encouraged to think outside of the standard ad deliverables.”