The Omnicom Advertising Collective has launched LevelUp OAC, a comprehensive solution for brands seeking to tap the high-growth gaming market. LevelUp OAC combines the gaming expertise of two core agencies, TMA and GSD&M, which both sit within the Omnicom Advertising Collective–a portfolio of entrepreneurial, creative-first integrated marketing agencies.
Gaming analytics firm Newzoo confirms that the number of people who play video games grew from 2.03 billion in 2015 to 2.96 billion globally this past year. By creating an end-to-end and fully integrated offering in gaming, LevelUp OAC is designed to help brands navigate, connect, and engage with the high growth gaming community.
“Marketing to gamers requires specialized skillsets and seasoned professionals who live and breathe the gaming culture,” James Fenton, CEO of the Omnicom Advertising Collective, said about the launch. “LevelUp OAC brings together our most passionate and seasoned talents in the gaming space and offers a single source solution for brands who want to engage with gamers in an authentic, 360-degree way. It’s one of the unique ways that the Omnicom Advertising Collective can leverage the capabilities of its agency portfolio to drive client success.”
Dallas-based TMA brings to LevelUp OAC proven capabilities in gaming brand strategy and content creation, as well as gaming influencer engagement and experiential activation, accumulated from over a decade of experience in this ecosystem. Through the agency’s deep relationships with platforms, publishers, esports teams, industry events and leagues across the industry, TMA has made its clients’ brands an authentic part of the gaming community.
Complementing this expertise, Austin, Texas-headquartered GSD&M will bring its award-winning strategic in-game advertising communications solutions to LevelUp OAC. Working with retail and CPG brands, the agency has developed, planned, activated, placed and measured campaigns across a wide spectrum of gaming environments from esports to in-game, casual games and gaming partnerships. Additionally, the agency has in-house game experience design and activated AR and VR experiences for brands.
“No marketer should ignore the passion, social nature, and sheer size of the gaming community, which eclipses the audience for most professional sports,” said Trina Roffino, president of TMA. “When you add the powerful influence of streamers, and the rapid expansion of esports, it’s no wonder so many brands have recognized gaming as a huge business opportunity. But success depends on your ability to enhance the community, rather than impose on it. And this takes expertise.”
Noted Duff Stewart, CEO of GSD&M, “An audience engagement strategy and seamless execution, customized to these users, is critical to building brand success in gaming environments. At GSD&M, we account for real-time signals, behaviors, and motivations to define a brand’s key audience and then develop communications and media solutions that build valuable connected consumer experiences and drive results for brands.”
Fenton added that by harnessing the power of TMA and GSD&M, LevelUp OAC will offer “an unparalleled solution for clients’ gaming needs.” He added that LevelUp OAC offers the promise to bring together additional gaming capabilities including earned media and PR, commerce, and digital development through partnerships with partnered agencies across Omnicom Group. “Look for more ways the Omnicom Advertising Collective will apply its cross-agency knowledge in B2B, multicultural marketing, retail, the metaverse and more to help drive client success.”
Actor Daniel Day-Lewis Ends Retirement For A Film Directed By His Son
Daniel Day-Lewis is coming out of retirement, seven years after his last movie, for a film directed by his son Ronan Day-Lewis.
The project was announced Tuesday by Focus Features and Plan B, who are partnering on "Anemone." The film, Ronan Day-Lewis' directorial debut, will star his father along with Sean Bean and Samantha Morton. The film was co-written by the two Day-Lewises.
Earlier Tuesday, Daniel Day-Lewis and Bean were spotted driving a motorbike through Manchester, England, stoking intrigue about his impending return to acting. After making Paul Thomas Anderson's 2017 film "Phantom Thread," the 67-year-old had said he was quitting acting.
"All my life, I've mouthed off about how I should stop acting, and I don't know why it was different this time, but the impulse to quit took root in me, and that became a compulsion," he told W Magazine in 2017. "It was something I had to do."
Since then, his appearances in public have been infrequent. In January, though, he made a surprise appearance at the National Board of Review Awards to present an award to Martin Scorsese, who directed him in "Gangs of New York" (2002) and "The Age of Innocence" (1993).
"Anemone," currently in production, is described as exploring "the intricate relationships between fathers, sons and brothers, and the dynamics of familial bonds."
Ronan Day-Lewis, 26, is a painter who has previously exhibited his works in New York. His first international solo exhibition debuts Tuesday in Hong Kong.
"We could not be more excited to partner with a brilliant visual artist in Ronan Day-Lewis on his first feature film alongside Daniel Day-Lewis as his creative collaborator," said Peter Kujawski, chair of Focus Features. "They have written a truly... Read More