The campaign for Kingdom Hearts on Steam aimed to generate widespread anticipation and maximize the game's impact upon release. Recognized for its extensive and dedicated fanbase, Kingdom Hearts had never been released on Steam despite its availability on other platforms. The objectives were clear: to make a significant splash within the gaming community, increase social media engagement, and enhance sales and wishlists on Steam. Additionally, there was a strategic goal to amplify our partnerships with Sony Music/Hikaru Utada, Valve, and HiGround, enhancing our collaborative efforts.
The core strategy was centered around rallying the community with a unifying message, #KHonSteam, to announce Kingdom Hearts' availability on Steam. Drawing from the insights of a previous campaign, Trials of Fate: The Sweepstakes, we aimed to refine our approach by prioritizing quality interactions over sheer quantity and improving the user onboarding experience.
To bring this to life, we conducted an in-depth analysis of Trials of Fate to identify strong and weak points. Using Gleam.io, we crafted a campaign that featured both sweepstakes and contest elements to balance engagement and quality of interaction. Key mechanics included prizing, terms, and conditions adjustments, and ensuring legal compliance with our initiatives. Collaboration with partners such as Valve for Steam Decks, Sony Music, and Hi Ground was crucial, adding value to the sweepstakes and supporting the campaign's visibility.
Innovative elements played a pivotal role in enriching the user experience and ensuring our campaign stood out. We reintroduced popular features like the Community Bonus, a reward for fans who shared the campaign, and the Key Bearer Status, a special recognition for our most dedicated participants. New to this campaign was the Tutorial Section, designed to guide participants through the contest guidelines effectively. This addition proved crucial, enhancing the conversion rate by 19% compared to our previous Trials of Fate contest.
The campaign far exceeded expectations, powerfully amplifying brand visibility and engagement. Here are the detailed results:
These metrics underscore the campaign’s vast reach and engagement, highlighting its strategic success in leveraging a beloved franchise's release to galvanize both longstanding fans and new players on Steam. Achieving all this at the modest cost of 130 euros resulted in a minimum sales ROI of over 500,000%. The integration of insights from Trials of Fate, combined with new elements and great partners, effectively enhanced our campaign, leading to a remarkable activation.
