Games maker Machine Zone spent big bucks to get Arnold Schwarzenegger to promote its latest mobile game in this super bowl ad. The gamble paid off, becoming the most viewed and shared YouTube ad of 2016.
The challenge
The mobile gaming industry is a $30bn business annually, and that is one of the reasons that Machine Zone is willing to spend the $5 million it costs to purchase 30 seconds of marketing time during the National Football League’s biggest game.
A big push with something along the lines of a Super Bowl ad can raise the awareness for a mobile title among consumers, which then makes all other forms of player acquisition more effective.
The solution
Created by agency Twofifteen McCann, Arnold Schwarzenegger trades on his reputation for enjoying mayhem in a scene which appears to have him fighting off fellow gamers determined trying to get hold of his mobile phone.
The studio brought back the actor to help it promote Mobile Strike, its military strategy game for iOS and Android.
The 30-second spot featured the actor battling it out in the game while sharing an elevator with other Mobile Strike players.
The results
The ad became YouTube's most watched commercial of 2016, getting 101 million views.
