Objectives

Despite a YoY increase in cinema admissions in 2023, the industry continues to battle the longstanding effects of the pandemic. Each theatrical release is make or break for a distributor. Heightened for small, independent distributors that don’t benefit from the financial backing of blockbuster studios that the likes Warner Bros. Discovery, Fox and Disney do. One such UK independent distributor facing dwarfed budgets by this level of competition was Altitude. The release of horror movie Talk to Me in July 2023 really was Altitude’s make-or-break moment… their one chance to win.

Despite its gripping storyline, Altitude expected a tough market for Talk to Me – it was releasing amid the Barbenheimer craze, it didn’t have the influence and cult following of recognisable talent like Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer), and it was squaring off with other popular horror franchise releases at the time (Meg and Insidious). Unlike the competition, Altitude started with an awareness base level of zero.

In a David and Goliath story of marketing a film in a market with no room for error, Altitude teamed up with Gamefam (the leading metaverse game developer), Havas and Livewire to bring an immersive gaming experience for Talk to Me  to Fortnite ahead of premiere – ultimately intended to drive buzz and steer Gen Z and Alpha players to the box office. 

A domino effect ensued. The Fortnite game campaign sparked a Talk to Me film that went viral, smashed box office expectations, and secured a sequel by the time the campaign had finished.

Strategy and Execution

Strategy:

Talk to Me marketing demanded blockbuster scale. We needed to drive visibility amongst the widest possible audience. With limited budgets, paid reach alone could not deliver the penetration required. The need for disruption was clear within an indistinguishable horror category curtailed by age and creative restrictions, where most releases rely on OOH and Social with similar imagery. Following traditional marketing strategies would leave Talk to Me to fall flat.

Our approach: double down where our core audiences (18-29 horror fans) spent most of their time. Specifically, 45% of 18-29 horror fans have a very strong gaming affinity, as well as 36% of 30-40 horror fans (TGI, Q123) allowing us to simultaneously reach periphery audiences. 

Execution: 

Now is when we should ask… Ever wondered what it would be like to be immersed inside your favorite scary movie… as the main character? 

That’s where the idea for a first-of-its-kind Fortnite activation for the hit horror movie Talk to Me came from. Altitude, Gamefam, Havas and Livewire, dropped players worldwide into the worst nightmare by putting them into the middle of Talk to Me’s gut-wrenching story that is centered around a mysterious embalmed hand that allows the holder to communicate with the dead – with terrifying consequences.

The limited-time activation took place inside Gamefam’s popular Fortnite game, Deadpines: Zombie Survival – where players face hordes of bloody zombies. To date, Deadpines has accumulated 22 million play sessions and previously ranked among the top 5 Creative mode games on Fortnite. 

The Talk to Me game in Deadpines had players battle through torrential rain & lightning to enter a haunted house and confront a terrifying fusion of supernatural horror and fight-to-survive combat. Players were transported to notable movie settings like the Séance Room and Hospital, which were recreated in meticulous detail within Deadpines. 

Launching ahead of the film’s premiere (Jul. 17-Aug.13, 2023), the Fortnite experience not only set the stage for players to learn about and get excited for Talk to Me, but ultimately leading to smash records at the box office. 

Working with influencers and streamers, including Fortnite icons like Lachlan and film producers Racka Racka,  we elevated awareness, naturally showing the film and game integration and tap into their loyal followings in an authentic and engaging way. 

Challenges:

As with any campaign, the  creative development process posed a few challenges:

• Ensure Movie Elements Enhance Deadpines Gameplay: Fortnite players are very fickle about what they like and don’t like. Balancing promotional elements with engaging gameplay, especially in genres like horror, requires careful consideration. We leaned into the sets and characters of the movie in an authentic way without detracting from Deadpines’ natural flow which millions of players love. Talk to Me directors Michael and Danny Philippou actively participated in the creative development process.
• Introduce Players to the Movie & Avoid Revealing Spoilers: As an indie film, many players likely were not familiar with the film before it was introduced to them in Deadpines, so we provided meaningful context for players. We intentionally avoided revealing any spoilers. 

Results

Thanks to the collaborative efforts of all partners, the results were stellar:

• Reaching the masses: The activation (live from July 17-Aug. 13, 2023) resulted in over 1.4 million gameplay sessions – unprecedented for any paid media execution.
• Deep engagement: The activation achieved remarkable 55-minute average play sessions, well longer than average session lengths on other platforms where Gen Z and Alpha’s spend their time such as TikTok & YouTube
• Fan praise and word-of-mouth marketing: 85% of players said they told their friends about the film after playing the game and 78% felt they were part of the film’s story. 81% said playing the game made them want to watch Talk to Me more than any horror film.
• First-of-its-kind on Fortnite: The activation marked the first-ever brand integration into an existing Fortnite Creative game, as the partner teams pushed boundaries.
• Crushing the box office: Following the activation, Talk to Me premiered to become one of the highest-grossing films of the year, reeling in £2.5m at the box office (significantly above expectations) 
• Onto the next: A second Talk to Me is already in the works, owing to this campaign’s success in captivating the target audience.
• Influencer strategy success: Social media buzz from influencers about the game drove players, with some fans even claiming to re-download Fortnite just to play the Talk to Me activation.
• Praised by media: The integration captured earned in-depth coverage from leading media outlets including Ad Age, The Drum, MediaPost, Campaign, Marketing Dive, Bleeding Cool, Pro Game Guides & more.

Media