These projects are Activision property. I do not own the rights to any of the materials in these projects. The imagery on this page is purely for demonstrative use only.
Activision Marketing Creative Team
Lead/Art Director: Alyssa Homan
Designers: Kim Loya, Ash Holcomb, Jaclyn Jessup, Eddy Densow, Raven Cruz-Fadden
In 1996, Crash Bandicoot made a significant impact on the gaming industry with it's original, self-named title game. Over the years, however, the brand faced challenges in maintaining its popularity. Recognizing the untapped potential, our team embarked on a strategic initiative to revitalize the IP in 2020, resulting in remarkable marketing success and achieving and outstanding overall game review of approximately 96% across the board.
The primary goal was to breathe new life into the Crash Bandicoot franchise, leveraging its nostalgic value while introducing innovative elements to captivate a contemporary audience. The strategy aimed to position Crash as a timeless gaming icon, resonating with both existing fans and a new generation of players and fans.
Promotional trailer slates for character reveals. As a team, we wanted to showcase the individual quirks and styles for the different playable characters within the game. I worked closely with the motion and stakeholder teams to provide branding to the slates reminiscent of the current marketing style guide and branding. Glass shards on the edges signified the breaking of the 4th dimension within the game and can be found prominently within the main keyart. Paired with the well-known Crash Bandicoot font, copy containers continued reiterating the CB brand through use of color, lighting and electrical sparks.
Implementation:
• Market Research
• Strategic Rebranding
• Cross-Platform Presence
• Engaging Content Creation
• Collaborative Partnerships
Artist: Raven Cruz-Fadden. Initial concepts for containers, dividers and other useful graphic assets to be applied within the entire CB marketing campaign. These were pitched to stakeholders within the publisher side, studio side and externally for alignment and were mostly used in the final, branded style guide. Cues were taken from in-game screenshots and video to ensure authenticity and originality within each asset.
Instagram story concept to announce Crash Bandicoots arrival at Gamescom 2020 in Germany. Stakeholders wanted to announce the character's arrival without the use of heavy copy or promotional verbiage to ensure maximum outreach within the social media platforms' visual restrictions. Because our team was not able to be present in Germany, we had to think outside of the box and use photo assets of the Crash costume in conjunction with stock assets and more to create a believable-looking image of the character at an international airport. The image can be broken down into the following pieces: Costume hand photo, Gamescom card created from scratch, stock airport photo, official logo and effects.
Original illustration concepts created by Raven Cruz-Fadden with the assistance and guidance of the Marketing Creative team and stakeholders for social media posts. All have been approved and are currently live on the Crash Bandicoot social media outlets. Illustrations were created using traditional and digital techniques, then finalized within Adobe illustrator for ease of use and upscaling purposes as needed.
Results:
1. Marketing Success: the revitalization campaign garnered widespread attention, resulting in a substantial increase in brand visibility and positive sentiment within the gaming community.
2. Impressive Game Rating: the efforts culminated in an exceptional overall game rating of approximately 96%, reflecting the success of our strategy in delivering a product that resonated with both critics and players alike.
3. Expanded Player Base: the cross-platform approach led to a significant expansion of the player base, reaching new demographics and rekindling interest among existing fanbase.
The revitalization of Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time in 2020 stands as a true testament to the effectiveness of a well-executed strategic and overall cohesive visual campaign. By blending nostalgia with innovation and adopting a multi-faceted marketing strategy, we successfully reposition Crash as a thriving and relevant gaming franchise. The case of Crash Brandicoot 4 serves as an exemplary model for rejuvenating established IPs and ensuring their enduring success in an ever-evolving gaming eco-system.
