Defying The Odds Since 1885
- Brand
- Southampton FC
- Year
- 2020
- Objective
- Engagement
- Industry
- Entertainment
- Mechanic
- Arcade & Action
- Platform
- Web
- Agency
- UNIT9
Objective
Southampton FC's 135th-anniversary kit launch was originally planned as a filmed campaign with the first team, but lockdown scrapped months of preparation and forced a last-minute rebuild. With the 2019/20 season finishing behind closed doors, the club couldn't count on matchday footfall to drive shirt sales and needed a way to reveal the new kit and build pre-order demand entirely from a distance.
Solution
A link in a club email opens a retro 8-bit arcade game right in the phone's browser. The player steers a pixel-art Saints footballer dribbling a ball through the club's history, starting in 1885, dodging comic obstacles like a Portsmouth defender, a "Liverpool bank manager," and Harry Redknapp in his Range Rover, while keeping an eye out for in-jokes planted for longtime supporters. The game runs across three levels, each set in a different era of the club with the player's kit changing to match, and clearing a level unlocks another piece of the real new strip. Final scores post to a live leaderboard with prizes on offer, and the session ends into a follow-up email nudging the player toward pre-ordering the shirt they just helped reveal.
Results
The campaign drove nearly £16,000 in kit sales attributed to email, a significant increase over the previous season's email-generated sales. Across 728,000 emails sent, the campaign generated 106,000 unique opens (15%); the triggered reminder email reached a 67% open rate, and the "thank you for playing" email reached 45%.
- 1
Players reach the game via a launch email or QR code; it opens directly in the mobile browser on a dedicated site, with nothing to download.
- 2
A pixel-art title screen invites players to travel back to 1885, the year the club was founded, and make their way forward through its history to the present day.
- 3
The core loop is a side-scrolling run in which players steer a pixel footballer dribbling a ball forward, collecting items to raise an on-screen score while jumping over obstacles such as rival club Portsmouth, a Liverpool bank manager, and Harry Redknapp in his Range Rover.
- 4
Level backdrops recreate real locations and moments from the club's history, including the streets of Southampton, the old Wembley stadium from the 1976 FA Cup final, and the club's former ground The Dell alongside its current home, St Mary's.
- 5
Hidden easter eggs reward longtime fans with cameo appearances by club icons Matt Le Tissier, Kevin Keegan, Ali Dia, and Marcus Liebherr, including a nod to Dia's famous 53 minutes on the pitch.
- 6
Finishing a level unlocks a piece of the new 2020/21 kit as a reward, with more pieces revealed as more levels are completed.
- 7
The game spans three levels, each set in a different era of the club's history, and the player's on-screen kit updates to match the period reached.
- 8
Reaching the present day completes the reveal: the full 2020/21 home kit appears with its returning sash, a red base with a white chest stripe, alongside the third kit, a white base with a red stripe.
- 9
Scores feed a live leaderboard, with top finishers winning a PS4 or Xbox bundled with FIFA 20, and runners-up receiving a signed replica of the 2020/21 kit or a stadium tour with Matt Le Tissier.
- 10
After playing, players are prompted to pre-order the new kit on the club's site; those who played later receive a follow-up email showing their best score with a pre-order link, while non-buyers get a reminder email.
