'Free Realms' Marketing Campaign From ATTIK and Sony Online Entertainment Earns Gold Award From MI6

SAN FRANCISCO, April 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Global creative agency ATTIK is proud to announce that its collaboration with marketing executives from videogame powerhouse Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) promoting the family-friendly hit online game Free Realms® has earned the Gold Award in the Casual Game category for Outstanding Overall Marketing Campaign at the MI6 Conference.  The fifth annual conference for MI6, an association dedicated to supporting marketing, promotion and advertising professionals in the video game and interactive entertainment community, was recently held in San Francisco, where Free Realms also brought home a Bronze Award for Best Online Advertising Campaign in the same category.

Project contributions from ATTIK's team in San Francisco included an integrated advertising campaign conceived by ATTIK creative director Ron Lim and his team, as well as a complete visual system created by ATTIK's artists under the direction of associate creative director Stan Zienka.  Launched April 2009, Free Realms has already attracted over 10 million registered users.

The SOE executives in charge of the project include Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing Laura Naviaux, and Global Brand Managers Candace Brenner, Anthony Royce and Matt Penfield.

ATTIK's integrated approach flowed seamlessly from identity creation and branding into advertising.  In Lim's words, "We were presented with a big challenge: how to successfully launch an MMO in a landscape crowded with them, to both boys AND girls."  Working with the new visual system and the game's central theme of "freedom to be who you want to be," Lim and his colleagues created the "You Rule!" tagline, and concepted a number of online ads and two TV spots.  The online ads included several hybrid executions produced in cooperation with Interpolls, as well as game-based ads produced by ATTIK and Powerhouse Animation.

"The two spots we created show the player being deeply involved in the game and co-existing with the crazy characters who inhabit Free Realms... sort of a look behind the scenes of the games and the players, where they get prepped and ready to play," Lim explained.  Entitled "Ninja Prank" and "Super Ego," ATTIK's spots were produced and finished through Sabertooth Productions, while SOE also produced two additional campaign spots internally.

"What made this project especially rewarding was that our team was able to create a fresh game identity and personality, and then combine those brand solutions with smart messaging to help produce an incredibly successful launch," Zienka added.

ATTIK's project team also included account director Andy Giles and senior broadcast producer Jeff Beverly.

For more information on Free Realms, please visit www.FreeRealms.com.

About ATTIK

ATTIK (www.attik.com) is a global creative agency committed to designing extraordinary creative experiences that inspire consumers through compelling communications.  ATTIK's strategic planning, design, advertising, production, client service and young-adult research expertise have driven success across an array of consumer product and service categories.  ATTIK articulates corporate brand strategy, designs creative solutions for advertising, below-the-line and online media, ensuring target audiences are vitally connected to every facet of its clients' brands.  For inquiries, please call Ric Peralta ([email protected]) at +1-415-284-2600.

About Sony Online Entertainment

Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) is a recognized worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online games, with hundreds of thousands of subscribers around the globe. SOE creates, develops and provides compelling entertainment for the personal computer, online, game console and wireless markets. Known for its blockbuster franchises and hit titles including EverQuest®, EverQuest® II, Champions of Norrath®, Untold Legends™, PlanetSide®, and Star Wars Galaxies, as well as the recent kids' phenomenon Free Realms™, SOE continues to redefine the business of online gaming and the creation of active player communities while introducing new genres on various entertainment platforms. Headquartered in San Diego, CA, with additional development studios in Austin, TX, Seattle, WA, Denver, CO, and Tucson, AZ, SOE has an array of cutting-edge games in development across various platforms and genres for audiences of all ages.

SOE, the SOE logo, EverQuest, Free Realms and PlanetSide are registered trademarks and Untold Legends and Legends of Norrath are trademarks of Sony Online Entertainment LLC. All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners.

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SOURCE ATTIK