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Company: SEGA of America, Burbank, CA
Nomination Submitted by: fortyseven communications
Company Description: SEGA of America, Inc. is the American arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA CORPORATION, a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony.
Nomination Category: Corporate Communications, Investor Relations, & Public Relations Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Communications or PR Campaign of the Year - Digital Media Relations
 Nomination Title: Sonic Colors: Ultimate Brings a Fresh Hue to a Beloved Video Game
- Which will you submit for this nomination, a video of up to five (5) minutes in length about the nominated PR campaign or program, or written answers to the questions? (Choose one):
Written answers to the questions
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the nominated video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this first question: Specify the date on which this campaign or program was launched:
May 27, 2021
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this second question: Describe the genesis of the nominated campaign or program: the reasons it was initiated, the challenges it was created to address, the problems it was developed to solve, etc. (up to 250 words):
Total 224 words used.
Sonic the Hedgehog spun on to the video game scene in 1991, and has since become a pop culture icon. SEGA’s beloved video game franchise now spans comic books, television series, blockbuster films and a burgeoning licensing program, but the games division continues to be a key area of focus, driving the narrative of the franchise forward. With a multigenerational fanbase of 21.9 million US customers (based on domestic box office and games sales), SEGA has seen a rise in demand for the modernization of its fan-favorite video games for current generation gaming consoles. After listening to its community and surveying the market, SEGA made plans to release a remastered version of Sonic Colors, a fan-favorite Sonic the Hedgehog platforming experience released exclusively for Nintendo Wii in 2010. The remastered experience would be called Sonic Colors: Ultimate, and would bring the title to all current Microsoft Xbox, Sony PlayStation, Nintendo Switch and PC gaming platforms for the first time ever. The game was announced on May 27, 2021 at Sonic Central, a digitally streamed event celebrating the 30th anniversary of the franchise. Following its announcement, SEGA would distribute a series of video assets through PR and its social media channels which showcased the game’s modernized features and new storyline elements, to entice and excite fans leading up to its September 7, 2021 launch.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this third question: Describe the development of the campaign or program: the planning process, the goal setting, the creative and media development, the scheduling, etc. (up to 250 words):
Total 242 words used.
SEGA’s public relations team approached the Sonic Colors: Ultimate campaign with the goal of expanding the fan base for the franchise and strengthening the brand among existing fans. In order to appeal to a multigenerational audience, including those who had played the original Sonic Colors game as well as new fans, the marketing and PR teams proposed creating a series of high-quality trailers and video assets to distribute to key media outlets and consumers via SEGA’s social media platforms to showcase the core gameplay elements of Sonic Colors that had been modernized for current generation gaming platforms. SEGA’s creative departments then developed a series of spotlight videos to highlight the improved user interface experience, mechanics, and controls of the game, as well as its new modes, rewards and characters. Additionally, as part of the promotional campaign, SEGA created an accompanying animated web short titled, “Sonic Colors: Rise of the Wisps,” for the Sonic the Hedgehog YouTube channel, introducing fans to the new characters and storyline elements of Sonic Colors: Ultimate. SEGA had previously seen success utilizing animated series as a promotional tool for past game releases including Sonic Mania: Plus (2018) and Team Sonic Racing (2019), which have resulted in over 100 million views to date combined. Outside of video assets, SEGA’s PR team organized a virtual preview event through the video conferencing platform Parsec, which allowed media to play through the game ahead of its completion and share their impressions.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this fourth question: Outline the activities and concrete results of this campaign or program since the beginning of 2020. Even if your initiative started before 2020, limit your response to activities and results since the beginning of 2020 only (up to 250 words):
Total 223 words used.
Between the announcement of Sonic Colors: Ultimate in May 2021 and its launch in September 2021, SEGA released approximately two video assets per month to keep the title top of mind among key media and consumers. In total, the PR team distributed two cinematic trailers (at the game’s announcement and launch), four gameplay spotlight trailers (between June and September) and two episodes of the animated series, “Sonic Colors: Rise of the Wisps” (in August), with accompanying press releases sent to key games, entertainment, consumer and technology media outlets throughout North America. Additionally, the PR team partnered with key North American games media outlets including IGN, Game Informer and Shacknews to showcase exclusive gameplay footage of Sonic Colors: Ultimate during the games industry’s tentpole event, The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in June 2021. The exposure during E3 placed Sonic Colors: Ultimate on the radar of many core games fans and drove pre-order purchases of the game. Following E3, the PR team gradually released the subsequent video assets to continue to build up excitement and awareness for the launch of Sonic Colors: Ultimate among Sonic fans and casual gamers. In total, the PR campaign for Sonic Colors: Ultimate generated an estimated 12.3B impressions through 1,809 earned media placements (according to Meltwater) and 2,765,367 views on SEGA’s Sonic the Hedgehog YouTube channel.
- Optional: Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
Total 210 words used.
The attached trailers and video assets were distributed by SEGA’s PR team throughout the campaign for Sonic Colors: Ultimate to showcase the modernized gameplay elements of the Sonic Colors remaster and build excitement for the game’s launch. The video assets include (in chronological order) the Sonic Colors: Ultimate announcement trailer (May 27, 2021), Sonic Colors: Ultimate Planet Wisp: Act 4 gameplay trailer (June 14, 2021), Sonic Colors: Ultimate HD Updates Spotlight trailer (July 8, 2021), Sonic Colors: Ultimate Wisp Spotlight trailer (August 5, 2021), Sonic Colors: Ultimate | Rise of the Wisps Part 1 animated short (August 19, 2021), Sonic Colors: Ultimate | Rise of the Wisps Part 2 animated short (August 26, 2021), Sonic Colors: Ultimate launch trailer (September 7, 2021), Sonic Colors: Ultimate | Colorful Worlds Spotlight trailer (September 23, 2021). Additionally, the animated shorts that accompanied SEGA’s previous Sonic the Hedgehog game releases for Sonic Mania Plus (Sonic Mania Adventures) and Team Sonic Racing (Team Sonic Racing Overdrive) are included to show the potential reach garnered from SEGA’s animated series (100M views) as a marketing tool, and why that tactic was utilized again for Sonic Colors: Ultimate. The views from the other animated series were not included in the total reach for the Sonic Colors: Ultimate campaign.
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