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 - Gaming & Virtual Reality
 Nomination Title: SEGA Brings a Fresh Spin to Classic 2D Sonic the Hedgehog in Sonic Superstars
- 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 238 words used.
The attached presentation showcases highlights of the Sonic Superstars campaign that enabled SEGA to optimize review scores and sales of the title at launch. The campaign began on a highly positive note following the announcement of the title at the Summer Game Fest livestream (slides 5-6) and early press previews at Summer Game Fest Play Days (slides 9-10). By arranging additional hands-on preview events and promotions throughout the year for press at SEGA Summer Showcase (slides 11-12) and gamescom Opening Night Live (slides 13-14), the team was able to understand which elements of the game resonated positively with press, allowing PR to refine a review strategy focused on Sonic-friendly press. In addition to these events, the PR team secured a July cover story with top gaming outlet Game Informer, where the outlet published early impressions and an interview with the development team (slides 15-17). Sonic Superstars saw a number of positive stories highlighting the launch of the game (slides 7-8). The title currently has an average critic score of 73% on Metacritic and it has received positive reviews from gaming press since launch, as shown in our review highlights (slides 3-4). Post-launch outreach efforts for Sonic Superstars resulted in the title being featured in multiple top-tier gaming and entertainment outlets’ holiday coverage. Highlights from the Sonic Superstars campaign have been compiled into a PDF presentation found in the Dropbox folder here – https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/6cmo2zcwhlcvpg0gtx5uf/Sonic-Superstars-2023-Coverage-The-Stevie-Awards.pdf?rlkey=s6qqnwzxfhok9m3c7mgsf8gbg&
- 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.
N/A
- 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:
June 8, 2023
- 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 176 words used.
Over the past three decades, SEGA has strived to grow and advance the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise while staying true to the Blue Blur’s roots. In 2023, SEGA set out to release a new spin on the classic-style 2D Sonic the Hedgehog games with Sonic Superstars, appealing to new and legacy fans alike. While Sonic Superstars harkens back to the early 2D platforming style of classic Sonic games, it was also created to push the franchise forward with modernized graphics, never-before-seen abilities and landscapes, and high-speed gameplay mechanics. The PR campaign was developed by SEGA and its agency, fortyseven communications, to establish Sonic Superstars as the next evolution of 2D Sonic games, combining the best of classic and modern Sonic games into one package for current generation platforms. Sonic the Hedgehog is also a series that has proven its versatility and continued relevance through the development team’s propensity for innovation. As such, PR set out to provide opportunities to explain the developer’s vision for redefining classic Sonic, highlighting SEGA’s aptitude for innovation with the long-running franchise.
- 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 230 words used.
The PR campaign for Sonic Superstars leveraged a mix of high-quality creative assets and hands-on opportunities to build affinity with key games and consumer press to allow SEGA to maintain buzz throughout the title’s five-month-long campaign. SEGA launched another Sonic the Hedgehog title, Sonic Origins Plus, in June 2023, so the public relations and marketing teams worked closely together to create assets to differentiate Sonic Superstars. While Sonic Origins Plus featured remastered editions of 16 classic Sonic titles, Sonic Superstars pushed the franchise forward with a new storyline taking Sonic and friends to the never-before-seen Northstar Islands to battle the evil Dr. Eggman in an all-new adventure and featured 4-player local co-op gameplay mechanics for the first-time ever in the franchise. To excite Sonic fans and promote the title, SEGA created a variety of animated video assets highlighting the game’s 3D visuals, high-speed platforming gameplay, as well as its beloved cast of characters and high-energy soundtrack, which were distributed between June and October. The PR team also worked with SEGA to schedule various preview events in North America and Europe, which in turn created a steady cadence of news and built familiarity among key media outlets. PR also aligned news announcements with tentpole games industry events, franchise beats and major shopping holidays to keep the game top of mind among key games, entertainment, consumer and parenting media throughout the campaign.
- 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 2022. Even if your initiative started before 2022, limit your response to activities and results since the beginning of 2022 only (up to 250 words):
Total 247 words used.
SEGA’s reveal trailer for Sonic Superstars at Summer Game Fest in June 2023 generated widespread coverage from leading entertainment and games publications, including IGN, The Verge, Digital Trends, Engadget, NME and more. At Summer Game Fest, the team also hosted a hands-on opportunity, inviting select press and influencers to play the first levels of the title and publish their impressions. Following Summer Game Fest, Game Informer magazine featured Sonic Superstars on its cover, and published a 12-page story on the Sonic Team’s creative process in developing the title. In August, SEGA hosted additional preview events for North American and international press to experience more content from Sonic Superstars, namely the game’s highly anticipated 4-player local co-op mode. As hands-on coverage went live, the PR team carefully monitored media sentiment and focused on outlets that were largely favorable to the Sonic brand to optimize positive coverage for launch and reviews. PR successfully optimized the game’s average critic score on the aggregate review site Metacritic, resulting in the game having a 73% average review score. Post-launch efforts by the PR team resulted in Sonic Superstars being nominated for “Best Family Game” at The Game Awards, which saw 118 million visitors in 2023. Lastly, the PR team promoted Sonic Superstars’ Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales through pitching to deals editors at top games, tech and consumer publications. As a result of PR outreach and strategy, the campaign resulted in over 4,422 articles and 16.4 billion impressions globally.
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