Having a good internet connection speed is highly important for most of us yet, for gamers, it is crucial. With so many eyeballs on them watching their gaming performances on platforms such as YouTube Live or Twitch, a poor internet connection can negatively influence the whole experience, triggering players’ frustrations who can’t control their rage any longer, blaming all on the internet.
Well aware of the importance the internet speed plays in a gaming session and with a goal to gain market share within the video game community and also to reach the ones who follow the influencers broadcasting their video games, telecom company VOO joined hands with agency Happiness — an FCB alliance — to remind people of its fast internet. As part of the collaboration, the brand has also teamed up with gaming influencers who were not using its services but obviously needed a better connection to play as smoothly as possible, without experiencing some sort of interruptions.
According to the brand, the connection speed is one of the many reasons to switch providers. As one of the main telecom providers in the country, the company has invested in modern technology, offering faster internet speed to its clients. Convincing the community of gamers about its services would be proof of the VOO’s “internet leadership.”
To highlight just how annoying a slow internet speed can be for this community, the brand launched the “Raging Banners” initiative, the world’s first real-time, voice-activated banners that popped up on the followers’ screens when a gamer experienced a slow speed connection during the game. During this week’s #ThrowBrandThursday, we are going to see how VOO managed to turn gamers’ rage into the brand’s ads, ultimately putting a big smile on consumers’ and the brand’s team’s faces.
To bring this idea to life, the crew programmed an OBS plug-in — the most used software for online game streams. Then, the tool was connected to the microphone and, using Microsoft Cognitive Services, it was able to transcribe keywords-based data generated by a voice in real-time. The instructions were simple: React to every keyword related to slow internet, including some swearing words. Upon detecting the “Internet Rage,” an animated banner was activated, appearing on subscribers’ screens during the live stream.
Via a paid collaboration with some of the most influential gaming streamers — who weren’t using VOO’s services at that time — the brand invited them to download the plug-in and play, while the company waited for their internet to lag. “Because, moments of internet rage due to a slow speed are probably the best occasions to remind people that it’s time to switch to VOO’s ultra-fast internet,” we find out from the agency’s page.
The “Raging Banners” appeared on hundreds of real-time streams, reaching 85% of the country’s gaming community within a few weeks, resulting in an increase in sales of over 20%.
Credits:
Client: VOO
Agency: Happiness Brussels