How Asmodee UK took its games to radio to reconnect families
The Media Plan
Board-game maker Asmodee needed to reach new audiences in the run-up to Christmas, after Covid-19 restrictions disrupted demand in 2020.
Asmodee UK, game publisher and distributor, has launched its “biggest ever marketing campaign” with activations on Absolute Radio, social and an in-person BoardGame Bonanza event.
This is the company’s first radio campaign and will run for six months until April.
The brief
Board games as a category benefitted as a result of the pandemic in 2020, with sales surging at the start of lockdown as people turned to more traditional “offline” activities to occupy their time.
Independent global media agency Generation Media worked with Bauer Media Advertising on the brief to bring to life some of Asmodee’s most famous brands, like Dobble, Catan and Ticket to Ride, across different media channels to reconnect families and friends.
This was pertinent for the brand in the run-up to Christmas 2021, as a traditional Christmas with people playing board games together in one household was ruled out the previous year.
Asmodee UK, Generation Media and Bauer identified radio as the channel to reach new audiences, in recognition of declining linear TV audiences.
The main campaign objectives were to increase awareness of Asmodee’s board games and “encourage more people to play more games more often”.
Christmas sales uplifts alongside other research to measure short and long-term success pre, mid and post-campaign is being conducted by Generation Media’s sister agency, Giraffe Insights, determining brand uplift and purchase intent while Bauer Media Advertising will examine “brand fame” generated by the activity.
“A perfect match” with HomeTime with Bush & Richie on Absolute Radio
This is where Absolute Radio’s drive-time show between 4pm and 7pm every weekday with presenters Richie Firth and Andy Bush, came in (pictured, below).
Asmodee got involved in several ways including “authentic” branded content where Bush and Richie playing Dobble with listeners live on air.
The target audience for the game company is 30+ year old adults with one or more children who enjoy socialising with friends or family, which “matched perfectly” with Absolute Radio’s “Reluctant Adult” audience, adults who have financial and parental responsibilities but don’t take life too seriously, are young at heart and enjoy going out and seeking entertainment.
According to recent RAJAR figures, the Absolute Radio Network reaches 5.2 million listeners.
Matt Batchelor, group commercial director, Bauer Media Advertising told Mediatel News: “As word of mouth and recommendations from trusted friends can be one of the most powerful ways to get people to try new things, the core of our idea was to use radio and audience favourites Bush & Richie to front the campaign.
“With the games seamlessly woven into the duo’s show, key messages could be delivered naturally, reaching large audiences, and directly connecting with the few who were brought to air each day.”
These on-air games were accompanied by curated competitions with prize bundles and the chance to create a new board game for the BoardGame Bonanza event in February.
Honetime want to make a board game next year. Do you have a cracking idea we could make together?
If it’s good enough @bushontheradio & @RichieFirth could be inviting you to their board games night #BoardGameBonanza. pic.twitter.com/nzVdnfVa08
— Absolute Radio (@absoluteradio) December 17, 2021
Clive Green, business director at Generation Media told Mediatel News: “Radio stood out as a key partner on this basis, knowing that we could leverage radio personalities to spark a conversation amongst their fanbase and engage new fans with Asmodee’s portfolio.
“We briefed a number of partners, but the proposal put together by Bauer and the Absolute Radio team ticked so many boxes in terms of both value and creativity – plus it doesn’t hurt that Bush is a massive board games fanatic meaning we knew we could trust the team to deliver on the key messaging.”
Audio sponsorship, online ads, and in-person events
Asmodee audio ads also aired 24/7 in other shows across the Absolute Radio schedule and the games brand sponsored the Saturday night programming to promote its products for a night in.
However, this was not “an audio-only brief” as Green added that Asmodee was keen to use “a 360 approach” using touchpoints across Bauer’s network to do something “different” and “bespoke”.
He added that all of the media used encouraged participation and, specifically, the use of digital and social amplified the drive-time on-air messaging, while sponsorship and spot elements ensured frequency and consistency.
Batchelor commented the on-air content 24/7 encouraged people to go online and the combination of radio and online content could “shine a light” on the full range of games offered by Asmodee UK as it had more visuals to accompany the audio.
The campaign will culminate in a Boardgame Bonanza, an in-person event which Batchelor described as ” the best way to get people playing more”.
‘The audio revolution’
Audio has strengthened its position in the channel mix over the pandemic as it has embraced digital platforms, podcasting and connected devices said Green.
Green commented: “The next few years are going to be really interesting for audio and I think we’re going to see a lot more personalisation in content and leveraging of brand loyalty built by presenters and podcasters alike.”
Batchelor added: “We believe we’ve entered an audio revolution. Digital acceleration has led to more digital listening, a rise in social audio and higher take up and use of smart speakers and this has accelerated through the pandemic.
“More people are engaging with radio than ever before; latest RAJAR figures found that commercial radio now reaches a record 36.8m UK listeners, proving that radio is a resilient and adaptable medium for both consumers and advertisers.
“Many brands turned to radio throughout the pandemic due to its reach, flexibility, agility, and ability to deliver return on investment. We expect this to continue and hope to see more brands exploring the opportunities provided by radio and digital audio going forwards.”
Audio is seen as a more trusted “companionship” medium with more people tuning in with the growth of flexible working as a result of lockdowns and many marketers are taking it more seriously with the rise of podcasting and contextual marketing.
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