The campaign ‘Haaland for the Win!’ won Gold in Gaming at The Drum Awards for Marketing. This collaboration between Axis Studios, The David Agency, and Founder Creative for Supercell’s Clash of Clans featured global superstar Erling Haaland, blending animation with live-action to engage lapsed and casual players.
The partnership between Axis Studios, The David Agency, and Founder Creative for Supercell’s Clash of Clans campaign with global superstar Erling Haaland proved highly effective by blending animation with live-action to engage lapsed and casual players.
The challenge was to create a compelling narrative that leveraged Haaland’s athletic persona while introducing him into the animated Clash of Clans universe. The result was a captivating film where Haaland, interrupted by in-game characters, is transported into the game world to lead the clan to victory.
Axis Studios and The David Agency on behalf of Supercell, approached Founder Creative with an ambitious goal: to re-engage lapsed and casual players of Clash of Clans, through a groundbreaking film that blended animation with live action. To achieve this, they enlisted Erling Haaland, marketing Supercell’s first-ever collaboration with an elite athlete.
The mission was clear: announce Haaland’s involvement in a compelling way, leveraging his athletic persona to bridge the worlds of sport and gaming. By combining his real-life charisma with his animated in-game character, the film sought to immerse audiences in a playful yet action-packed narrative.
We faced a unique set of challenges in delivering a high-impact production within a short timeline while navigating Haaland’s limited availability and contractual restrictions. To bring the concept to life, we designed a production schedule that combined live-action filming with meticulous integration into animated sequences.
Filming took place in Manchester, ensuring easy access and minimal disruption to Erling’s schedule. To accommodate physical activity restrictions in his contract, we filmed complex action sequences using a body double and choreography team, allowing us to seamlessly integrate Haaland’s live-action presence into the animated narrative.
We also dedicated another shoot day in Oslo to create bespoke content tailored for digital platforms. This additional footage became “shoulder content”, specifically designed to engage Haaland’s massive online following and Supercell’s audience across social channels. This allowed us to extend the campaign’s reach and engage multiple audiences.
The campaign seamlessly merged the worlds of sport and gaming to deliver Supercell’s message. The film quickly became a global phenomenon, garnering 15 million views within the first 48 hours of its release on YouTube: a figure that has now risen to 64 million. Across all platforms, the campaign achieved more than 150 million views in its first few weeks with global publications such as the BBC, New York Times, and ESPN covering its launch. The New York Times called it 'Clash of Clans' most successful campaign in many years'.
Within the game, Clash of Clans saw a significant increase in downloads, with the percentage of new players entering the game rising by 150%, and 34 million people raiding Haaland's village inside the first six weeks. This surge in engagement revitalized the game’s player base, reaffirming its position as a global favorite.
Haaland’s involvement added a unique cultural dimension to the campaign, creating crossover appeal that resonated with football fans, gamers, and broader audiences alike. His stature as one of the world’s top athletes elevated the campaign, turning it into a cultural moment that extended beyond traditional gaming communities.
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Founder. A creative shop with production smarts. Fast-moving, fast-thinking and ready to collaborate. UK based with international reach. We live and breathe sport....