Technology has fundamentally changed the way consumers’ access content. Companies used to buy their way into a consumer’s mindset through paid media but today, with over 40% of consumers owning DVRs and over half watching content online, brands need more unique ways to reach their audiences ways. Branded Entertainment is simply content into which the brand is organically integrated. Companies are increasingly turning to Branded Entertainment to drive engagement. While not a restriction per se, we were well aware that if our content were to be overwhelmed with Sony branding, the effectiveness of the work would be lessened because it would come across overt marketing rather than content that inspired their emotions.

Consumers were driven to our Project Shiphunt experience using paid and unpaid media in the digital and social spaces. Targeted, digital banners, video pre-roll and Facebook video banners featured trailers for our films and games, driving traffic to those experiences. Blogger outreach and additional PR activities help promote the campaign on websites dedicated to consumer technology, science, education and online games and contests. The Sony team also promoted the game with weekly updates in their social feeds and a landing page tab on their Facebook page.

The campaign was incredibly successful. Looking at the exploration, we uncovered 2 sunken ships, the shipping schooner MF Merrick and an unknown freighter. This information, shared with NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) will help them with their ongoing exploratory/preservation efforts in the Great Lakes marine sanctuary and the development of an interdisciplinary educational programme based on ship hunting.From a digital metrics perspective, the campaign delivered at benchmark. Click rates, conversion percentages and total revenue were all reported at or above 100%. The game averaged an incredible 12 minutes average session time with over 20,000 people playing. It’s been rated 4.4 out of 5 stars on Facebook.The film premiered in Saginaw with over 1,000 people in attendance including the Saginaw mayor, superintendent of schools and multiple state officials. Notes of Congratulations were provided by both US Senators from Michigan, Senator Carl Levin and Senator Debbie Stabenow.Moreover, beyond all this, we succeeded in positively changing the lives of the students who participated in this programme. These kids were transformed, inspired by science and this educational experience. They were motivated to attend college and look beyond the world they had known at the rich possibilities of their wide-open futures.