Sample Case Study

The Setup: Dropping into PUBG

PUBG was the premiere Battle Royale videogame, first in category launched in 2016. When I was handed the PUBG Main (North America) social handles in early 2018, they were facing a crisis caused by multiple in-game bugs and a social campaign called #FixPUBG that had promised to have the bug fixes complete by a certain date.

The Problem: #FixPUBG

FixPUBG did not deliver the results as promised and the hashtag launched a negative emotional wave at PUBG on all fronts. Drowning in negative sentiment, the brand needed to reclaim control of the conversation around their product and differentiate themselves from up and comers like Fortnite and APEX Legends.

The Solution: Get Gud

I empowered players to flaunt their prowess and painted failures as more comical to spin the negative sentiments into positives through humor and shared experiences. I amplified influencers who were emphasizing the best and most distinctive elements of the game while throwing shade at people who weren’t embracing the game’s eccentricities.

I notably dragged PewDiePie (before he was outed as a man of ill repute) after he attempted the Bridge Crossing in PUBG and experienced a spectacular failure. This was received incredibly well.
When graphics were updated the discrepancy between ‘minor foliage’ and ‘no foliage’ became a point of contention for fans. I created a self-aware ‘guide’ to the new feature in good fun that turned the tide of rising outrage into a debate about game tactics that fans could engage in without bursting into flames.
I created Superlatives to allow players to call each other out in ways that would encourage healthy competition and camaraderie, convincing them to focus on the communal aspects of the gamer experience. These also served as engagement bait content that didn’t trigger algorithmic penalties while still encouraging the supportive fan response.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner:

Engagement rate went up by %33.87 YOY in 2019. I pioneered new content types to promote new functionality and map releases so each new feature would be supported by the community through practical use, comedic value, and bragging potential. Engagement bait content kept fans interacting between major news beats, and having a tone that was authoritative without being arrogant promoted goodwill within the community.

#FixPUBG was all but forgotten.