Five Ways Your Brand Can Utilise Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ release was perfectly timed with the COVID-19 lockdown period. With five million digital downloads in its launch month alone, a huge audience is now playing this life simulator game. It offers a sheltered paradise for the self-expression of millennials across the globe. Brands are starting to take notice, and for good reason. It’s a safe marketing channel. The game has been carefully designed, is moderated and not even swearing is allowed. The risk of making a social faux-pas remains low. Yet, the opportunity for creativity is abundant.
Animal Crossing is not a new concept. It was first released for Nintendo’s Game Cube in 2001. Admittedly, we’ve been playing since 2006 (Wild World edition). Since then, it’s gathered a cult following of fans because it offers addictive escapism. New Horizons, released in March 2020, sees your character arrive on a deserted island with fellow animal residents. The game, played in real-time, allows you to complete a range of everyday activities. You can garden, collect seashells, furnish your home and experiment with fashion, amongst other tasks. During turbulent times, it makes for soothing play.
Above: we decided to recreate the Buttercrumble Studio on Animal Crossing: New Horizons. This could be the space where our best ideas are formed!
As a brand, if your audience is playing, embrace this platform and join the online community. Here are five different ways you can utilise Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
Above: an exhibition of i-D magazine covers.
Above: Getty Museum made paintings available to download within the game.
1. Create a visitor's destination
You can design a space that reflects your organisation. For example, Los Angeles’ Getty Museum brought their museum to the game by making 79,000 famous paintings available to download for players to enjoy and exhibit. Similarly, i-D magazine interviewed photographer and game player, Kara Chung, who surprised the magazine with an exhibition of their covers.
2. Host a virtual event
Each island can hold a maximum of eight online players at a time, so why not host a party? You can scale the gathering up by live-streaming on a platform such as Twitch. Twitch is a global leader in the live-stream of games and has millions of viewers each month. Broadcasters often host Q&A sessions and this could be combined with creative in-game activities. Video content is hot right now!
3. Create downloadable content
There is a "Custom Designs Portal" within the game's Able Sisters clothing shop. Why not share merchandise for your fans to wear? After all, fashion plays a huge role in Animal Crossing with Facebook groups dedicated to stylish players. Moreover, Xbox even got on board with this (despite being a competitor to Nintendo). They released an Xbox branded t-shirt and hoodie for players to download and wear.
4. Gather user-generated content
There is an opportunity to invite users to share content related to your brand. To encourage participation, you could host a competition. Fashion brand, Lazy Oaf, recently did just this on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #OafCrossing. Players were encouraged to recreate their favourite Lazy Oaf looks using the game's pattern designer. The winner had the chance to win a £250 voucher which resulted in hundreds of entries across both social channels.
Above: players use in-game chat function to protest. Credit: Nintendo.
Above: players use online play to protest together. Credit: Nintendo.
5. Campaign for a cause
Animal Crossing has always adopted a community vibe. It's about having fun with friends (your virtual animal villagers or real people)! This has been a blessing for activist groups in Hong Kong, unable to protest because of the Coronavirus lockdown. Hong Kongers have been taking the cause to Animal Crossing and sharing images of their virtual protests online. This has had such a great impact, causing China to ban the game. It proves the content of New Horizons is reaching far beyond the game itself. Is your brand campaigning for a cause? Is Animal Crossing the safe environment you and your audience have been looking for?
Branding within virtual realms is a growing trend which will continue to develop. This could be an unexpected way to innovate if your audience is using the Animal Crossing: New Horizons platform. It provides you with the opportunity to connect on a more personal level with your customers. You can nurture friendships in a safe and creative environment from the comfort of your sofa. What's not to love?
Could you see your organisation using gaming as a marketing channel? We'd love to know!
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