An unknown plague devastates New York's population and spreads globally. Tomorrow it will reach Poland. Shocking updates flow in real-time from thedivisionnews.pl and Twitter. Is a post-apocalyptic world looming? No—this is the latest campaign promoting The Division, created by Mindshare Poland for Ubisoft – one of the world’s leading developers, publishers, and distributors of video games.
Fictional portal about the plague
For the campaign, a dedicated news portal was created – – thedivisionnews.pl, where new reports about the deadly plague appear in real time. Internet users can learn how the disease unfolds in a parallel reality in New York and around the world. These are the final hours before the plague reaches our country.
Live updates on Twitter
Following the events is also enabled by live updates on Twitter. On the profile TDNews_PL, users track the action hour by hour, and through commenting, they actively participate in the event “live.”
Bartosz Sikora, Director, Invention, Mindshare Poland, adds:
We initially feared users' reactions—we entered their space and scared them with fake news. But it was worth the risk—the campaign was very positively received by Twitter users, who followed the unfolding events with bated breath. Such unconventional campaigns show us that Twitter—a platform still underrated in Poland—is an excellent medium for storytelling that engages users effectively.
Comics creator writes the scenario
The 14-day storyline of the plague’s progression was written by Daniel Gizicki, who typically creates post-apocalyptic comics. His work is well known to all fans of the genre in Poland.
The unconventional promotion for The Division game was developed by Bartosz Sikora’s team, Director, Invention, Mindshare Poland. The game’s premiere in Poland is scheduled for March 8. The promotion will also include additional activities in the coming days, such as sponsored articles, interviews, survival guides targeting men, and "breaking news" on social media.
Ubisoft client of Mindshare
The Ubisoft brand joined Mindshare Poland’s client roster at the beginning of 2016. The media agency is responsible for developing strategy, planning, purchasing, and optimizing Ubisoft’s product campaigns in Poland. A dedicated team implements the publisher’s campaigns across all media types.
Mindshare Poland is a branch of the global media agency Mindshare, headquartered in London, delivering comprehensive advertising strategies for both international corporations and regional or local businesses in global markets. Mindshare unites specialists in media strategy, planning, and purchasing, as well as implementing advertising initiatives within four agency divisions: Business Planning, Exchange, Invention, and Client Leadership. Mindshare Poland pioneered planning and execution of campaigns in new media—on the Polish market, it was among the first to establish an interactive division (initially named MS Interaction, now Invention), specializing in online campaigns and planning and implementing unconventional advertising solutions in new media. Mindshare Poland co-owns GroupM, the world’s largest media buying organization, thereby increasing competitive advantage and benefits for its clients in the Polish market.
Summary
Mindshare Poland built a campaign around the premiere of The Division featuring a fictional website thedivisionnews.pl, reporting the spread of a mysterious plague from New York to the rest of the world. Concurrently, the campaign unfolds on the TDNews_PL Twitter profile, where users follow events hour by hour and comment in real time.
The 14-day storyline was written by Daniel Gizicki, a post-apocalyptic comics author, with oversight by Bartosz Sikora’s team. The game’s Polish premiere is scheduled for March 8, with additional promotional activities including sponsored articles, interviews, and survival guides. Ubisoft became a client of Mindshare at the beginning of 2016.
