The campaign brief outlines objectives to increase the fan base and pre-sales of the upcoming Splinter Cell Conviction game launching in September 2009. The campaign budget is $45K and will utilize a 360-degree approach across various mediums. The background document provides context on the Splinter Cell franchise and 3-year gap since the last release. It aims to reignite interest among lapsed fans and attract new gamers. The proposed creative concept is an interactive campaign treating the main character's, Sam Fisher's, return as mysterious by planting clues and "sightings" across Canada online and in physical locations to generate buzz and intrigue leading up to the game's launch.

2. THE CAMPAIGN BRIEF
Mandate
Teaser campaign for fall launch of
Splinter Cell Conviction across Canada
Objectives
SOFT: Increase fan base of Splinter Cell by reaching a more mainstream target.
HARD: Pre-sale 10K orders (focus retailer Future Shop).
Medium
360-degree - whatever works
Budget
$45K
Campaign launch
September 2009
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3. Strategic
blender
Half the battle of a good strategy is
asking the right question. Based on our
reading of your brief here’’s our take on
the big problem that we need to
overcome with our creative.
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4. BACK
GROUND SITUATION
Splinter Cell was the Ubisoft franchise. The series dates
back to 2002 and Conviction (5th release) was originally
slated to launch in Nov-2007 but at last minute got pulled
for some rumored reasons*. With a 3-year gap from last
release a lot has changed in the gaming world, and the
original core fans are now older….7-years older! Ubisoft
wants to give luster back to this franchise.
* The best rumor we found on some forum is that Michael Ironside, the voice behind Sam Fisher, was
suspected by FBI of being a Canadian spy in real life and so Ubisoft shelved the launch to avoid bad PR. We
think the truth more has to do with the wise decision in 2007 to wait to launch with the much improved game.
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5. Primary
:“
Lapsed fa
ns” : who
lost inter
est in gam
e because
of lack of game
innovatio
n, too rep
etitive, or
not actio
n oriente
d enoug
h.
C2.
ll of Duty, and A
o play Halo-3, Ca
rs” : gamers wh
Primary : “Newcome
Secondar
y : “Core fan
s” : gamers
who fully e
mbrace Sp
linter Cell.

6. WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CONVICTION
Conviction lets you unleash the ferocious skills of a renegade spy. That’s right, Conviction lets you unleash the ferocious skills of a renegade spy.
REINVENTED SAM FISHER IS
GAMEPLAY THE DUDE
The game is radically improved, easier to play, He oozes with personality. He wants revenge for his
more action-oriented, lled with new daughter’s assassination. He does not shrink and hide
innovations like mission goals projected on away. He acts more like 24’s Jack Bauer. He is a panther
on the move and on the hunt for his targets.
walls and has rid itself of slow transitions.
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7. CURRENT DESIRED
PERCEPTION PERCEPTION
Splinter Cell the old hit that cannot Splinter Cell once again has
compete in the league of new pushed boundaries of stealth
games out there. games with super game-play
and a ‘real’ character.

8. good news
Th e p ro d u c t i s a s g o o d
as it promises.

9. THE WRITING IS ON THE WALL
SPLINTER CELL CONVICTION ON ITS WAY TO BEING A HIT
“There's “You kn
nothing laughable about it was t ow, as
o see P cool as
what Ubisoft is doing with some r aul and
today's eason Ringo,
when I
Splinter Cell: Conviction....may be press c think b for
onfere
nothing short of revolutionary.” sticks
with m nces th ack over
e is Sp e thing that
- Patrick Klepek, News Editor G4TV Convic linter C
tion.” ell:
- Joe Ryb
icki, G
4TV
of day Writer “Coo
” E3 2 lest th
009 ing

10. ““ Sam Fisher + Speed + Brutality = Metric assload of awesome.
G4TV blogger commenting live from E3 2009 ””
THE MESSAGE WE NEED TO SPREAD

11. bad news
If our lapsed fans and
newcomers do not hear the
g o o d n e w s, t h e y m ay m i s s
out.

12. THE BIG PROBLEM
How do we blow the ‘dust’ off the perception
that Splinter Cell is yesterdays game and get
gamers across Canada to discover that this is not
just a dull sequel but that Conviction is a metric
assload of awesome game storytelling and
action.
WE NEED TO FIX

13. Brands tend to lack the necessary skills for the
seduction ritual. They are used to revealing
everything about themselves at the very
first encounter, eager to get customers in
the sack as soon as possible. But today’s
savvy audience is reluctant to allow
themselves to be seduced so quickly and
openly. They prefer brands to seduce them
little by little, revealing their message slowly
intelligently, and flirtatiously.
- Tom Himpe, Advertising Next

14. CREATIVE
CONCEPT
The challenge: how do we introduce a
whole new segment of gamers to the
man that is Sam Fisher? The answer:
use those who know him best to help
spread the word and build on the
intrigue and mythology of his past.
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15. SAM FISHER
IS MISSING.

16. IMAGINE A CUTTING-EDGE,
COUNTRY-WIDE GAME OF CAT
AND MOUSE WITH CORE FANS
THAT THE BROADER
MAINSTREAM AUDIENCE
CANNOT IGNORE.

17. By playing o of Sam Fisher’s hiatus
over the past years we re-insert him into
the pop culture lexicon by announcing
he is back... but his exact whereabouts
are unknown.

18. We ll the streets
of major Canadian
cities with missing
posters with Sam
Fisher’s face on
them, all driving
to a url.

20. We hire a Sam Fisher look-a-like and a camera man to travel
across the country with tactical destinations to hit. Sam Fisher
appears, face obscured, in places that can be clearly identified by
locals. The video footage is then uploaded to our social media
centers (though never aggregated in an official way, we would
leave that up to the fans).
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22. Sam Fisher can show up in obscure places like campus bars or
in and around landmarks like the CN Tower. He passes through
crowds causing a minor stir (nothing violent, just simply behaving
like a man on a mission).
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23. We build a youtube channel, a ickr account and a facebook page
dedicated to locating Sam Fisher. We feed the channel with sightings
across Canada.
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25. We take a cue from Splinter Cell itself and do huge projections on
buildings in the downtown core of major cities. The messages are
cryptic and the sole purpose is to suggest that Sam Fisher is in town.
These images are captured on video and in photos are also added to the
social networking sites on the subject of his whereabouts.
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28. The messages can appear on abandoned factories, in key downtown
locations, or on buildings where major events are taking place.
Those who notice them are a bonus, the important aspect is the
recording of these projections, so they can be uploaded to our
relevant social media tools.
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29. samfisher.ca is an intentionally simple site that offers no clues to his
whereabouts and contains no viral elements. It is a clear push to pre-
sell based on momentum and hype. The credibility of the new and
improved game is leveraged through the critics quotes that are
undeniably enthusiastic.
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31. The final clue to Sam Fisher’s whereabouts drops on the day that Splinter
Cell Conviction is launched.
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33. It reveals that Sam Fisher is on his way to Washington D.C., where
Splinter Cell: Conviction takes place.
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34. MISSION
COMPLETE
ON TIME,
Let the game begin.
ON BUDGET