The game of time - El Tiempo | Clapboard Ad Archive

El Tiempo’s 2014 campaign The Game of Time, developed with BBDO, exemplifies the power of ambient marketing in the media and entertainment sector by making the invisible march of time a tactile, immediate experience for Colombians. Central to the campaign is the Time Suit, a wearable device disrupting common media engagement by physically simulating the limitations of aging in those who have neglected exercise, transforming the abstract concept of future consequences into a potent, personal encounter. Rather than relying on conventional warnings or straightforward problem-solution constructs, the campaign invites its audience to play the game of time, directly embodying its premise through immersive role-play and a relatable analogy—what Clapboard’s taxonomy clearly situates as FORMAT#3—Symbolize the Problem. By coaxing participants to inhabit the slow, cumbersome motions and sensory changes associated with an unprepared old age, El Tiempo psychologically bridges editorial mission and consumer insight, asserting its brand as a source not just of daily news but of enduring, hard-won perspective. In a competitive Colombian media landscape defined by legacy publishers like Semana and El Espectador, and real-time digital news leaders such as Caracol and RCN Noticias, El Tiempo positions itself as the publication uniquely invested in contextual understanding, reminding consumers that choices made today define the stories they’ll live to tell. This campaign’s ambient element turns a universal dilemma into an active discovery, leveraging the emotional charge of direct participation and driving home the value of foresight without finger-wagging or didactic messaging. The campaign sidesteps literal visualizations to create an analogical participation that makes the brand message—news with the weight and wisdom of time—dramatically memorable, and in doing so, showcases how ambient creativity can reinforce publisher credibility and depth in the era of fast, surface-level media. Clapboard rates this 72/100. Campaigns like The Game of Time matter to the industry because they underscore how experiential analogies can articulate editorial values with visceral clarity while helping media brands regain cultural relevance through creativity.