Whoosh, Spin & Float – King 2023 | Clapboard Ad Archive

73

Whoosh, Spin & Float - King | Clapboard Ad Archive

King’s Unleash the Crush campaign for Candy Crush Saga, developed by BBH in the United Kingdom market in 2023, offers a singular expression of the game’s addictive emotional appeal by staging a series of three immersive films—Whoosh, Spin, and Float—that leapfrog standard advertising tropes to land squarely in the realm of sensory spectacle for the media and entertainment category. This is work that puts the player — and their emotional highs — at the nucleus, with Whoosh setting the tone as players are swept from an ordinary sunset beach gathering into a skyward launch atop monumental columns of candy, underscoring the campaign’s intent to map the feelings of triumph, exultation, and relaxation into visual metaphors that are as tangible as they are transportive. The decision to bypass digital artifice in favor of practical effects—actual engineered candy pieces, live action aerial performers, environmental wind and lighting, and meticulously detailed explosions on set—reflects a confidence in real-world storytelling that counterpoints the digital origins of the brand and makes the translation from virtual gameplay to lived experience believable and hypnotic. BBH’s creative direction amplifies the familiar iconography of Candy Crush Saga yet does not merely recreate the game; instead, it dramatizes and exaggerates the emotions at its heart, an approach that sits squarely in what Clapboard’s taxonomy would classify as FORMAT#9—Symbolize The Benefit—where every exaggerated practical effect and sensory flourish is a stand-in for the core payoffs of the match-three puzzle experience. The campaign’s bespoke audio, crafted in collaboration with King’s in-house sound studio, cleverly integrates the distinctive cues of the game world but adapts them to underscore each film’s emotional driver, heightening recall and delivering a synesthetic layer that pushes the campaign’s immersion beyond the visual and into the fully sensorial. Structurally astute, the staggered roll-out of the three films sharpens narrative focus and sustains engagement, drawing viewers to anticipate subsequent emotional peaks tied to victory and ease, thereby reinforcing Candy Crush Saga’s standing as far more than a mobile time-killer: it is a modern entertainment staple that delivers real, embodied joy. Clapboard rates this 73/100. In crystallizing the emotional energy of casual gaming into shareable, real-world metaphors, Unleash the Crush signals the growing expectation for mobile gaming brands to reach beyond screens and assert cultural visibility through creative built on genuine human sensation.

Credits

Client

King

Agency

BBH

Campaign Title

Whoosh, Spin & Float

Advertising Agency

BBH (Script development, creative execution and production) (No Problem delivered initial script and ideation)

Media Agency

OMD

Production House

Blink Ink

King Senior Marketing Director

Johanna Gerhold

King Brand Marketing Director

Stephanie Hobart

King Associate Brand Director

Amy Kilty

King Creative Marketing Manager

Ellie Stitcher

King Associate Creative Marketing Manager

Jake Bogira

Head Of Audio At King

Dominique Devoucoux

Category Mind Map

48%

King’s ‘Whoosh, Spin & Float’ campaign for Candy Crush Saga aims to translate the game’s core emotional experiences—excitement, triumph, and relaxation—into a vivid, sensory reality that resonates beyond the digital screen. By dramatizing player favorite moments with tangible, immersive visuals and sounds, the campaign promises to deliver the palpable joy and immersive pleasure of Candy Crush into the physical world, reinforcing the brand’s position as a source of engaging entertainment that sparks real emotional connection. Strategically, the campaign leverages a nuanced understanding of its audience’s relationship with the game, focusing on the emotions and moments that define player engagement rather than just gameplay mechanics. The creative approach prioritizes authenticity and sensory immersion, employing practical effects, real-world props, and trained performers to bring the game’s iconic elements to life. This tactic strengthens the bridge between virtual and physical experiences, appealing to both longtime players and potential new users intrigued by the game’s vibrant universe. The phased release of three films, each reflecting a distinct emotional facet, allows for sustained audience interest and narrative depth. Additionally, the collaboration with King’s in-house audio team to develop bespoke soundtracks incorporating Candy Crush’s distinctive audio branding enhances emotional recall and brand consistency. Overall, this approach aims to deepen player affinity by elevating familiar gameplay sensations into memorable, shareable visual stories, effectively reinforcing Candy Crush Saga's cultural presence in a competitive gaming market.

FORMAT#9 SYMBOLIZE THE BENEFIT — Uses symbols or exaggerated visuals to represent the product’s positive impact. This campaign fits FORMAT#9 because it transforms the key emotional benefits of Candy Crush Saga—excitement, achievement, relaxation—into highly exaggerated, sensory-rich visual metaphors in the physical world. Instead of a literal demonstration or typical storyline, the films feature players being propelled, spun, or floating due to in-game victories, dramatizing feelings associated with the game using surreal, hypnotic effects (e.g., soaring on columns of candy). The narrative focuses on the emotional payoff, using immersive, fantastical symbolism to convey how playing Candy Crush "feels," rather than what it literally is.

1. Electronic Arts (EA) – Market Positioning EA leverages its vast portfolio of popular gaming franchises across multiple genres, emphasizing high-quality, immersive experiences with strong narrative elements and social multiplayer components. Through consistent innovation, live services, and strong IPs like The Sims and FIFA, EA positions itself as a leading global entertainment powerhouse that combines accessibility with depth for casual and hardcore gamers alike. 2. Zynga – Market Positioning Zynga focuses on social and casual gaming with a strong emphasis on mobile and free-to-play models, leveraging viral social mechanics and cross-platform integration. They prioritize community engagement and regular content updates to keep users connected and invested, making them a dominant player in the casual gaming market, especially in puzzle and simulation genres. 3. Rovio Entertainment – Market Positioning Best known for Angry Birds, Rovio capitalizes on simple yet addictive gameplay and strong character-driven stories. Their strategy includes expanding beyond gaming into multimedia franchises, merchandising, and theme parks, creating a broad entertainment ecosystem that appeals to a family-friendly demographic focused on fun and accessibility. 4. Glu Mobile – Market Positioning Glu Mobile targets the mid-core gamer with a portfolio of narrative-driven, lifestyle, and celebrity-branded mobile games, blending engaging storylines with high-quality graphics and social features. Their focus on character-driven content and episodic releases aims to foster deeper player attachment and long-term engagement within the mobile ecosystem. 5. Playrix – Market Positioning Playrix stands out through its polished, visually appealing casual games that merge classic match-three mechanics with expansive simulation and story elements. Their strategic emphasis on broad demographic appeal, frequent updates, and deep customer analytics drives high player retention and monetization in a highly competitive casual mobile gaming market.

Q: What is Whoosh, Spin & Float about? A: Whoosh, Spin & Float is a 2023 campaign for King’s Candy Crush Saga, developed in partnership with BBH and released in the United Kingdom. The campaign consists of three immersive films directed by Joseph Mann through Blinkink, each dramatizing the core emotional experiences of the game—excitement, triumph, and relaxation. By bringing the vibrant world of Candy Crush Saga into the physical realm with practical effects, real-world props, and bespoke audio, the campaign aims to translate the joy of gameplay into a multi-sensory, real-world spectacle that resonates with both existing fans and new audiences. Q: What creative device does Whoosh, Spin & Float use? A: Whoosh, Spin & Float employs FORMAT#9 SYMBOLIZE THE BENEFIT, as classified by Clapboard’s 12-format taxonomy. This creative approach uses exaggerated, sensory-rich visual metaphors to represent the positive impact of Candy Crush Saga, focusing on how the game feels rather than literal gameplay. The films feature players being propelled, spun, or floating in surreal, hypnotic environments, dramatizing the emotional highs of the game through immersive practical effects and fantastical symbolism that bridge the gap between digital and physical experiences. Q: What is the campaign proposition for Whoosh, Spin & Float? A: The strategic proposition behind Whoosh, Spin & Float is to position Candy Crush Saga as a source of engaging entertainment that sparks real emotional connection by translating the game’s excitement, triumph, and relaxation into vivid, tangible experiences. Targeting both loyal players and potential new users, the campaign emphasizes the emotional moments that define player engagement, using immersive visuals and bespoke audio to reinforce King’s leadership in the gaming entertainment category and to deepen player affinity in a competitive market. Q: How does Whoosh, Spin & Float rank in Clapboard's archive? A: Whoosh, Spin & Float holds a Clapboard Campaign Score of 73/100 in Clapboard’s global ad archive. This score reflects the campaign’s creative ambition, execution quality, and cultural relevance within the context of contemporary gaming and entertainment advertising. Q: Who are the competitors in King's category? A: In the gaming and entertainment category, King faces competition from Electronic Arts, which leverages a diverse portfolio of immersive, narrative-driven franchises; Zynga, a leader in social and casual mobile gaming with strong community engagement; Rovio Entertainment, known for expanding simple, addictive gameplay into broad multimedia franchises; Glu Mobile, which targets mid-core gamers with narrative and celebrity-driven content; and Playrix, recognized for visually polished casual games that blend match-three mechanics with simulation and story elements to drive high player retention.