Talk to Me: Brand Integration within Fortnite

Client: Altitude

"Talk to Me" marked a critical post-pandemic moment for Altitude, initially aiming for a viable £1.5 million box office target. The horror film, centered around teenagers conjuring supernatural forces with an embalmed hand, faced significant competition from blockbuster releases and a low cinema attendance rate.

Released alongside the massive "Barbenheimer" films and major horror franchises like "The Meg 2" and "Insidious 5," "Talk to Me" had to compete with minimal budget, no big-name actors, and a familiar horror plot. To succeed, Altitude targeted 18-29-year-old horror fans, emphasizing disruption in a typically indistinguishable horror market. Discovering that a significant portion of this audience are active gamers, especially on Fortnite, led to a unique marketing approach. Partnering with Gamefam, Livewire, and Havas Play, Altitude recreated the movie as a branded game within Fortnite’s popular horror map, Deadpines. This allowed players to experience the film's key elements firsthand, integrating the séance room and supernatural gameplay. The campaign utilized traditional media in unconventional ways, promoting trailers and posters within the gaming universe and leveraging influential streamers for extensive reach. The campaign achieved 15 million impressions, far surpassing the required reach to hit the box office target. Key metrics included: Over 1.5 million gameplays, with an average playing time of 55 minutes. +3,000 hours of influencer content viewed, driving 837,000 organic impressions. High recall rates (64% for 18-24s, 63% for 35-44s) and strong engagement (78% felt part of the film, 85% recommended it, 81% were more interested in watching).