Behind the Strategy of an Award-Nominated YouTube Campaign

We are excited to announce that Legend Story Studios' Silver Age Launch Campaign was recently named a finalist in the YouTube-NZ Marketing Awards, with authentic digital recognised as their paid media partner. In a year that attracted a record number of entries, we’re incredibly proud to see this work celebrated alongside the best marketing work in New Zealand. 

So, what made the launch stand out, and what does it take to build a YouTube campaign that captures attention, inspires action, and earns industry recognition? 

Here’s how we helped bring the project to life, and how you can use the same principles to get better results from your own digital marketing efforts.

How we helped Legend Story Studios launch on the global stage

To understand how those principles work in practice, you have to look at the scale of what this campaign needed to achieve. 

For Legend Story Studios, the launch of Silver Age presented a unique challenge. As a new format for its globally recognised trading card game, Flesh and Blood, Silver Age needed to engage an already passionate community while attracting new players across key international markets. Competing for attention in the multi-billion-dollar gaming industry meant every element needed to work together. 

Our role was to develop and execute a paid media strategy that amplified the Legend Story Studios’ creative through highly targeted Google Ads. We successfully achieved this, helping build awareness of the new format, drive player engagement, and bring new audiences into the game. 

It's this combination of strategic planning, creative collaboration and measurable results that saw the campaign acknowledged by the YouTube-NZ Marketing Awards.

See the full case study

Key takeaways: what does it take to stand out in such a competitive space?

While the scale of a global gaming launch is unique, the core mechanics behind its success apply to any business looking to win with video.  

Here are three key lessons we took away from the project that you can apply to your next YouTube campaign.

1. Every great media campaign starts with deep audience insight

Without a clear understanding of who you're trying to reach, it's almost impossible to create messaging that resonates or media that performs. 

Knowing what your audience values, how they discover new content and what motivates them to act gives every creative and strategic decision a stronger foundation. 

Legend Story Studios already knew its community inside out. They understood what excited players and what would motivate them to get involved. That audience knowledge was key, allowing the creative and paid media strategy to reach the players most likely to engage in the new game format.

2. Strong creative deserves the right media strategy

To generate excitement around the launch, the creative team at Legend Story Studios produced multiple strategic cuts of a high-production showcase video, demonstrating Silver Age gameplay in action that perfectly captured the passion of the Flesh and Blood community. 

Such a compelling video needed an equally strong paid media strategy that would put it directly in front of the audience that would appreciate it most. That's what separates average campaigns from award-worthy ones. 

To accomplish this, we focused on reaching players in relevant regions, reminding fans who already knew the game about the new format, and putting the launch in front of new people who were actively searching for similar card games. 

This combination of paid media and strong creative gave the Silver Age launch real energy, giving players something to get excited about. Instead of simply generating views, the campaign helped players discover local game stores and take the next step into the game.

3. A clear path to action is critical for reducing friction

Once you've captured someone's attention, the experience shouldn't end there. Every interaction should naturally guide them towards the next step in their journey.

For the Silver Age launch, the strategy was designed to remove barriers at every stage of the player journey. Rather than simply promoting the launch video, targeted Google Ads guided players towards nearby game stores and reached audiences at different stages through geo-targeting, remarketing and event-based targeting. This created a seamless path for new players, from discovering the game to becoming an active part of the Flesh and Blood community. 

“It all adds up from a brand point of view, getting people really interested and wanting people to play the game.” - Matt Monk, Legend Story Studios     

Our biggest takeaway

If there’s one major takeaway from this project, it’s that high-performing marketing rarely relies on just one great idea or asset.

Marketing that stands out is a result of strategy, creative and media all working together towards a shared goal. That’s what our work with Legend Story Studios represents for us. 

And while being recognised by the YouTube-NZ Marketing Awards is something we're incredibly proud of, the real win was helping Legend Story Studios connect with more players and grow their global community.

Let’s build something worth talking about

If you're looking for a digital marketing partner that knows how to get your business noticed in the right ways, let’s talk. 

Whether you are launching a new product across the country or trying to grow your existing customer base, we'll help you reach the right audience with creative, thoughtfully-executed media strategies.

Reach out to authentic today to discuss your next campaign.

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