Case study · Gaming & Entertainment
The Simpsons
Trading Card Game
Heavily regulated licensed work for a globally recognized animated franchise.
The challenge:
A trading card game built on one of the most protected properties in entertainment. Every character, color and line of copy went through Fox's multi round approval, against brand rules that filled two 300+ page binders. The campaign still had to sound like The Simpsons.
The approach:
Big character art, a fixed logo lockup and a purple headline bar on every piece, so the family reads at a glance from the window to the counter. The jokes do the selling. Each in-store poster riffs on a character, inside the licensor's style.
On-site teaserSo keep your pants on.
In-store POP posters and window clingsMore fun than a...
In-store POP posters and window clingsOne system, a different character every time.
Retail postersThe voice stays on model.
Score counterProduct, not just promotion.
Booster packsPackaging inside the licensor's rules.
The outcome:
A full retail rollout, from teaser to packaging, approved through the licensor. Every piece on model, and every piece still funny.
The licensor sets the rules. The work still has to be funny.
Launching a set or a season?
Send the brief and the style guide.
I'll tell you on the first call what it takes.