News Corp launches new puzzle app BrainGains via Archibald Williams
News Corp has launched Brain Gains, a new puzzle app that allows their audience to unwind whilst challenging their knowledge. The launch strategy was lead by Archibald Williams, with the campaign including communications across print, digital, and social channels.
The announcement:
Tasked with creating a brand-new puzzle app brand to appeal to the entirety of the News Corp audience base and covering hundreds of puzzle types and a range of unique features; BrainGains was born.
In the day and age of Netflix and Instagram, BrainGains was developed for an audience who has become increasingly aware of mindless scrolling and is looking for a fun, relaxing way to unwind – bonus points if it benefits their well-being.
For Archibald Williams, this meant developing an entire brand identity and communications strategy hinged on the idea that time spent on BrainGains is time spent wisely. This comes backed by scientific research supporting puzzles and knowledge-based challenges as beneficial to overall brain health.
To launch, Archibald Williams developed a series of ads and comms across print, digital, and social channels, heroing little known, yet intriguingly quirky, facts covering everything from science to pop culture. The campaign, using the campaign line ‘every brain gain is a good brain gain’ is rooted in the notion that every new thing you learn makes your brain just that little bit better.
From there, Archibald Williams developed a rich, well-considered brand identity brought to life across every touchpoint of the user experience. Taking it one step further, inspired by some of the world’s favourite personalities, Archibald Williams developed a cheeky, witty, smart brand persona brought to life as Belle, BrainGains’ very own leading lady. Belle is present everywhere, from in-app congratulatory messaging to push notifications to ad headlines and email subject lines.
Every piece of communication developed, both within the app and the advertising, embodies the well-considered, smart look and feel, creating a seamlessly engaging and innately human experience across the board.
Kate Milliken, General Manager, New Consumer Growth, News Corp said: “It was a pleasure to partner with AW to bring the BrainGains brand to life. The team kept the customer front and centre of every decision. From brand creation to comms development, we received high-quality, entertaining, well-considered creative – hats off to the design and writing teams. Thanks to AW’s impressive work and management, what could have been a tricky project was enjoyable and seamless.”
Matt Gilmour, Executive Creative Director, Archibald Williams added: “We were very lucky to work with a great client team to develop and launch the BrainGains product. We had a collective vision to create a stand out brand with a unique tone of voice, and we’re keen to see how it’ll grow and connect with our audiences over time.”
Agency Team:
ECD: Matt Gilmour
Head of Design: Jason Hilzinger
Senior Planner: Kathryn Claughton
Senior Account Director: Stefanie Duhy Copywriter: Annie Bettis
Designer: Andy Reynolds
Client Team:
Director, Subscriptions: Brendan Collogan
General Manager, New Consumer Growth: Kate Milliken
Head of Brand: Zac Skulander
Consumer Marketing Manager: Rochelle Johnson
Senior Marketing Manager: Andrew Dawson
Source: Archibald Williams media release
