Pringles - Creating Gaming's First Paid NPC Job

Intro

In a saturated snack market, transforming perception from an occasional treat to an everyday essential requires more than traditional marketing approaches. This case study explores how a beloved snack brand revolutionised its positioning by deeply embedding itself within gaming culture through a world-first campaign that created gaming's first paid NPC (non-playable character) position.

This innovative approach not only generated impressive engagement metrics but fundamentally shifted brand perception among gamers – a notoriously difficult audience to authentically connect with – while driving substantial business growth in the process.

The Challenge

The brand faced a positioning challenge – while recognised as a special occasion snack, it needed to become part of consumers' everyday consideration set. Research identified gaming as a strategic opportunity, with 71% of gamers regularly consuming snacks while playing, and the brand's unique form factor offering a less messy alternative that didn't interfere with the controller grip.

Having already begun building gaming credentials with previous character-led campaigns, the brand needed to deepen its connection to gaming culture in an authentic way that would resonate with the target audience and drive sustained brand love and sales.

Insight

The campaign launched during a particularly challenging time for young people. According to ONS research, anxiety, depression, and dissatisfaction with life among youth remained at pandemic-level highs, with economic uncertainty and "The Great Resignation" coverage contributing to a pervasive sense of insecurity about the future.

From this cultural context emerged a powerful insight: in a time of real-world job uncertainty, the brand could offer something uniquely desirable – a permanent, well-paid position in a virtual world. The campaign would create "the easiest job in the world," paying someone to exist permanently as an NPC within a video game they loved.

Strategy

The strategy focused on creating the world's first paid NPC position in a video game, allowing someone to "steal" a job from robots in an increasingly AI-dominated world. This approach:

1. Positioned the brand as an authentic participant in gaming culture rather than just an advertiser
2. Created a genuine point of connection with the target audience through shared gaming passion
3. Generated a campaign structure that would naturally stimulate user-generated content and social sharing
4. Established a permanent in-game brand presence that would continue long after the initial campaign

By offering £20,000 for someone to "do nothing but hang out in the game forever," the brand created a newsworthy, shareable proposition that would organically spread throughout gaming communities.

Execution, Solution and Innovation

The execution revolved around creating "The Most Fun Interview Process Ever":

1. Job Description: Partnering with Xbox and Dovetail Games, the brand identified Train Sim World as the perfect environment – a game with a passionate player base where a mundane job would create the perfect humorous contrast.
2. Application Process: The campaign launched through a multi-channel approach:
3. • Real-world experiential and out-of-home initiatives
   • Virtual advertisements within popular gaming titles across the Yahoo! gaming network
   • Content featuring disgruntled NPCs lamenting their unpaid positions
   • Targeted recruitment ads on social media
   • "Fake" job listings on LinkedIn
   • Influencer partnership with Train Sim enthusiast Laura Kate Dale to mobilise the community
3. Selection: After receiving numerous applications, including impressive video mock-ups and even homemade vending machines, the brand selected a winner named Mark.
4. Implementation: Mark underwent a live transformation on Twitch, becoming permanently integrated into the game as an NPC. Players could spot him stocking vending machines or see his name displayed as "Employee of the Month" on platforms throughout the game environment.

The innovation lay in creating a world-first: a paid position for a real person to exist as an NPC in a video game, blurring the lines between reality and virtual worlds while establishing a permanent brand presence within the gaming environment.

Result and Business Effect

The campaign delivered exceptional results across multiple metrics:

• Created a world-first "paid NPC job in a video game"
• Generated over 30.8 million impressions
• Captivated Twitch users who collectively dedicated 2.8 million minutes to watching the transformation
• Increased Brand Love with Gamers by six percentage points
• Delivered a significant increase in unaided brand awareness among exposed gaming audiences
• Established the brand as the snack of choice for 38% of surveyed gamers
• Drove substantial sales growth, with gaming becoming a bigger driver of brand growth than football and seasonal periods

Most importantly, the campaign successfully transformed the brand from an occasional treat to a gaming essential, creating an authentic and enduring relationship with the gaming community that continues to drive brand relevance and sales.

This innovative approach demonstrated how brands can transcend traditional advertising by creating genuine cultural integration points that deliver both immediate engagement and long-term business transformation.