SAY MY NAME! In 2012, Electronic Arts was looking for a way to whip up excitement about the upcoming release of Sim City, projected to be about a year away. The game has acquired legions of die-hard fans over its twenty-year existence, and EA wanted to reach out to them and provide them with a stream of info about the new game. The challenge was that they didn't have budget set aside for premiums or a giveaway.

Given my long experience with games, I proposed that the thing long-time fans would want much more than branded T-shirts or high-end gaming rigs would be to make themselves part of the game in some way. We talked about a number of ways to do this, and EA chose the one that they could implement without delaying their release schedule.

In the new Sim City, most of the commercial buildings will have signs identifying them. So EA chose one of the building types, the diner, and had a sweepstakes. Fans could propose the name of their choice, and then the fans as a group would vote. Entrants were encouraged to get their friends to vote for their names, and multiple voting was allowed. It became quite a rollicking free for all. And since the final name was chosen by the fans, all the fans felt empowered, not just the person whose name had won.

And the winning name is....."Lazy Llama Lunch-In." Now appearing in a Sim City near you!

My role: Strategy Consultant