Playtika has launched a new ad campaign to promote their popular puzzle game, Best Fiends, with many potshots taken at competitor King and their iconic title Candy Crush.
Developed by Playtika studio Seriously, Best Fiends is a match-3 puzzle game that seeks to compete with many established titles. Their latest ad campaign features a number of creatives that take veiled potshots at competitor King and their all-powerful megahit, Candy Crush Saga. The campaign has the stated purpose of “encouraging fans to break up with their old sugar habits and meet their new crush.”
General manager of Best Fiends, Roee Azulay offered a bold comment. “We all know what it’s like to choose the wrong kid to crush on in school, they intrigue you with their sweet and sugar-y promises, but ultimately lead to heartbreak when they don’t live up to expectations. That’s why we’re encouraging everyone to ditch your old sugar habits and meet your NEW crush in 2023 - our own little Best Fiends, who unexpectedly win our true love when you nurture them, and get to know their unique personalities and thirst for adventure.”
“Meet your new crush”
The new campaign may be cold comfort to the former employees of Seriously, after the studio was shut down late last year. However, it does represent a bold new move by Playtika to take on what has been up until now the de facto biggest puzzle game on the market. Playtika recently announced it was halting development of new games and instead concentrating on those already in development and in their catalogue.
VP of marketing at Playtika Lauren Keren commented. “We strive for creative excellence in our campaigns for all of our games at Playtika, but especially Best Fiends being the rising star that it is. We know Best Fiends is a challenger in the puzzle game category, and we’re embracing that. We’re proud to be the industry’s bold underdog and strategically take on the competition through our one-of-a-kind brand challenger campaign. It's time for everybody to ‘Meet Their New Crush’ and play Best Fiends.”
This new move indicates that Playtika is seeking to elevate the successful Best Fiends franchise into a real blockbuster, a move that follows major shakeups in both leadership and regular employees after rounds of layoffs. Key hires in human resources and communication will be vital to restoring confidence in Playtika, and in refreshing the company’s outward image to the broader public.
