AEWonTNT: BECOME A WRESTLER GAME | UNIQUE GAMIFIED INSTAGRAM EXPERIENCE

PREMISE:

At the beginning of 2020, WarnerMedia reached out to STN Digital for some social stunt ideation for AEWonTNT. Since their fanbase was such a highly engaged one, they were looking for something that was unique, creative and potentially “gamified” their fans’ social media experience - all while following along with the show’s storylines.

I lead the charge on this pitch, and ended up conceptualizing the “Become a Wrestler Game” - a “choose-your-own-adventure” style social media experience on Instagram. This game (available below) gave fans different paths to go down and engage with AEW wrestlers. Instagram carousel posts were used on one-off Instagram accounts - all connected via Instagram's native user-tagging features. Fans were able to swipe through each account and choose their next action by going to the tagged Instagram account on each carousel card. At the end of certain paths, you won by “becoming a wrestler”, lost by getting “knocked out”, or even joining the show’s cult-like group “The Dark Order.”

I personally handled a considerable amount of the execution as well - from creating the additional Instagram accounts, writing the scripts for the AEW talent, and handling video editing and graphics for each “choice” carousel card. I’ve always loved unique and experiential social - and it was an absolute pleasure to create this truly out-of-the-box experience.

RESULTS:

Upon launch day (2/28/20), the original IG post beat average February performance with more than 67,000 total engagements and over 3,000 total saves. The AEWonTNT IG handle also saw a one-day increase of followers by over 2,400 (nearly double the monthly average!). Fans even created Reddit threads and YouTube videos discussing and playing the game!