VR Marketing & Publisher Manager of Wallace & Gromit’s First VR experience
WALLACE & GROMIT IN THE GRAND GETAWAY by AARDMAN, ATLAS V & ASTREA (2023)
The Grand Getaway is an interactive, narrative-led VR experience for the Meta Quest which will take fans on a brand-new adventure with much-loved characters Wallace and Gromit. It includes Jamtastic! a mixed reality game that calls on YOU (and your room) to test Wallace’s latest ‘jam to toast’ delivery contraption, in an experience that is part shooting gallery and part joyful mess maker!
As part of Astrea (immersive publisher and distributor) and working with award-winning co-producers Aardman and Atlas V, I was in charge of the publishing and marketing strategy of Wallace & Gromit in The Grand Getaway (VR) and Jamtastic! (MR) for Meta Quest . The experience was released on December 7, 2023, and has reached more than 130 positive reviews (4.1 / 5 Stars) in the official Quest Store.
Some tasks and milestones performed while taking care of Wallace & Gromit in The Grand Getaway publishing strategy include:
- Internal:
- Organizing and crafting the strategy’s presentation through all the project phases.
- Maintaining regular meetings with Aardman and Atlas V as co-producers, and internal strategy meetings with Astrea.
- Adapting the strategies to new dates or changes in production or budget.
- Manage the product marketing budget effectively, ensuring all activity is agreed and within budget, while maximising delivery and impact on all expenditure to meet ROI.
- Work hand in hand with the Head of Production to allign all communication milestones and marketing materials.
- External:
- Work closely with external media and marketing agencies to represent the experience and the publisher in internal and external meetings and provide pertinent briefings and information.
- Regular communication with Meta and external partners for deliverables and new opportunities management.
Some tasks and milestones while taking care of the marketing and launch include:
- General:
- Drive the planning, communication and execution of global marketing campaign, translating the brand strategy and creative into effective, measurable marcomms across paid, earned and owned channels.
- Develop and maintain productive working relationships with all internal teams to ensure fully aligned execution of the marketing strategy actions.
- Events & Awards
- Future Games Show Spring 2023 – VR Showcase submission and management to delvier the first teaser of the experience, which resulted in 260 K views on Youtube Channels and more than 40 pieces of coverage.
- Venice Immersive: attended the Venice Immersive Festival for the experience’s premiere, connecting it with some specialized media outlets (UploadVR, XRMust, Kent Bye).
- Meta Connect: supported the materials and press notes for the announcement of Jamtastic! the mixed reality feature that was going to be included with the VR one.
- UploadVR Winter Showcase 2023: submission and materials management to be featured at the Showcase with the release date announcement trailer.
- PR:
- Crafting the press notes and blog posts for all the phases of the project (teaser reveal, Venice World Premiere, Meta Connect feature, Trailers Reveal, Launch, Patch Update) and Press Kit creation and management.
- Upon release coordinate with Influencers Agency for sponsored content with creators SoulFox Gaming, GingasVR and Justin Wiev)
- Support on answering and managing the reviews at the Meta Official store.
- Social Media and Content Creation: created all the experience social media posts strartegy and curated Linkedin, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook accounts, including copy and image, gif or video creation for Wallace & Gromit in the Grand Getaway and Jamtastic! (except for trailers and some specific images that were created by collaborators in a first phase of the project) distributed on Astrea’s social media.
- Report and Monitoring: regular analyzing and monitoring of actions and decitions through all the phases of the project and recap for a post-mortem learnings and results report for partners.
Being part of the publishing efforts and marketing strategy of Wallace & Gromit in The Grand Getaway with the rest of the Astrea team was both an exhilarating and enriching experience. The opportunity to work on a project that blends storytelling with a beloved IP and characters was incredibly rewarding. Our strategy hinged on engaging the franchise’s dedicated fan base while also reaching the VR audiences.
The collaboration within the Astrea team, fueled by creativity and a shared passion for the project, drove our success. Witnessing the positive reception from fans and critics alike was a gratifying reminder of the collective impact and challenges of bringing a new type of entertainment experience, part game, part narrative to the Meta Quest Official store, and makes it a memorable chapter in my professional journey.
