OUR ADVENTURE AWAITS
Sonic the Hedgehog – one of the most well-known and well-loved video game characters – was looking for a way to better connect with their European fans. With highly praised new releases, long-awaited film sequels, no shortage of merchandising, and a highly meme-able subculture, SEGA already had their English-speaking markets locked in.
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But with so many partnerships and agencies, there was no one single entity looking after their fans abroad. And when they started putting out feelers for a partner, a recommendation from a colleague landed Words in Translation directly in Green Hill Zone.
LET’S ROCK N’ ROLL
2024 was a big year for the Sonic franchise – from the Knuckles series on Paramount+, to the IGN 9/10 Sonic x Shadow Generations, to the film Sonic the Hedgehog 3, content was ripe for localisation.
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Alongside major releases, it was important to SEGA that Sonic fans felt seen in each of these countries. This isn’t your standard promotional content. It’s memes, inside jokes, and giving the fandom what they want (another Chao Garden?).
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SEGA and WIT worked together to develop a social calendar to accommodate everything in one, building a sub-24-hour localisation process for quick turnaround announcements as well as regular content concepts local for Europe as a whole as well as each country individually. Rounded off with a designated in-market community manager who had their ear to the ground at all times, we had a super agile process that meant we could jump on trends quickly. Gotta go fast!
GOING SUPER SONIC
Over the course of working together for 9 months, the European SEGA accounts generated over 3.75 million views, with local content consistently performing at a higher engagement rate than worldwide content – all without verified accounts.
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Particularly standout was Spain, who had a good year for memes and trends:
We also wanted to thank all of you for working with us! We enjoyed meeting with everyone and exploring the fun and unique ways the team engaged with the regions’ various audiences. You all helped in extending Sonic’s reach to fans and communities across the globe!
Kenneth Washington, Community Manager, SEGA of America
