Here at The Invaders, we’ve been diving deep into this year’s submissions, and frankly, we’re buzzing about some of the work that didn’t take home Lions. After poring through countless entries, these four campaigns stood out as examples of gaming marketing done right, each demonstrating different approaches to authentic gaming engagement.
Husqvarna: When Lawnmowers Meet DOOM
For those unfamiliar with gaming history, DOOM holds mythical status. It’s the grandfather of modern gaming, and the phenomenon of running it on unconventional devices has become a badge of honor among engineers. Husqvarna didn’t just participate in this culture; they elevated it by releasing the first-ever multiplayer DOOM experience on a mower.
Husqvarna’s “DOOM Mowers” campaign represents everything we love about gaming marketing when it’s done with genuine understanding. Installing the legendary shooter on robotic lawnmowers wasn’t just a stunt; it was a love letter to engineering culture.
The results speak volumes: 3.8 billion reach across 135 countries, $105 million in PR value, and most importantly, 74% of young engineers expressing high interest in working for Husqvarna after seeing the campaign.
KFC: Solving Gaming’s Most Annoying Problem
KFC’s “Original Fake Games” campaign tackled one of mobile gaming’s biggest frustrations. Anyone who’s spent time on mobile knows the pain of misleading game ads that promise exciting gameplay but deliver something completely different.
Instead of simply complaining about fake ads, KFC made them real. They created four actual games based on the most notorious fake ad tropes: “The One with the Giant Pin,” “The One with the Rolling Barrels,” and so on. The campaign reached 300% above expected downloads and positioned KFC as the number one QSR with gaming audiences.
KFC Spain: Racing Through the Drive-Thru
Not to be outdone, KFC Spain collaborated with Xbox to transform real drive-thru layouts into racing tracks within Forza Horizon 5. Using satellite imagery and topographic data, they recreated the 15 most complex turns from actual KFC locations across Spain.
The campaign became the most played track in Forza Horizon 5 during its launch period, generating 72 million impressions and a staggering 700% increase in drive-thru orders. This demonstrates how gaming campaigns can drive measurable business results when executed with precision.
Nissin: The Art of Useful Uselessness
Sometimes the best gaming marketing doesn’t take itself seriously at all. Nissin’s UFOAM campaign exemplifies this perfectly. The Brazilian noodle brand created a UFO-shaped foam cushion supposedly designed to relieve headset pressure on gamers’ skulls.
The product is gloriously, intentionally useless. But that’s precisely the point. Presented in a launch video that perfectly parodies Apple’s aesthetic, complete with fictional “APHC 2.0” technology (Absorption du Poids du Headset sur le Crâne), Nissin demonstrated they understood gaming culture’s love of absurd solutions to minor problems.
The genius lies in execution: they actually 3D-printed the product and shared the design files for free. Gaming influencers like Gustavo Minerva, known for joking about his “dented skull” from marathon sessions, showcased UFOAM in livestreams that resonated across Brazil. Nissin even hosted live activations at São Paulo’s XDome Arena where visitors could test the product in “real-world” conditions.
The Pattern That Connects
What unites these campaigns isn’t their gaming platforms or creative execution, but their approach to gaming culture. Each demonstrates genuine respect for gaming communities rather than treating them as just another demographic to target.
None of these campaigns feel like traditional advertising dressed up in gaming clothes. They feel like genuine contributions to gaming culture that happen to advance business objectives.
Perhaps that’s the lesson here. The best gaming campaigns often don’t win awards because they’re harder to judge by traditional advertising criteria. They succeed by gaming culture’s own metrics: authenticity, innovation, and genuine value creation for communities.
Sometimes the real winners are the ones that make gamers forget they’re looking at marketing at all.
