Dive Brief:

• Mobile game Monopoly Go! is highlighting the social aspects of its gameplay in a star-studded global campaign, per details released by the game’s maker Scopely. 
• The campaign, the first-ever for the popular mobile game, features actors Jason Momoa, Keke Palmer and Chris Pratt as themselves and Will Ferrell as the voice of the iconic Mr. Monopoly. The quartet ventures into a town called “GoVille,” which is a blend of the real world and the Monopoly Go! gameplay universe. 
• The cross-platform campaign rollout will include more than 20 original videos including two 45-second television spots, as well as executions appearing on TV, streaming, social and digital platforms. The campaign was developed by creative agency Omelet. 

Dive Insight:

Though it launched only 18 months ago, Monopoly Go! is a wildly successful app. In its first year of release, the game had pulled in more than $3 billion in revenue, and, in perhaps the most ironic of twists, it has been turned back into an IRL board game. In the digital age, however, popularity can be fleeting. So, the companies behind the mobile game – Scopely and Hasbro – are putting some of their big money behind some big stars to keep the game on top during a noisy holiday season.

The campaign, carrying the theme “Friendship Pays,” highlights Monopoly Go!’s gameplay, introducing the celebrities as “Momoney,” “KeKe GoGo,” and “Extra Chrispy.” As they venture through the “Goville” town, they showcase how they can reap rewards together by partnering on events and other in-game features (five contestants are needed to open a Community Chest, for instance). They also demonstrate how elements of the game require friends to compete against each other, such as stealing each other’s fortunes. Throughout it all, Ferrell’s Mr. Monopoly narrates the action.

“Our new creative spots and incredibly talented cast capture the emotional rollercoaster of playing the game, where friends turn into rivals and then friends again, with just a roll of the dice,” said Jamie Berger, senior vice president of marketing for Monopoly Go! at Scopely, in a release. “And, who better to anchor the fun than the world's most beloved and eccentric mogul, voiced by the one and only Will Ferrell?”

The “Friendship Pays” concept will be the long-term strategy for the Monopoly Go! app, spanning multiple campaigns, with Ferrell reprising his role over time, according to the company.

Games advertising remains a growth area for marketers, with ad spend in games expected to grow from $8.53 billion in 2024 to $11.49 billion by 2027, per an IAB report. Meanwhile, gaming apps themselves spent $29 billion on user acquisition last year, per AppsFlyer data, representing a sizable amount of the mobile advertising market.