Mattel’s Scrabble Trickster, the newest version of the word game, made the front pages of national newspapers and the headlines of the national and global TV news, generating over £2 million in coverage across TV, radio, online and print press in the UK alone.

Now the company is set to roll out an extensive marketing and PR campaign that will promote the game across multiple platforms including online, TV, social media and direct marketing, to maintain the brand’s profile in the run up towards the festive season.

The Game

Scrabble Original saw ten per cent growth in 2010, according to NPD. Trickster is a completely new incarnation designed for multi-generational play with a new aspect that allows players to boost their scores by playing ‘Trick’ cards enabling them to spell words backwards, steal points, use proper nouns and break many of the usual Scrabble rules. 

Marketing Support

A major 360° marketing programme to support the launch will invite consumers to interact with the brand and to personalise their play by creating their own rules. A national competition will run throughout the final quarter with the winners receiving cash prizes. The umbrella campaign will be communicated via multiple platforms including TV, online, celebrity endorsement, sampling and PR.

A dedicated website, www.tricksterscrabble.co.uk, will provide consumers with a portal to find out about the game and to enter the competition, as well as enabling them to download and print their own rule cards to personalise their play at home. The website will also feature rule submissions from high profile celebrities including TV’s Gok Wan, Dizzee Rascal and pop starlet Ellie Goulding as Scrabble continues its successful celebrity endorsement and sampling programme.

An extensive social media campaign incorporating Twitter and Facebook will drive consumers to the website, complemented by an online PR programme.

Following a high impact TV sponsorship drive with breakfast TV show GMTV (now Daybreak), Scrabble Trickster will receive heavyweight TV advertising with a dedicated ad campaign running throughout the final quarter. 

A large-scale student sampling programme will also run throughout the final quarter. Influential student ambassadors from universities across the country will promote Scrabble Trickster via sample drops, leaflet distribution and events. The campaign will also drive students to a bespoke competition on www.tricksterscrabble.co.uk

The game will also be promoted by an extensive PR campaign in the run-up to Christmas with gift guide targeting and high impact stunts.