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Brawl Stars’ Buffies Campaign: Key Findings
Campaign Snapshot
Supercell’s latest Brawl Stars campaign flips nostalgic toy adverts on their head by leaning all the way into outrageous physical mayhem.
Directed by Bine Bach through Bacon Production, the long-form live-action spot nods to old-school toy commercials.
It then erupts into cartoonish hurt and chaos, mirroring the new “Buffies” power-ups now available in the game.
Instead of gently giving nostalgic cues, viewers get ecstatic visual gags like fake popped eyeballs and exaggerated nostril damage.
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Bacon Production COO and Executive Producer Samuel Cantor said the collaboration with Supercell was unusually open creatively.
“As a client, the Supercell team is deeply involved in their own products while they also dare to take creative risks,” he said.
According to Cantor, the idea Supercell brought to the table was already mature.
The two teams then developed it further through constant back-and-forth, keeping strong creative input alive throughout production.
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Bach echoed this sentiment about the freedom on set.
“It’s a dream to be allowed to go as wild in a commercial as we’ve done here,” she said.
The director acknowledged that many clients might shy away from overtly brutal imagery involving teens.
But she credited Supercell’s deep understanding of its audience for approaching it as a non-issue.
What Happens in the Spot
The ad starts all cute and VHS-like, mimicking ’90s toy ads with kids excitedly showcasing pet-like items.
Those items quickly morph into Buffies, physical stand-ins for new in-game power-ups that behave anything but friendly.
What begins as kitschy charm devolves into absurd violence that plays with the language of toy advertising, all while undercutting it with relentless visual gags.
Ultimately, the reveal reframes the chaos as an in-game universe feature, tying everything the viewer witnesses back to the product.
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The creative choice here shows Supercell’s willingness to push against conventional mobile gaming campaigns, using humor and shock value to be different.
This unconventional approach also highlights how creative freedom can create memorable ad moments when aligned with a brand’s understanding of its core users.
What We Can Learn From Supercell’s Brutal Brawl Spot
For marketers, Supercell’s play here offers a case study in how to harness the power of nostalgia and audacious creative risks to get attention.
- Nostalgia can be subverted to create standout attention when tied to clear product signals.
- Giving directors creative room and trusting their instincts can yield buzzworthy moments.
- Ads that reflect tone and humor familiar to a target audience can enhance impact without diluting brand identity.
Overall, Supercell’s performance shows why it can afford to take these swings.
Its portfolio of mobile hits collectively delivered nearly $3 billion in revenue in 2024, a record year for the company.
Our Take: What Justifies Going This Far?
I’ve always believed the ads that stick are the ones that don’t play it safe.
This spot reminds me of the feral joy in subverting expectations: it takes a familiar form and kicks it in the teeth.
This time, quite literally.
When a brand knows its crowd, as Supercell does with Brawl Stars players, letting a director lean into the weirdness can pay off in sheer buzz.
This campaign proves that uncomfortable humor can pay off. Just make sure it's what your target audience would laugh about.
In other Supercell news, the gaming giant recently turned a major game update into a real-world castle experience.
When imagination meets intent, brands build universes. These top marketing partners craft strategies that inspire audiences to join the story.
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