PKOBank Polski
opened a new branch in... Fortnite!
Q1-Q2 2024
PLAYTIME
AVERAGE
PLAYTIME
FORTNITE MAP
VIEWS
CONTENT
VIEWS
MONTHS OF
GAMEPLAY TIME
WHEN 9 OUT OF 10 ADS TARGETING GEN Z FADE INTO THE VOID
PKO Bank Polski flipped the script by moving its branch directly into Fortnite. The result? Players themselves "queued up" to learn financial basics, spending an average of 26 minutes with the brand, a duration absolutely unattainable for traditional campaigns.
WHEN 90% OF ADS MISS THE MARK
Traditional marketing metrics paint a disturbing picture regarding the effectiveness of communication with younger audiences.
ONLY 28 OUT OF EVERY 1,000 AD IMPRESSIONS SUCCESSFULLY REACH PEOPLE AGED 13-17.
For banks, which must build trust and educate on complex financial products, this poses a unique challenge.
Together with PKO Bank Polski, we decided to make a fundamental change in our approach:
INSTEAD OF LOOKING FOR WAYS TO REACH YOUNG PEOPLE, WE WENT WHERE THEY SPEND THE MOST TIME.
The goal was no longer banking product promotion, but financial education through entertainment.
New bank branch construction
WHERE PLAYERS LITERALLY"QUEUED UP"
Strategy and creation in COLLABORATION with the client
We designed an educational gaming experience inside Fortnite, ditching conventional marketing wisdom.
Instead of controlling every single touchpoint, the team chose a path of collaboration with gaming content creators, specifically with influencer Jacob, who became not just an ambassador, but a true co-creator of the experience.
The key decision was granting influencers creative autonomy to shape an experience authentic to their communities. Instead of a rigid brief to execute, they were given the opportunity to co-create a bank that would naturally fit into the world of Fortnite.
TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION AND PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT
The project required creating a dedicated custom map in Fortnite that seamlessly integrated financial education with engaging gameplay. New Game + coordinated the full technical pipeline, from concept to in-game deployment.
BRAND SAFETY AND REAL-TIME MONITORING
New Game + ensured a multi-layered brand safety system, monitoring all interactions and community reactions in real-time, guaranteeing full compliance with the bank's core values.
PKO ROTUNDA: THE FIRST BANK BRANCH IN THE METAVERSE
THE HEART OF THE GAME: THE FUTURISTIC PKO BANK POLSKI ROTUNDA
A virtual branch where players opened their first accounts and learned financial basics from friendly NPC advisors.
Each player received their own plot of land around the Rotunda to manage according to their own strategy. Some built automated offices generating passive income, others planted orchards or ran ice cream stands. In practice, they tested various forms of investing and saving.
Players could deliver medicine to elderly residents, complete grocery runs, or participate in trickshot challenges on building rooftops.
HIDDEN TREASURES AND PKO BANK POLSKI GADGETS SCATTERED ACROSS THE MAP REWARDED CURIOSITY AND EXPLORATION
The map took on a life of its own - players expanded their bases daily, experimented with new financial strategies, and discovered that money management could be just as thrilling as traditional Fortnite gameplay.
WHEN PLAYERS BECOME BRAND AMBASSADORS
The campaign exceeded expectations within the very first days of launch.
THE FORTNITE MAP DIDN'T JUST CAPTURE ATTENTION; IT EFFECTIVELY RETAINED IT.
Players spent an average of 26 minutes exploring the virtual PKO Bank Polski branch, a radical contrast to the average watch time of traditional ads.
COMMUNITY REACTION WAS EXCEPTIONALLY POSITIVE
Instead of viewing the bank's presence as an ad invasion, players appreciated the innovative approach to financial education. Influencers (including Jacob, Matek, Bezini, Rembol, Setty, Smarte, Szaman, and others) and their communities became natural project ambassadors.
THE ORGANIC REACH PROVED TO BE AN UNEXPECTED SUCCESS - PLAYERS SPONTANEOUSLY SHARED THEIR MAP EXPERIENCES.
AN ADDITIONAL 150,000 SOCIAL MEDIA INTERACTIONS WITH ZERO EXTRA PROMOTIONAL SPEND.
WHAT DOES
HALF AN HOUR OF ATTENTION MEAN IN A 3-SECOND WORLD?
OUR CAMPAIGN SHATTERS THE MYTH
THAT FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS CANNOT AUTHENTICALLY COMMUNICATE WITH GENERATION Z.
OF VOLUNTARY, UNBROKEN ENGAGEMENT...
...with brand content is an unprecedented achievement in the era of the attention economy.
FOR CONTEXT: AVERAGE WATCH TIME OF A TIKTOK VIDEO
In a world where brands fight for mere fragments of attention, PKO Bank Polski secured nearly half an hour of focused engagement per user.
THE KEY LESSON EXTENDS BEYOND THE FINANCIAL SECTOR
Reaching Gen Z requires brands to become co-creators of value, not just broadcasters of messages. Success comes not from intrusive attention-grabbing, but from earned participation in the players' creative ecosystem.
HOW DO YOU DELIVER AUTHENTIC VALUE IN DIGITAL SPACES, WHERE YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE BEEN GATHERING FOR YEARS? PKO Bank Polski found a POWERFUL ANSWER to this seemingly simple question.
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