SciPlay reposted this
A few weeks ago, my 15 year old son told me “I think you’ll find this interesting" and he was right. #RyanTrahan, a famous YouTube creator, launched a series called “50 States in 50 Days” where he traveled across the U.S. to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. This resulted with a wildly engaging, community driven campaign that raised over $11.5 (!!) million for the Hospital - blending storytelling, community, and smart brand partnerships. One clever part of the format: brands that donated over $50,000 got to spin the “Wheel of Doom” assigning Ryan a quirky penalty for the day. Those donating over $100,000 could choose the penalty directly. It turned sponsors into part of the story and gave viewers a reason to keep tuning in. Staple Games jumped in early with a $100K donation and used their “penalty” slot brilliantly: they made Ryan drive in complete silence hinting that it was the ideal time to play one of their games to pass the time. They followed up with a promise to donate $1 per every install that will follow and over the few weeks of the campaign they crossed $815K in total contributions - my son was one of them and he bragged happily about helping Ryan with his mission. And the real kicker? The game went viral, conversation spread across TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, Discord and more. People weren’t just downloading the game they were actively talking about it, sharing screenshots, trying to beat Ryan's highest scores, reviewing it.. Doing everything a game developer could ask for. As downloads spiked, Staple Games didn’t stop there. They rolled out a new in-game feature: every time a player unlocked "a new state" just like Ryan was doing in real life, they donated another 5 cents to St. Jude. Staple game's "Match Collector" saw installs jump by over 700% (!!) according to Sensor Tower. This wasn’t just viral, it was thoughtful, gamified, and purpose driven. By the end of the 50 days, Ryan’s videos had racked up nearly 200 million views! And the brands that joined didn’t just gain exposure, they gained positive sentiment by letting people take part in doing good. As someone who has been in the gaming industry for a while, I find this campaign inspiring, it’s a sharp reminder that creative, fast execution -especially when anchored in purpose, can drive real impact. I love how this campaign is innovative and sets a new bar for how influencers and brands can collaborate with meaning. Campaigns like this energize me to keep pushing boundaries at SciPlay with work that doesn’t just perform, but participates. It's also a good reminder that staying curious and open to what the next generation is watching can lead to fresh ideas and new ways of thinking. #sensortower #sciplay #influencers