Monopoly’s latest campaign is a brutal reminder that it’s all fun and games––until your 8-year-old hands you an envelope that reads “final notice,” and you discover grandma is secretly embezzling cash from the bank.
Launching Oct. 9 in Canada and Oct. 24 in the U.S., “All is Fair” pays homage to the notoriously competitive spirit that has made the 87-year-old Hasbro game the most popular in the world, with over a billion players in 114 countries channeling their inner and scruples-challenged entrepreneur.
Created by The Martin Agency, the campaign’s first spot, “8-Year-Old Landlord,” introduces us to a cherub-faced little girl dressed in a power suit, menacing her “tenants” by tearing through her “property.” She fires the maintenance man (who also happens to be her dad) and serves rent increase and past due notices to everyone, from the family dog to her expectant mother. After snatching her mom’s playing card, she declares that “being an 8-year-old landlord ain’t easy.”
In “Grand Theft Nai Nai,” a sly grandmother working as a bank teller boasts that one of the perks of reaching age 75 is that “People just trust you…blindly,” as she stuffs cash from customers into her blouse and socks. The matriarch flashes a naughty grin as she reveals bills hidden beneath her shirt collar and sleeves, while her unsuspecting family continues to play the game.
The campaign will run through December via linear and streaming television, online video, mobile gaming platforms, audio and podcast integrations, digital out-of-home and paid social. Additional films and imagery will launch in the coming months.
“It’s not every day you have the honor to work on a game that has been played by Muhammad Ali, Jay-Z and everyone in between,” Alberto Orte, vp and group creative director at The Martin Agency, told Adweek. “Monopoly is a cultural icon. We landed on an emotion that is both universal and unarticulated: the transformation people undergo when playing this iconic game.”
A modern spin on a classic
Hasbro and The Martin Agency have spent the past year reintroducing the brand’s most beloved games to new audiences. In March, Hasbro launched an updated version of its classic board game, Clue, to capitalize on the surge of interest in true crime and murder mysteries.
Much like Clue, Monopoly has branched out beyond the board game to become a pop culture phenomenon, with live events, fashion licensing, digital gaming and casino games that brandish the likeness of its iconic “Mr. Monopoly” character.
While the game itself has not undergone any recent aesthetic changes, the campaign acknowledges the various reasons why players may enjoy the game.
“Our new brand positioning leverages the insight that playing Monopoly allows each of us to unapologetically enter a world of opulence and villainy that we would otherwise consider a ‘morally grey zone,’” Brian Baker, vp of Hasbro Gaming, told Adweek. “We’re ready to own that truth and embrace the ruthlessness that Monopoly unleashes in its fans.”
