McCann's new campaign for Acer shows that the superhero is far from dead

You've probably heard a lot of people recently say that the superhero craze is on the wane. And in one sense, they're right. In the 2010s, Marvel utterly dominated cinema with movies like Avengers Assemble and Black Panther. But in recent years, they've seen releases such as Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, The Marvels and Madame Web take a tumble at the box office.

None of this should be surprising. The first Iron Man film came out way back in 2008, so the kids who watched that one are now the parents. And now the next generation of kids (aka Gen Alpha) has come along, who are naturally going to want something different.

But that doesn't mean superheroes are going away: there's still a huge fandom out there, even if the quality of the latest movies may fail to meet that need. And ad giant McCann is clearly alive to this. Because in its new pre-Christmas campaign for computer brand Acer's new Predator Gaming PC range, they're front and centre.

Computer features as superheroes

The twist here is that McCann has personified product features of these gaming computers as unique characters within a new superhero squad: 'Predator Force'.

The agency deployed engaging storytelling and used 2D animation to bring a superhero group called The Predator Force to life. These five characters showcase the distinctive features of Acer's Predator range while connecting with the gaming community's need for flexibility in the tech they use.

Why five? The tagline is "Every gamer has a different boss to battle", and the Acer Predator range recognises that different gamers will be excited by different features in the new computers. So, they're offering five different 'superpowers' for every gamer to represent this spread.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Predator Gaming (@predatorgaming)

Yes, it might all sound a bit naff. But the execution is pretty decent; it feels like superhero fans created and designed it and wouldn't look out of place on a comic book shelf. The copywriting hits the right notes, too. And honestly, can you think of a better way to talk computer specifications that isn't deathly boring and dull?

It also seems well targeted, given the likely crossover between superhero enthusiasts and people whose main use for a computer is to play games on it. And ultimately, will anyone get that upset about the idea of an animation made purely to sell stuff... Transformers, anyone?

Immersive narrative

Vincent Lin, associate vice president of global product marketing and planning at Acer, explains the thinking behind the campaign. "In order to connect with our gaming audience, we needed to create content that showcases our innovative range of features but in a fun and engaging way," he says. "McCann Demand helped bring that vision to life with a creative approach that captures the essence of our products while driving awareness and engagement during a key sales period."

The campaign launched across social media in time for the pre-festive season—a key sales period for the gaming industry—with a range of supporting assets, including digital banners and a comprehensive campaign playbook.

Flick Duncan, managing partner at McCann Demand, adds: "We were thrilled to collaborate with Acer on this campaign. By focusing on building an immersive narrative, we were able to successfully highlight the stand-out features of the Predator Gaming range in a way that resonates with gamers."