Chess.com - Play Literally Anyone
This campaign was one of two I developed for Chess.com’s first planned foray into paid media. Both were original concepts I created and led from strategy to execution planning. While neither moved into production due to company-wide financial shifts, the groundwork for this campaign was fully built and ready to launch.
The challenge: Engage men 14–29 seeking new hobbies by turning chess into a social spectacle.
Case study
Core Idea:
Everyone knows someone on Chess.com. (yes, even you.)
Let's employ hyperbolic language to emphasize that we even have celebrities, providing undeniable social proof.
slam dunk for short and long form
as scavenger hunt or festival pop-up
We're leaning into:
→ FOMO: Are you really going to be the one not a part of things?
→ Exclusivity: Moments that feel rare, but are cheap to scale.
→ Accessibility: Real people, real games, low friction.
Guerilla Marketing
The idea:
NYC.
$1 to play a hidden celebrity inside a tent.
They enter a tent, sit at a computer
with Chess.com, and are left alone
in their confusion.
They don't know they just played
<YOUR FAV CELEB HERE> until
they're done.
easy viral
content
why this works:
FEASIBLY
Scaleable
Cheap
Setup
(tent, one staffer, remote celeb)
NYC OOH
Ad aims to emphasize social proof, accessibility, and FOMO through playful hypotheticals.
It's a reference to the famous Dwayne Johnson 90s pic. If you haven't seen it, I'm sorry for you.
Obviously, we don't have tabs on every single celebrity with an account unless they reached out. We're certain about this many.
Streamer Collabs
Get streamers to play chess against their fans.
If they lose, we gift 5 premium memberships.
We get good will. They get good content.
Mock thumbnail for Ludwig
Prospective streamers we'd work with
(and have already in the past)
Sapnap (4.5M)
Pokimane (9.4M)
.avif)
Ludwig (6.6M)
Faye Webster 2025
underdressed at the symphony
Live on-stage blitz matches with fans during her shows.
Tour Sponsorship
why Faye?
Audience
Fit
Thoughtful, introspective youth
Cultural
bridge
Chess and her music
become mentally connected.
No one's
Scrolling
Everyone's watching, and
looks up to her.
Greenlit by: VP Marketing, Dir of Audience Engagement.
Stopped before production start due to financial shifts.