Case Study | Build Smarter Challenge

TDB Play × Schneider Electric

Build Smarter
Challenge

Repositioning a complex industrial brand for Gen Z by turning factory design into a competitive Minecraft experience.

THE CHALLENGE

Industrial and energy brands operate at the forefront of innovation, yet remain culturally distant from younger audiences. For Gen Z, companies like Schneider Electric are often perceived as complex, corporate, and disconnected from their interests and career aspirations.

At the same time, the competition for young talent is increasing, while traditional employer branding struggles to capture attention in a landscape dominated by interactive content and gaming ecosystems.

The challenge was not just to generate awareness, but to position Schneider Electric as a relevant and forward-thinking employer within a culture that does not engage with traditional communication.

INSIGHT

Gen Z engages with complexity through interaction, not explanation. Systems, logic, and problem-solving become accessible when experienced through play rather than presented as information.

Minecraft, as a sandbox environment built around creation and experimentation, naturally mirrors the principles of engineering and construction. It provides a space where building systems, optimizing processes, and solving challenges are already intuitive behaviors.

Strategy

Bridging the gap between Heavy Industry and the Minecraft community.

We shifted the brand from passive visibility to active participation by embedding its core logic directly into a gaming environment. Instead of communicating industrial complexity through explanation, we translated it into a competitive system that Gen Z already understands-play.

The strategy was to use Minecraft not as a media channel, but as a behavioral framework, where problem-solving, construction, and optimization naturally reflect the thinking behind real-world engineering roles.

This allowed the brand to exist inside the experience, rather than around it, creating relevance through action instead of messaging.

Execution

We got our mining gear on and dug up a diamond launching the First Minecraft Factory-Building Competition in Bulgaria.

Campaign Mechanic

The Build Smarter Challenge was designed as a structured gaming-native experience, where players moved from open entry to competitive selection, and finally to a live, high-stakes finale. Participants submitted their own Minecraft creations to enter, with the top ten selected to advance into the core challenge.

Those selected gained access to a dedicated server and one week to design and build fully functional “smart factories” using the Create mod—transforming Minecraft into a system-driven, industrial sandbox. The process demanded creativity, optimization, and technical thinking, mirroring real-world engineering logic in an accessible format.

The campaign culminated in a live-streamed final, where each participant presented their factory to both hosts and audience. Projects were evaluated across originality, aesthetics, and productivity, while viewers actively participated through real-time voting.

CHANNELS

Influencer Channels

Strategic reach through core gaming influencers and native community activation.

Landing page

An optimized conversion portal designed for seamless campaign participation.

Minecraft server

Custom industrial sandbox environment built for technical engineering challenges.

Livestream

High-production broadcast execution for the live competitive finale.

SERVICES

We combined our agency thinking with in-house studio production to design, execute, and deliver a fully integrated gaming campaign from concept to live broadcast.

Planning & Strategy

Campaign Strategy & Concept Development / Format Design (Gaming Activation) / Audience & Channel Planning

Production

Content Creation / Livestream Production / Event Production & Broadcast Execution

Talent & Community

Talent Sourcing & Management / Community Management

Digital & Technical

Campaign Landing Page (UX/UI & Web Design) / Technical Setup (Minecraft Server & Mods)

Engagement & Mechanics

Audience Engagement Mechanics (Voting, Participation)

TALENT

To ensure credibility at every touchpoint, we partnered with the two leading Minecraft-focused creators in Bulgaria, not just general gaming influencers.

Gothika_47 and HeavenBul were selected specifically for their deep expertise within the Minecraft ecosystem and their strong connection to its community.

This allowed them to intuitively understand the concept and translate it into content with a natural flow, executing the campaign idea seamlessly while maintaining authenticity and relevance for a predominantly Gen Z and Gen Alpha audience.

Heavenbul

Gothika_47

Results | Build Smarter Challenge

Results

We natively integrated Schneider Electric into gaming culture, reaching thousands of Bulgarians.

The Build Smarter Challenge positioned Schneider Electric as more than just a sponsor, but as a brand associated with creativity, problem-solving, and innovation.

By translating industrial thinking into a hands-on gaming experience, the campaign introduced the mindset behind engineering roles in a way that felt relevant and engaging for a Gen Z audience.

Total Campaign Impressions 720,983

Total Campaign Reach 140,321

11,472 Total Livestream Views

580 Max Concurrent Views

228 Audience Voting Submissions

1,483.86* Estimated Hours of Content Consumed

* Calculation methodology: Derived using total stream duration & average viewership.

Schneider

“

The campaign acheived good visibility among young people with interests in technology, both for Schneider as a brand and for smart factories as a concept. We believe that by doing this we are truly encouraging the choice of a career path in a technological environment and in a clear and direct way we are showing opportunities that are a business reality in Bulgaria, but often remain underappreciated by young audiences.