The archive · Content & Film · Marketing decision · 2024
ALDI Gaming wins over anime fans with 'Into the ALDIverse', made by a Japanese studio
A gaming brand commissions a culturally faithful anime with a Japanese studio, then lets authentic community creators carry it into fan feeds.
ALDI Gaming · Accenture Song Germany
What it had to solve
ALDI Gaming wanted to connect with fans of anime and gaming, a world that shares a deep bond through iconic characters and epic storytelling. But these fans are critical: they believe anime must honor its heritage to be worthy of the name.
How it works
Anime and gaming share a deep bond through iconic characters and epic storytelling, which made that world a natural fit for ALDI Gaming to reach new fans. But the audience is critical: fans insist anime must honor its heritage to be worthy of the name, so a brand could not simply borrow the look and expect acceptance.
The creative leap was to take the culture seriously. 'Into the ALDIverse' was crafted with a renowned Japanese studio, respecting anime's craft and conventions to create what the team calls a true pop-cultural work rather than a pastiche.
The rollout then borrowed the community's own channels: authentic creators from both the anime and gaming worlds brought the content into their feeds, so it arrived as something trusted voices shared rather than an advertisement interrupting them. The work is preserved in the D&AD Awards archive as a campaign built on respect and authenticity.
Why it lands
- Anime fandom is a canon-guarding culture; a brand that fakes its style gets called out instead of welcomed.
- Commissioning a renowned Japanese studio signals respect at the level fans actually judge: the craft itself.
- Launching through authentic community creators puts the work inside feeds where it is received as content, not advertising.
- A true pop-cultural work, rather than an imitation, gives fans something to share instead of something to mock.
What it did
By handing the story to a Japanese studio and to creators those communities already trust, the campaign entered as content fans could accept rather than a brand stunt — proof, as the work itself puts it, that respect and authenticity win. The piece is preserved in the D&AD Awards archive.
What you can take
When your audience guards a culture's canon, don't parody it from outside — commission it from inside, with its own masters and its own trusted voices, and the brand enters on their terms.
Since then
The ALDIverse work was a campaign artifact rather than a permanent line, but it modeled how a non-endemic brand can enter anime and gaming culture: make the content with the culture's own masters and distribute it through its own creators. Its place in the D&AD Awards archive frames the approach as a reference for brands facing audiences that are passionate, knowledgeable, and quick to reject inauthentic entry.
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