ITV plc

11/23/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/23/2021 15:03

ITV Launches I’m A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! in Fortnite with John Lewis & Partners

ITV Launches I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! in Fortnite with John Lewis & Partners

As part of the brand new series of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!, ITV is launching a bespoke I'm A Celebrity experience in Fortnite Creative live today. The iconic Castle set has been recreated allowing players to take on their very own Castle Coin Challenges and camp trials throughout the series. 'The I'm A Celebrity Castle Trials' will be updated weekly throughout the course of the show with new games and content.

In a media first, John Lewis & Partners will be the castle map's integrated commercial partner, brokered by media agency MGOMD as part of the John Lewis Christmas campaign. John Lewis inspired festive games will feature in the map each week along with a branded shop where players can obtain supplies and power up Christmas lights for their virtual camp. Launching with a special preview video from leading Fortnite YouTube creator Ali-A, this exciting partnership will be supported across ITV owned channels and further commercial partner integration both in-game and more widely across I'm A Celebrity will be unveiled later in the series.

The campaign has been created by Metavision, the agency and studio bringing entertainment IP and brands to the Metaverse (as part of the ITV Group), in collaboration with Fortnite Creative team 3D Lab. It builds on ITV's strategy for the Metaverse, with the launch of an in-game version of The Void in Fortnite Creative earlier this year and a recent partnership between ITV Studios' The Voice and Metaverse platform Avakin Life.

Rhys Hancock, Co-Founder and MD, Metavision, said: "The Metaverse represents an exciting opportunity for entertainment and commercial brands to connect with the audiences of tomorrow in the spaces where they hang out and play. We're thrilled to be bringing I'm A Celebrity and John Lewis to Fortnite Creative in a genuine first campaign of its kind over the next three weeks. Working with John Lewis and their media agency MGOMD has enabled our vision for a true 360 content partnership across TV, online and the Metaverse. There's a lot more to come from this campaign, including some unexpected surprises. "

Bhavit Chandrani, Director of Creative & Digital Partnerships, ITV, said: "Bringing our IP into the Metaverse creates huge opportunities for us across our programming and also allows us to take those shows and our clients into another world where younger audiences live. This is a really exciting step to be both launching I'm A Celebrity in Fortnite and to be partnering with John Lewis to extend such an iconic media campaign into this new world."

Claire Pointon, Customer Director at John Lewis & Partners, said: "We are excited to be collaborating with ITV and Metavision on this innovative and unique campaign. Launching our Christmas story 'Unexpected Guest' into the Fortnite Metaverse will bring to life the advert in a new and original format to our customers. I'm A Celebrity is synonymous with the Christmas period and this is the perfect partnership as we celebrate the moments that lead up to Christmas, bringing more magic and escapism to the nation. Gamification and the Metaverse are growing at pace and as a brand we are constantly searching for activity that will modernise our brand and continue to keep us relevant in everyday moments for our customers. We look forward to continuing this partnership as it develops further into this new and exciting world".

Natalie Bell, CEO at MG OMD, said: "This is a hugely exciting project for the agency to be involved in, which sees us take the iconic brand of John Lewis into new territories, environments & audiences. The integrated partnership between John Lewis, MG OMD, ITV and Metavision has really enabled us to bring to life the amazing Christmas ad #unexpectedguest, via a truly cutting edge activation."

I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! airs at 9pm on ITV. Players can enter the I'm A Celebrity Castle Trials experience through Fortnite Creative by entering the code 6991-4289-2871 in the Discover tab.

This is an independently created Fortnite Creative experience and is not sponsored, endorsed, or administered by Epic Games, Inc.