Campaign

I helped shape and edit a launch challenge that behaves like Diablo: short, sharp, and slightly cruel. A two-step social mechanic, a clear hashtag (#WTH), and escalating “torture” that pushed the idea beyond the feed.

I helped shape and edit a launch challenge that behaves like Diablo: short, sharp, and slightly cruel. A two-step social mechanic, a clear hashtag (#WTH), and escalating “torture” that pushed the idea beyond the feed.

I helped shape and edit a launch challenge that behaves like Diablo: short, sharp, and slightly cruel. A two-step social mechanic, a clear hashtag (#WTH), and escalating “torture” that pushed the idea beyond the feed.

Jan 2023

IT

WHAT THE HELL

View the full project on Behance

Diablo is a franchise with a cult-level relationship with its fans, and Diablo IV had the kind of hype that begs for a launch idea that feels ritualistic, not just promotional.
With WHAT THE HELL, the concept was to “summon it for real”: not by talking about the game, but by making people act a little diabolic on social media—fast, shareable, and immediately understandable. The project later received Bronze at the ADCI Awards 2023 (Studenti – Experience).

Diablo is a franchise with a cult-level relationship with its fans, and Diablo IV had the kind of hype that begs for a launch idea that feels ritualistic, not just promotional.
With WHAT THE HELL, the concept was to “summon it for real”: not by talking about the game, but by making people act a little diabolic on social media—fast, shareable, and immediately understandable. The project later received Bronze at the ADCI Awards 2023 (Studenti – Experience).

Finding the insight (and why it fits Diablo)

We started from a simple question: how do you launch Diablo IV in a way that feels like the game’s world, not like a standard promo?
The insight we leaned into is that Diablo is not “nice.” It’s a universe of temptation, provocation, and ritual. So instead of asking people to watch a campaign, we designed something that makes them do something slightly diabolical—small actions that feel playful, but also a bit cruel (in the harmless, social-challenge sense).

Turning that insight into a social mechanic

From there we shaped the campaign as a two-step challenge that anyone can copy:

  1. do something “devilish” to your GameBros (the key example is literally unplugging a friend’s console when they’re playing anything other than Diablo),

  2. film it and post it with #WTH.

The reason this structure works is clarity: the action is instantly understandable, the content is easy to recreate, and the hashtag becomes the glue that aggregates the community layer.

Writing the project (making it understandable in one sentence)

A big part of my contribution was framing and writing the project so the idea could survive outside our heads. For a challenge to scale, it needs a clean narrative:

  • what people should do,

  • why it connects to the brand,

  • what the platform dynamics are (short, proof-based videos),

  • how the idea escalates without becoming complicated.

The writing is basically the “manual” of the concept: if it reads well, it produces consistent outputs.


Editing: making the mechanic hit fast

Then I took the idea into execution through editing. With social challenges, timing is everything: if the first seconds don’t explain the mechanic, you lose the viewer. So the edit had one job—make the challenge readable immediately, then make it feel fun enough to copy.

I focused on:

  • sharp pacing (setup → action → reaction),

  • clear visual emphasis on the “rule” of the challenge,

  • rhythm that feels like a dare, not like an ad.

Beyond the feed: escalation logic

What I like about this campaign is that the “diabolic interruption” can live beyond social too. The case describes an escalation during the game presentation—turning off the main stage—using the same logic in a different context.
Same behavior, different channel: that consistency is what makes an idea feel like a real campaign.

I like this project because it proves a principle I rely on: if the idea can be explained in one sentence and executed in two steps, it has a real chance to become culture. WHAT THE HELL is a launch challenge that feels coherent with Diablo’s tone, and the ADCI Bronze is a meaningful confirmation of that direction.



Art direction / concept team: Nicola Maggi, Sofia Motta, Emanuele Parodi, Eduardo Pellegrino, Girija Ponti
Editing: Eduardo Pellegrino

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