---
title: "17th Shorty Awards: SlayPals Gold Honor in Gaming"
url: https://stacklist.com/card/c8efa4e6-6122-41bb-9326-389efa94a9f0
source_url: "https://shortyawards.com/17th/slaypals"
stack: https://stacklist.com/c/business/stack/fa6d8bca-357c-476c-9ff5-cf91f01ffc2e
summary: "SlayPals Gold Honor in Gaming from the 17th Annual Shorty Awards celebrates a campaign that transformed Diablo IV mercenaries into nostalgic '80s and '90s-inspired cultural icons to break the game into mainstream culture without paid media. The strategy leveraged organic engagement and childhood nostalgia to energize both loyal fans and lapsed players by reimagining gameplay allies as twisted companion toy throwbacks."
tags: "gaming, nostalgia-marketing, diablo-iv, social-media, brand-campaign, influencer-strategy"
key_entities: "17th Annual Shorty Awards (event), Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred (technology), SlayPals (concept), Shorty Awards (organization), organic-marketing (concept), nostalgia-marketing (concept)"
classification: "analysis"
content_hash: "sha256:4acf257e50f943d9e7524f703a5511bc2711c5316d5cb1ab4314fa0c5a026a42"
acp_version: "0.2"
token_counts_approximate: 2339
visibility: public
agent_accessible: true
status: "final"
---

# 17th Shorty Awards: SlayPals Gold Honor in Gaming

THE 14TH ANNUAL SHORTY AWARDS The Shorty Awards honor the best of social media and digital. View this season's finalists! Campaign Brand Awareness Campaign Foreign Language Campaign Global Campaign Integrated Campaign Launch Campaign Local Campaign Multi-Platform Campaign Multicultural Campaign Rebrand Campaign Social Good Campaign Content and Media Blog & Micro-blog Brand Voice Branded Content Branded Series Contest or Promotion Copywriting Email & Newsletter Episodic Meme, GIF, & Emojis Micro-Site Single Post or Activation Use of Viral Content User-Generated Content Creator & Influencer Partnerships Instagram Partnership Multi-Platform Partnership Other Platform Partnership TikTok Partnership YouTube Partnership Design Animation Art Direction Audio & Music Brand Identity Brand Redesign Generative AI Graphic Art Images Website/App Industry Auto Business to Business Consumer Brand Education Entertainment Fashion & Beauty Financial Services Fitness, Health, & Wellness Food & Beverage Gaming Government & Politics Hospitality Insurance Live Events News & Media Non-Profit Pets & Animals Pharma & Healthcare Real Estate Restaurants Retail & E-Commerce Social Activism Sports Technology Television Travel & Tourism Wine, Beer & Spirits Overall Presence Meta Presence Multi-Platform Presence Other Platform Presence TikTok Presence YouTube Presence Platforms & Technology Artificial Intelligence Extended Reality Immersive Instagram Interactive Content Other Platform TikTok YouTube Podcast Art & Culture Podcast Branded Podcast Business Podcast Health & Wellness Podcast Lifestyle & Entertainment Podcast News & Politics Podcast Other Podcast Genres Podcast Mini Series Sports Podcast Technology and Education Podcast True Crime & Documentary Podcast Strategy & Engagement Brand Partnership Call to Action Community Engagement Creative Use of Technology CTV/OTT Data & Insights Earned Media Event & Experiential Gamification GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) Humor Innovative Media Buying Strategy Integration with Traditional Media Internal Communications Micro-Influencer Strategy Music & Dance On a Shoestring Organic Promotion Paid & Amplification Physical and Digital Convergence Public Service Announcement Real Time Response SEO & SEM Social Commerce Storytelling Video Comedy Video Documentary Featurette or Behind The Scenes Video Instructional Video Live Video Long Form Video Medium-Length Video Music Video Product Feature Video Short Form Video Vertical Video Video Ad Video Series Menu Register Login From the 17th Annual Shorty Awards SlayPals Gold Honor in Gaming Entered in Art Direction Objectives The goal: break Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred and its new mercenary characters out of the gaming echo chamber and into mainstream culture. With no paid media support, the campaign needed to capture attention organically, energizing both core die-hard fans and lapsed players who had drifted from the franchise. Diablo ’s audience spans decades, many loyal since the ‘90s. We recognized that nostalgia hits differently for this crowd. Instead of traditional gameplay trailers, the objective was to remind players why they fell in love with Diablo in the first place by blending brutal gameplay with a wink toward childhood memories. The campaign aimed to turn mercenaries (key gameplay allies) into cultural icons by reimagining them as “SlayPals,” twisted throwbacks to beloved '80s and '90s companion toys. This approach would unlock new cultural relevance for Diablo , ignite widespread player engagement, and generate buzz without a single dollar spent on paid media.   Strategy and Execution We cracked open the cultural vault of ‘80s and ‘90s nostalgia and dragged out something twisted. Mercenaries—essential for solo players in Diablo IV —transformed into SlayPals , disturbingly demented dolls that mirrored the cheery companion toys of childhood, now dripping with blood-soaked Diablo flair. The campaign leaned into dark humor, turning the brutal grind of demon-slaying into a shared experience players craved. To set the tone, we crafted a pitch-perfect commercial parody, complete with a diabolical earworm jingle designed to live rent-free in players’ heads. The spot didn’t just showcase the mercenaries—it made them characters fans could obsess over. The jingle’s catchiness encouraged fans to submit their own “Sing-Along” gameplay highlight reels, inviting participation rather than just consumption. On October 15, the campaign blitzed Diablo ’s social channels—directly leveraging its existing fanbase across YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and Facebook. Without paid media support, the strategy hinged on shareability. Influencers and fans alike latched onto the content organically, proving that culturally resonant creative could cut through the noise without a media budget. A strategic drop of exclusive “SlayPals” merchandise at the Blizzard Gear Store on October 17 provided another key engagement driver. As Diablo’s first Capsule Collection designed for a specific campaign rather than the game itself, the t-shirts became must-have items. Social channels lit up with fans asking how to get their hands on SlayPals. We rolled out additional social content featuring SlayPals across Diablo’s channels. No filler posts—each drop drove interaction, kept conversations alive, and deepened fans' connection to the mercenaries. The campaign encouraged fans to share, discuss, and showcase their own mercenary-fueled victories. This strategy worked because it made Diablo a cultural conversation, blending nostalgic fun with the franchise’s signature darkness, and building community along the way. Results The SlayPals campaign carved out a cultural moment, driving over 800,000 impressions across all social platforms. On YouTube alone, engagement rates spiked to 11%, shattering channel benchmarks and proving the campaign’s organic appeal. But the real victory lay in the community’s response. Fans flooded comment sections with demands for their own SlayPals, transforming what began as a marketing concept into a coveted collectible. The exclusive Capsule Collection t-shirts sold through the Blizzard Gear Store became instant conversation starters, linking gameplay with real-world brand interaction. Utilizing a social-first strategy, the campaign positioned Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred as a cultural event. SlayPals not only reenergized core players but also pulled back lapsed fans who recognized the nostalgic wink. No paid media. No traditional promotional crutches. Just a sharp concept, cultural fluency, and execution that proved Hell is, indeed, more fun together. Media Share this entry Entrant Company / Organization Name The Many, Diablo Link https://accounts19190.wixstudio.com/slaypals Entry Credits Euni Moon Lee Marketing Director at Diablo Krystha Dart Marketing Manager at Diablo Pat Coyle Marketing Manager at Diablo Melissa Andres Marketing Manager at Diablo Daniela Rodriguez Marketing Director at Diablo Kevin Carmona Marketing Manager at Diablo Nick Jones Liang PR Director at Diablo Rachel Siteman Marketing Director at Diablo Josh Paialii Head of Creative at The Many Aimee Brodbeck Creative Director at The Many Nate Totten Creative Director at The Many Mint Li Designer at The Many Mia Bawale Designer at The Many Matthew Moraski Photographer at The Many Ayanna Hart Head of Production at The Many Production at The Many Studios Liz Corsini Executive Producer at The Many Studios Erin Sullivan Executive Producer at The Many Studios Production at 1stAveMachine David Ebert Director at 1stAveMachine Peter Sestina Line Producer at 1stAveMachine Zach Jopling Director of Photography at 1stAveMachine Production at STOOPID BUDDIES STOODIOS Jenny Hogan Head of Design at STOOPID BUDDIES STOODIOS Julia Rosner Wardrobe at STOOPID BUDDIES STOODIOS Oliver Chapan Casting at STOOPID BUDDIES STOODIOS Oliver Chapan Production Designer at STOOPID BUDDIES STOODIOS Josh Mahan Art Director at STOOPID BUDDIES STOODIOS Josh Mahan Character Design at STOOPID BUDDIES STOODIOS Josh Mahan Prop Master at STOOPID BUDDIES STOODIOS Stephanie James Prop Master at STOOPID BUDDIES STOODIOS Leigh Kelly Executive Producer at STOOPID BUDDIES STOODIOS Kelly Cassinerio Production Manager at STOOPID BUDDIES STOODIOS Post Production / VFX at Jogger NY Alicia Cargile Executive Producer at Jogger NY Diana Cheng Head of Production at Jogger NY Josh Kirschenbaum Flame Lead at Jogger NY Cameron Leventen Producer at Jogger NY Adolfo Martinelli Colourist at Jogger NY Editorial at Cut+Run US Sean Stender Editor at Cut+Run US KC Cory Edit Assistant at Cut+Run US Amburr Farls Managing Director at Cut+Run US Amburr Farls Executive Producer at Cut+Run US Brady Fiero Head of Production at Cut+Run US Ellie Ware Producer at Cut+Run US Music / Sound at Mophonics Shelley Altman Executive Producer at Mophonics Jorge Ramirez Escudero Composer at Mophonics Stephan Altman Arranger at Mophonics Stephan Altman Sound Designer at Mophonics Share this entry Share this Shorty Awards page  Tweet  Share  Email Share link