Sonic Fast Tracks into the Top 8% for Outdoor Advertising with Seven London Murals Celebrating 35 Years
To celebrate 35 years of Sonic the Hedgehog, Sega wanted to create an Outdoor advertising campaign that would excite long-time fans while introducing the iconic character to a new generation.
Working with hand-painted advertising specialists Global Street Art, Sega in partnership with Moor-Art gallery, commissioned seven large-scale murals across London, each created by a different artist. The campaign celebrated Sonic’s legacy while reinforcing the values that have defined the brand for decades: freedom, confidence and adventure.
The challenge was to remain true to Sonic’s instantly recognisable identity while creating artwork that could engage anyone who encountered it, regardless of whether they were existing fans. The murals needed to feel timeless, distinctive and emotionally engaging, creating memorable brand experiences in public spaces.
“For Sonic the Hedgehog’s 35th anniversary, we didn’t want to simply look back, we wanted to show why Sonic still matters today. Our ambition was to create a cultural moment that would grab people’s attention, surprise and delight them, and create an emotional connection with both lifelong fans and a new generation discovering the Blue Blur for the first time. OOH gave us the opportunity to take a character who was born on screen and bring him into the real world. Working with seven exceptional artists, Moor-Art Gallery and Global Street Art, we transformed Shoreditch into a month-long celebration that people could discover, explore and experience together. Sonic’s distinctive brand assets are some of the strongest in gaming, but we also wanted to celebrate the creativity and culture that has grown around the franchise over the past 35 years,” said Jamie Turner, Head of Brand Marketing & Partnerships Europe at Sega.
Global Street Art brought the creative vision to life through seven striking murals, transforming everyday locations into large-scale celebrations of one of gaming’s most recognisable characters.
To understand whether the campaign resonated beyond existing fans, Sega partnered with System1 to measure consumer response using its Test Your Ad Outdoor platform.
The research explored whether the murals:
By measuring emotional response, brand fluency and long-term growth potential, Sega could understand whether the campaign was creating lasting brand impact rather than simply attracting attention.
The campaign delivered exceptional results.
The murals achieved a 4.6 Star Rating on System1’s Test Your Ad Outdoor platform, placing the creative in the top 8% of Outdoor advertising for long-term brand growth potential.
The campaign also earned a 1.22 Spike Rating, placing it in the top 15% of Outdoor ads for short-term sales potential. Strong Fast Fluency meant the Sega brand and Sonic character were recognised within two seconds by the majority of consumers.
Performance remained consistently strong across men and women aged 18 to 55, demonstrating broad appeal rather than reliance on a single audience segment.
Consumer feedback revealed the campaign successfully balanced nostalgia with freshness. Many respondents spoke about childhood memories of Sonic, while others highlighted the vibrant colours, striking artwork and instantly recognisable character. Even when viewed as static images during testing, the murals captured the energy and excitement of seeing them in real life, creating positive emotional responses across generations.
“The System1 results were a fantastic validation of the creative thinking behind the campaign. We knew Sonic’s distinctive brand assets would drive fast recognition, but it was equally important that the work created an emotional response; whether that was nostalgia, happiness or simple curiosity. Seeing such strong ratings reinforced our belief that the most effective OOH creates memorable experiences that people genuinely want to share. It was equally rewarding to see fans and non-fans embracing the murals, sharing them across social media, seeing the project picked up by mainstream press, and seeing the artwork respected by the local street art community. Seeing the public response reflected so clearly in the effectiveness results confirmed we’d achieved exactly what we set out to do,” said Jamie Turner, Head of Brand Marketing & Partnerships Europe at Sega.
“I grew up on Sonic the Hedgehog so working with Sega to celebrate Sonic’s 35th birthday would have made young me incredibly happy. The response from the public has been amazing, right the way from families to hardcore gamers. The research from System1 was clear: combining distinctive brand assets with the emotional pull of a hand-painted advertising, Global Street Art-style, is something brands should aspire to if they want to have real impact,” said Lee Bofkin, CEO of Global Street Art.
"One of the joys of working with an icon like Sonic the Hedgehog is seeing the happiness the franchise still brings after 35 years. Watching people smile, reminisce, discover the murals and introduce Sonic to a new generation reminded us that the best OOH advertising doesn’t just create an emotional reaction, it creates lasting memories,” Jamie Turner, Head of Brand Marketing & Partnerships Europe at Sega."
Jamie Turner, Head of Brand Marketing & Partnerships Europe Sega
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