THE CAMPAIGN
Gotta go fast! We teamed up with SEGA to celebrate Sonic the Hedgehog turning 35 with a series of colourful murals across East London, each designed by 7 superfan artists. The murals made up The Sonic Art Dash - a fully interactive campaign, driving visits to the murals and fan interactions both on and offline.
Project Details
Client:
SEGA
Location:
East London
Sector:
Gaming
Tagged:
'Sonic the Hedgehog: The Whale Chase' by Liza Shumska at 30 Redchurch St, East London
THE RESULTS
The campaign drove thousands of visits and fan interactions both on and offline, with an organic reach of over 660,000 and pick up in National Press. System1’s testing gave the murals a 4.6 Star Rating on their Test Your Ad Outdoor platform, placing the creative in the top 8% of Outdoor advertising for long-term brand growth potential. You can read more about the results from the System1 testing here.
“The research from System1 was clear: combining distinctive brand assets with the emotional pull of hand-painted advertising, Global Street Art-style, is something brands should aspire to if they want to have real impact.”
Lee Bofkin, Global Street Art CEO
'Sonic the Hedgehog: Sonic with the Wisps' by Bella Grace at 30 Redchurch St, East London
Our murals formed the heart of Sega’s OOH campaign for Sonic the Hedgehog at 35, with seven hand-painted murals landing across East London in June and July 2026. Each featured an original artwork created by a different Sonic superfan artist. Our team brought every design to life at scale, creating a series of striking artworks that captured the spirit of Sonic and balanced nostalgia with a fresh, innovative approach. The murals were a hit with Sonic fans of all ages - proving the enduring appeal of one of gaming’s most iconic characters.
Interactive fan experiences
SEGA really made the most of this huge anniversary, ensuring experiences for fans were at the heart of the campaign. Fans could take part in the Sonic Art Dash, a custom route developed in partnership with Strava that let you run to all seven murals across East London - in true Sonic style - transforming the campaign into a real-world adventure. The murals were designed by artists and fans of the game, each capturing a different moment from Sonic history. Fans can even take home their favourite artwork, as each piece is available to buy as a custom print from The Moor Art Gallery.
'Sonic the Hedgehog: First Loop-de-Loop' by Alex Forrest at Village Underground, East London
