THE 14TH ANNUAL SHORTY AWARDS

The Shorty Awards honor the best of social media and digital. View this season's finalists!

Industry

See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Auto See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Beauty See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Business to Business See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Consumer Brand See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Education See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Entertainment See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Financial Services See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Fitness, Health, & Wellness
<br>See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Food & Beverage
See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Gaming See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Government & Politics See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Hospitality See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Insurance See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Live Events See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> News & Media See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Non-Profit See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Pets & Animals See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Pharma & Healthcare See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Real Estate See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Restaurants See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Retail & E-Commerce See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Social Activism See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Sports See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Technology See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Television See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Travel & Tourism See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Wine, Beer & Spirits

Strategy & Engagement

See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Brand Partnership See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Call to Action See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Community Management See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Creative Use of Technology See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> CTV/OTT See previous winners and honorees for Insights and Trends here.</a> <a href=https://shortyawards.com/17th/"https://shortyawards.com/category/16th/data-visualization">See previous winners and honorees for Data Visualization here.</a>"> Data & Insights See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Earned Media See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Event & Experiential See previous winners and honorees here.</a>""> Gamification See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Humor See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Innovative Media Buying Strategy See previous winners and honorees here.</a>""> Integration with Traditional Media See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Internal Communications See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> LGBTQ Community Engagement See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Micro-Influencer Strategy See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Multicultural Community Engagement See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Music & Dance See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> On a Shoestring See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Organic Promotion See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Paid & Amplification See previous winner and honorees here.</a>"> Physical and Digital Convergence See previous winner and honorees here.</a>"> Public Service Announcement See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Real Time Response See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> SEO & SEM See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Social Commerce See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Storytelling

Reach Your Impossible

Entered in Brand Awareness Campaign

Objective

The Problem: A Category Stuck in the Past

Gaming laptops have always been sold the same way: power, performance, specs, and speed. The marketing playbook has been unchanged for years, talking exclusively to hardcore, competitive gamers—the ones grinding ranked matches, chasing esports glory, and demanding the most FPS possible.

But here’s the issue: that audience is limited.

Lenovo Legion was the youngest gaming brand in the world, entering the scene in 2017 and climbing to #1 globally in just a few years. But the category was overharvesting the same old audience. While competitors fought over the overharvested hardcore players, Lenovo saw a bigger opportunity.

A new wave of Gen Z gamers had emerged—ones who love gaming but don’t live for the grind. They game for fun, to de-stress, to create, to build friendships. They’re entering college, buying their first laptop, and choosing a brand they’ll likely stick with for years.

Their question isn’t just “How fast is it?” It’s “What’s in it for me?”

Lenovo Legion had to redefine gaming beyond competition. Instead of focusing on the product, we needed to focus on the gamer—what they dream about, what drives them, and how Legion could help them Reach Their Impossible.

Would they choose the brand that only talked specs and leaderboards—or the one that spoke to them?

 

Strategy

The Insight: Gen Z’s Gamer Mindset Has Changed

For years, the industry believed gaming was just about winning. But for Gen Z, gaming is a mindset—one that extends beyond the screen.

It’s about the hustle (without calling it a hustle). They’re not just playing games; they’re streaming, coding, storytelling, and building personal brands. Gaming isn’t an escape—it’s a launchpad for ambition.

Yet, no gaming brand was speaking to this. The industry kept selling performance and power, while ignoring the gamers who actually needed a laptop to do more.

Lenovo Legion saw the gap. We stopped talking specs and started talking about the gamer journey.

The Big Idea: Reach Your Impossible

Instead of selling just a gaming laptop, we sold a mission.

Reach Your Impossible became a global movement, rallying gamers around the idea that Legion was more than a machine—it was an enabler.

It wasn’t about esports domination—it was about achieving your personal best:

🏆 From gaming to streaming—turning a passion into a career
🏆 From hobbyist to creator—designing the next big game
🏆 From casual to competitive—pushing your skills to the next level

Bringing It to Life: A 360° End-to-End Strategy

1. Social-Led Brand Transformation

2. The Legion ‘O’: A Symbol of Possibility

3. E-Commerce & Retail: Bringing the Brand to Life at Every Touchpoint

4. The Beyond the Leaderboard Awards

Challenges & Overcoming Them

Results

More Than a Campaign—A Global Movement

Lenovo Legion didn’t just sell gaming laptops—it created a brand gamers believed in the world over.

📈 +13 points in brand awareness – Lenovo Legion became the most talked-about gaming brand of the year
🔥 +8 points in consideration – More Gen Z gamers put Legion on their shortlist
🎮 +3 points in preference – Legion moved from just another laptop brand to the aspirational choice

🎯 TikTok & Instagram Engagement Skyrocketed – Creator collaborations & UGC challenges drove millions of organic interactions
🎯 Retail Sales LiftReach Your Impossible messaging drove premium product preference, increasing conversion rates
🎯 Legion’s Community Became Its Biggest Asset – The campaign fueled sustained engagement across social, Discord, and streaming platforms

More importantly, Reach Your Impossible shifted the industry narrative.

No longer was Legion just about gaming performance—it was about personal ambition.

The result? A generation of gamers saw Legion as more than a laptop.

It became a badge of belonging.

Final Thoughts: The Future of Gaming Isn’t Just Playing—It’s Achieving

Gaming isn’t just about competition anymore—it’s about creation, connection, and chasing goals beyond the screen.

With Reach Your Impossible, Lenovo Legion didn’t just launch a campaign.

It defined globally what gaming tech should stand for.

And in doing so, it built a brand that Gen Z actually cares about.

Media

Entrant Company / Organization Name

Lenovo Legion