Turning networking technology into a gaming brand with one unmistakable enemy: lag.
00 / Overview
Making a technical advantage matter to gamers.
Bigfoot Networks developed networking technology for online play. The technical story was complex; the player benefit was immediate. Agency689 helped transform the network interface card into the Killer product brand, organizing the value around less lag and greater control, then extending that idea through naming, identity, packaging, advertising, web, video, promotions, and live events.
Role Creative Director / Agency689 Inc.
Client Bigfoot Networks / Killer Networking
Services Technology Brand Strategy / Product Naming / Visual Identity / Packaging Design / Advertising / Website Design / Video / Event Creative / Illustration / Animation
01 / Assignment
The specification was technical. The frustration was universal.
The brand needed to turn a component-level advantage into an emotional proposition, make performance visible, and give gamers a reason to care about networking hardware they rarely considered.
02 / Brand Architecture and Identity
One company brand. One product brand with a sharper edge.
Bigfoot Networks represented the company and its technical ambition. Killer became the customer-facing product brand: direct, aggressive, and centered on performance.
03 / Product Naming and Packaging
Making performance visible at the shelf.
Names including Killer NIC and Killer K1, paired with packaging and sales collateral, made the products feel like purpose-built gaming equipment rather than anonymous computer components.
04 / Campaign Creative
A product benefit became a rallying cry.
“End Lag Now” turned a technical pain point into a cause players understood immediately, then expanded through hardware partnerships and protest-style gaming-conference activations.
05 / Advertising and Promotion
Speaking directly to the frustration.
Character-led print work gave lag a visible consequence. A World of Warcraft promotion carried the brand into collectible copper, silver, and gold pieces designed to feel native to the game world.
06 / Brand Outcome
A product brand with value beyond its first generation.
Bigfoot Networks was acquired by Qualcomm in 2011. Members of the original team later carried Killer into Rivet Networks, which Intel acquired in 2020. Ownership changed; the core proposition endured. The work gave a highly technical product a memorable name, a distinct position, and a gaming identity that remained relevant across companies and product generations.
07 / Client Perspective
The core proposition endured.
Agency689 helped turn a high-tech product idea into a brand that kept going.
Bob Grim / Chief Marketing Officer