THE 14TH ANNUAL SHORTY AWARDS

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Call of Duty x The Boys

Entered in Brand Partnership

Objective

Reach fans of The Boys (TV Series) and Call of Duty (Video Game Franchise) across social media by creating a moment bigger than either individual franchise — driving players in-game to play as their favorite satirical supes.

Strategy

Call of Duty and The Boys stand out as mature-rated entertainment with a taste for action and explosive excitement. Our strategy saw us playing at the eye-catching intersection between these properties — acknowledging fan favorite themes of both properties and demonstrating the power of what happens when these worlds collide.

Before the partnership was announced, a small piece of graffiti was shown for a few frames in a new Call of Duty trailer which debuted at Summer Game Fest, a popular game industry showcase. More than a few players spotted it, and the hype for this partnership continued to grow as we fueled excitement with even more creative built exclusively though in-game capture and paired with The Boys’ infamous irreverent tone. 

In one piece, Homelander causes chaos, as a booming radio voice tells you to consider Supe Insurance. In another, he takes the day off in Call of Duty’s Warzone playspace and watches TV while helicopters crash just outside his window. 

Another asset, “There’s a Laser for That”, showcases an exclusive game mode that allowed players to inject Temp V, a field upgrade for gaining powerful in-game abilities based on the show. 

And in partnership with both Activision and Amazon Studios, we helped create an in-world  “press conference” with the show’s silent killer Black Noir that dazzled on social. 

In-platform, we deployed GIFs and memes that combined fan-favorite moments from the show with fun, relatable Call of Duty insights.

Results

At a glance, you’d think we’d injected our channels with Compound V — excited The Boys fans, engaged COD players, and videos going viral across platforms.

Players and fans loved it. With over 125 million impressions on social, and 3.4 million engagements, this work was super powered.

Media

Video for Call of Duty x The Boys

Entrant Company / Organization Name

Mutiny, A Trailer Park Group Company, Activision

Links

Entry Credits