Activision's Call of Duty: Warzone was the most popular Battle Royale game in the world during the lockdown years of 2020-21.
But since then there have been both challenges from competitors eating into their share of the market, and an opportunity in the rising popularity of mobile gaming.
Which was why it was time to release the latest iteration of the game for smaller screens, Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile.
Our orders were simple: drive mass awareness of the game amongst gamers and send them to the app store to download it.
Our audience was casual mobile gamers and gamers who love Battle Royale games, in three markets: the UK, France, and Germany.
To introduce Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile as the best mobile First Person Shooter/ Battle Royale game we looked back to its heydays during 2020-21 and discovered two insights:
So even though Warzone was coming to mobile with loads of features to promote, we knew the real appeal was the exclusivity of the Verdansk map making a return on mobile only.
Idea
If Verdansk was a place that gamers sought refuge amidst the chaos of the times, then there was nothing better than to make it the go-to destination for all gamers in 2024. A return to a territory they were sentimental about meant we could ditch the usual gameplay showcase content, and ask creators to playfully pitch Verdansk as a real-world destination or experience. We would elicit the nostalgia that brought back the best of crazy times.
Platform
TikTok has quickly turned into the go-to platform for short-form entertainment amongst gamers, with 82% of TikTok users gaming at least once per week.
Communities
Mirroring our target audiences, we turned to two creator archetypes: Battle Royal Loyalists, those known for talking all things gaming, and Casual Gamers, creators known for other passions like comedy.
DELIVERY
We recruited 21 creators (5 in the UK, 5 in France, 11 in Germany) to make gamers homesick for Verdansk.
They were given a license to thrill and find original ways to light-heartedly convey Verdansk as ‘the go-to destination’.
Creators came up with wild ideas that ensured there was no compromise on what makes their content uniquely theirs. And as TikTok natives, it ticked all the boxes for TikTok best practices.
They used VFX and editing to bring CoD Warzone Mobile to life. They took viewers on immersive, surprising journeys. They rapped. They did vlog style videos showing gaming on the go. They poked fun at different player types and the feelings people have when playing the game. It was far from a series of typical gaming reviews and much more immersive, relatable content.
Like @samcornforth (UK) who sucked the audience in with an immersive video that imagined him and the audience dropping into Verdansk. He brought it to life in the most relatable way for gamers and especially fans.
Or @Heymoritz (DE) who made Verdansk and the other maps feel like real travel destinations as options for an upcoming holiday which he pitched to his friends with a Powerpoint presentation.
We made the most of TikTok’s ad features by amplifying the content with interactive elements including: Gesture Ads (a swipe-to-reveal more feature) and Pop-Out Showcase (a pop-up with Call-To-Action)
From 21 creators with almost 20 million combined followers, we delivered a multi-market campaign that combined the strength of ‘Battle Royale Loyalists’ and the creativity of ‘Casual Gamers’ to drive awareness and consideration for the game by playing on insights about the gamer community.
Achieved from
Further social success
Audience adulation
🗨️“Every other advert on this planet needs to up their game”
🗨️“Gives me lockdown 2020 gaming with the boys chills”
🗨️“they've actually hit the nail on the head with this ad”
🗨️”You’ve convinced me, downloading now 💪💪💪”
🗨️”I have to install this game again 😁💪🏼”
🗨️”That was cold after 🥶🥶🥶best British Advert ever?”
🗨️”The ad is one of the best I’ve seen”
🗨️”This ad is a masterclass in ads”
