Eric Hirshberg claims he is about to instigate “the biggest media launch in history.”
At first glance, this might seem like a grandiose boast, but the former Deutsch L.A. chief creative is talking about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Its predecessor, Call of Duty: Black Ops, shattered entertainment sales records last November, clearing $360 million on launch day. Black Ops took in $650 million in its first five days of sales and $1 billion in less than a month.
The challenge will be topping that impressive tally for the eighth launch in a mega-franchise. Not only has game fatigue set in among consumers – one title has been launched every November since 2005 – but this time around Call of Duty has a serious competitor. Battlefield 3 launches two weeks earlier on Oct. 25, and its publisher, Electronic Arts, has already declared war on Call of Duty. Verbal shots have been fired by EA executives in the media and at gaming conferences. Even its marketing tagline is a direct challenge. Trailers and press releases claim Battlefield 3 is “Above and Beyond the Call.”
“EA is trying to latch onto the Call of Duty terminology or anything that will make that comparison or connection for consumers. It’s a valid strategy,” said Jeremy Miller, analyst at DFC Intelligence. “The effect is that both games are going to be big.”
Still, with a preexisting audience of some 30 million Call of Duty consumers, analysts generally agree that “MW3” will sell more than Battlefield 3, with core gamers likely to buy both. Miller added, “These two games are going to dominate the fall, but that means table scraps for the rest of the [competing] games.”
Black Ops not only added more than $1 billion to Activision’s bottom line, it also generated millions more in online sales with digital add-ons such as map packs. Activision, which also owns the online mega-hit game World of Warcraft, makes about 30% of its revenue via digital channels. Black Ops alone has more than 10 million Facebook fans, and “MW3” already has more than 1 million.
“MW3” adds even more social networking with the co-debut of Call of Duty Elite, an online network of players with a free version as well as a premium subscription at $50 per year. Initial skepticism of a subscription model by fans and players has given way to support, Hirshberg said.
“Call of Duty Elite is a huge new way to port the game to phone, tablet, Facebook or laptop,” said Miller said. “It will make viral marketing of the game an even easier play with people sharing and posting and basically fans marketing the game for them.”
While final ad plans leading up to launch haven’t yet been revealed, the aggressive marketing plan includes broad, mainstream partnerships with brands such as Jeep and Doritos, traditional media advertising, and doubling down on public relations, social media and events. Lead creative for Modern Warfare 3 is handled by TBWA/Chiat/Day, Los Angeles. SapientNitro is the digital agency and Omnicom’s OMD is the media shop. Tim Ellis, chief marketing officer at Activision since June, and before that, former head of marketing at Volkswagen (where he hired Deutsch), will helm the effort along with Hirshberg.
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