Hostile Takeover

By AKQA, New York, USA

For Activision Brand Call of Duty

Highly Commended in category Digital

WPPED Cream
WPPED Cream
WPPED Cream
Project Description
Call of Duty was gearing up to announce their latest instalment and new sub-franchise, Infinite Warfare. Our job was two-fold: 1) get fans excited about the announcement, and get them speculating as to what the new game could be about, and 2) as this game narrative was a return to classic good versus evil on a global scale, we needed to unpack the story narrative for our millions of fans and unite them against a common enemy.
Insight: the most engaged Call of Duty social network isn't Facebook, Twitter, or Snapchat. It's the game itself – played by millions each day, for hours each day. In this case, we went after the millions of players still playing Call of Duty's previous title, Black Ops III.
Meanwhile, Facebook Messenger was emerging as a dominant social platform. Call of Duty had not yet opened up their own Messenger platform, and so we saw an opportunity to tap into the 24M+ Facebook fans and let them form a direct, personal, 1:1 relationship with the new game.
Agency Solution
In the first-ever integration of Facebook Messenger and a game, Call of Duty's newest title, Infinite Warfare, invaded Call of Duty's previous title, Black Ops III. Across a three-day digital, social, and in-game event, the enemies of the new game took over Black Ops III's most popular multiplayer map, and all of Call of Duty's social channels [24M+ fans on Facebook, 5M+ followers on Instagram]. Fans were then sent to Facebook Messenger where they engaged directly with the new game's hero, receiving instructions on how to fight back. Utilizing cutting-edge AI, fans formed a direct relationship with Infinite Warfare's main character, with the right question unveiling hints about the new game's narrative and some pop culture Easter eggs. Working with other fans across Reddit, Twitter, and Facebook, millions scoured the game and the web for a 12-digit code. Their reward? A first look at the worldwide reveal trailer.
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