By Jeremy Nedelka 06/02/08 Building Buzz Among Gamers
The launch of a new game in a popular franchise like‚ Activision's Call of Duty for Xbox Live‚ creates a fever of anticipation within the gaming community. Players predict new features on message boards, create blogs counting down to the game's release and often wait hours (or days) outside stores on the launch date.
Rather than leave fans in the dark about what the game would look like, Activision chose to engage its player base prior to the release of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. The company launched the website www.CharlieOscarDelta.com (based on the military's call letters) to reach out to players. "We wanted to become a destination for our customers," says Tabitha Hayes, Senior Global Brand Manager for the Call of Duty franchise at Activision. "We own the site CharlieOscarDelta.com, so we can offer exclusive first-looks, and we own the messaging since we're the publishers."
Activision recruited members for Charlie Oscar Delta with a 60 second trailer for COD4 during last year's NFL draft, advertising in magazines and partnerships with gaming stores. More than 500,000 people registered on the site in the first three months, gaining access to exclusive merchandise, game previews and a social network structure to interact with other fans of the game. Participation earns points toward monthly prizes, and even after the game launched late last year, membership has grown and users are still interacting.
"The site continues to grow because we didn't abandon it after the game came out," Hayes says. "It's still interactive and we keep the information fresh, breaking exclusives on the site before people read about them in the press." She says it's hard to pinpoint how much Charlie Oscar Delta affected sales because marketing campaigns are so integrated today, but the company believes it increased engagement, loyalty and purchase intent. "We certainly see the interaction of membership and participation, and we're happy to be the hub of information for our gamers."
One aspect from the game mirrored on the site is the use of 'clans' or groups of gamers who regularly play together on Xbox Live. Clans from COD4 can create a presence on Charlie Oscar Delta and keep group members updated on in-game activities. That kind of interactivity will continue as updates for the game are released, and eventually‚ if a Call of Duty 5 is ever created, Activision will leverage this community to build interest in the new title.
Despite the value that comes from harnessing online customer activity, however, Hayes cautions that it's not as easy as setting up a website and asking people to join. "Something like this is a huge investment, and it wasn't small for resources," she says. "Some people think 'oh we can do that,' but it takes a lot of money, hard work and planning to successfully accomplish.
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