Podcast ¦ Uncensored CMO: Marketing the world’s most successful video games from Call of Duty to Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater – Tyler Bahl, Activision

Key Take Aways

1. Leveraging culture and entertainment properties, such as gaming and esports, can significantly expand brand reach and engagement beyond traditional sports.

2. Authentic storytelling and partnerships with iconic figures (e.g., Tony Hawk) create engaging, nostalgia-driven campaigns that resonate across multiple generations.

3. The integration of gaming and sport into entertainment ecosystems fosters deeper community and social bonds, which can translate into brand loyalty.

4. Successful launches rely on creating unique, culturally relevant campaigns (such as ‘truth lies’ or ‘the replacer’) that differentiate products in a highly fragmented media landscape.

5. The shift from product ownership to cultural participation allows brands to become part of consumers’ lifestyles, broadening their appeal.

6. eSports and live streaming have created new revenue streams and career pathways for gamers, demonstrating the importance of digital content creation.

7. Cross-platform and strategic partnerships effectively amplify brand presence and facilitate new audience engagement strategies through co-branded content.

8. Gaming’s audience demographics are evolving, with increasing female participation, necessitating targeted inclusivity efforts.

9. The success of frequent product launches depends on maintaining cultural relevance, innovation, and scale in marketing efforts.

10. Combining social interaction and fun as primary drivers enhances user engagement and retention in gaming communities.

11. AI tools are viewed as enablers for faster content creation, visualisation, and optimise decision-making, viewed as a supplementary marketing tool.

12. Career development is increasingly about diversifying experiences and proactively creating opportunities, especially when pursuing passions in evolving industries such as gaming or technology.

Key Statistics

• Gaming industry valued at over $200 billion, exceeding books, movies, and music in size.

• Mobile gaming accounts for over 1 billion downloads across platforms like Call of Duty Mobile.

• Approximately 75% of competitive gamers are male, with 25% female participation.

• There are 100 million players of Call of Duty Warzone, with an estimated 25 million women among them.

• The Call of Duty franchise has produced 23 editions, with a trajectory towards 24.

• Livestream audiences for gaming are reportedly larger than the number of actual players in some contexts.

• A campaign featuring 40 bespoke assets achieved strong engagement and contributed to the success of game launches.

• Mountain Dew collaboration in the UK with Halo 4 resulted in stock selling out within the first week of launch.

Key Discussion Points

• The growing cultural importance and commercial size of the gaming industry as a dominant entertainment form.

• The role of nostalgia and innovative content collaborations in revitalising classic gaming franchises like Tony Hawk Pro Skater.

• How brands are utilising gaming festivals, digital communities, and entertainment partnerships to establish cultural relevance.

• The increasing crossover between sports and gaming, exemplified by athletes engaging in game-inspired activities and teams leveraging gaming for team-building.

• eSports as a burgeoning market with elite players earning livelihoods through competition and streaming.

• The strategic use of campaign storytelling, provocative concepts, and cultural hooks to generate buzz and drive product launches.

• The importance of social connection and community-building as core to game design and player retention.

• The shifting landscape of product launches from physical queues to digital engagement, with an emphasis on fandom and shared experience.

• The significance of diverse partnership strategies, aligning with brands such as liquid death, Monster, and Little Caesars, to boost reach and engagement.

• The influence of AI as a marketing and creative tool, enabling faster visualisation and content generation.

• The tangible overlap between elite sports and gaming, demonstrating a shared competitive and strategic mindset.

• The necessity of career agility, diversifying experience, and proactively creating opportunities to excel in rapidly evolving sectors.

Podcast Description

This podcast features high-level conversations exploring the intersection of brand strategy, entertainment, and sport through the lens of gaming and digital culture. It highlights innovative marketing practices, strategic partnerships, and emerging trends shaping how brands engage with audiences in a digitally driven world. Hosted by industry experts, the series offers insights into leveraging cultural relevance, consumer behaviour, and technological advancements to foster growth and brand loyalty.