Microsoft-owned Activision Blizzard Inc. has teamed up with award-winning media agency QYOU USA, a division of QYOU Media Inc. (OTC: QYOUF) (TSXV: QYOU) to launch a unique and innovative creator-driven campaign for the latest Call of Duty game launch.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III has taken a new direction for Activision’s Call of Duty franchise this year. Instead of releasing a completely new game as it has traditionally done each fall for decades, the company opted to continue as an expansion of 2022's Modern Warfare II.
Modern Warfare III (MW3) was released on November 10, 2023, and QYOU’s campaign represents a notable advancement in video game marketing.
The drive for the latest COD game launch employed a groundbreaking approach by merging digital marketing, online content, and real-life production. It prominently featured five leading cross-platform social marketing creators, setting a new standard in influencer activation.
In fact, QYOU’s Call of Duty launch prep showcases an innovative blend of promotional strategies.
To make this happen, QYOU cast a “creator squad” to participate in a streamed showcase event called Call of Duty: NEXT. Here QYOU recruited five top-tier creators to participate as background actors for a highly produced live-action trailer titled “The Lobby.”
The five creators QYOU added to the casting mix are SpencerX who has 55M Followers on TikTok, Michelle Munchie with 8.6M followers, Trevor Bell with 5.4M, ZHC with 15.5M and Jamad Fiin with 2.1M followers. Each of these popular influencers takes the opportunity to surprise viewers throughout the video.
Additionally, these social media influencers hyped fans for the upcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III Multiplayer Beta while joining as background actors on the set over two days.
These popular stars brought their unique talents to Call of Duty: NEXT and used the thrilling experience as an opportunity to build their own social profiles with Call of Duty-themed content. Through a series of relevant and unique updates, the creators updated their own social channels with engaging short-form video clips.
Furthermore, during the experience, Beatboxer SpencerX's gravitas and on-set presence shone through, leading his status to be elevated to feature among the participating traditional celebrities with a speaking role.
Victor Acosta, Associate Director, Digital Marketing at Activision stated:
"As production for 'The Lobby' unfolded, it became clear that these creators were more than a marketing component, but that their presence in the campaign was evolving. Their passion translated into authentic content for their vast social media followings, adding a rich, behind-the-scenes layer to our overall campaign narrative, culminating in SpencerX stepping into a speaking role alongside our traditional celebrities.”
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COD: The Lobby
In Call of Duty, “The Lobby” serves as a vital pre-game gathering space where players from diverse backgrounds meet, socialize, and commence their gaming experience. This area symbolizes the game's inclusive and communal spirit, uniting gamers in anticipation and excitement.
The film titled after this concept brings The Lobby to life. It follows a young gamer entering a vividly realized Call of Duty lobby, bustling with a mix of characters poised for action.
The film features a unique blend of celebrities, athletes, and musicians, all of whom are fans of the franchise, along with iconic Call of Duty characters like Ghost, Gaz, Makarov, Valeria, and Graves. This creative mix adds a dynamic and engaging dimension to the film, reflecting the game's broad appeal and cultural impact.
Lexi St. John, QYOU’s Vice President of Creative and GM, QYOU Studios, commented:
"In casting influencer talent for ‘The Lobby,’ we sought creators who mirrored the spirit and diversity of the ‘Call of Duty’ community—dynamic, varied, authentic.”
Glenn Ginsburg, QYOU’s President, added:
“Our approach was to provide our creator partners with opportunities that opened doors for them to thrive in their element. This fluidity allowed them to remain unapologetically themselves. We committed to an organic production process, letting the pieces fall into place naturally and seizing every opportunity to let authenticity lead the way."
The collaboration between QYOU and Call of Duty resulted in a significant social media impact, generating over 10 posts that collectively amassed nearly 10 million views and 480,000 engagements. This collaboration also achieved an impressive 5.3% engagement rate (ER) on TikTok, doubling the platform's benchmark, and indicating a highly successful social media campaign.
Upon the unveiling of the finished film, SpencerX was deeply moved, leading him to tears as he watched himself on the big screen. Overwhelmed by the experience, he expressed a lasting impact, saying, "I will never stop talking about this."
SpencerX concluded:
“Growing up as a beatboxer, video games opened up entire WORLDS for me to explore and learn from. Fast forward to today and I am making sound effects as an actor in a Call of Duty production with pioneers in their crafts, bringing joy and hope at a time where happiness, peace and an overall positive experience are at stake for many in the world. I feel so grateful giving others a great ‘Xperience’ in their own home.”
About Call of Duty: MW3
Call of Duty, a flagship series in Activision's portfolio, has amassed over $30 billion in revenue in the past two decades. Its significance is underlined by the involvement of thousands of developers globally. Given its historical performance, new releases in the Call of Duty series are consistently expected to top sales charts.
In the direct sequel to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, the Modern Warfare III storyline intensifies as Captain Price and Task Force 141 confront Vladimir Makarov, an ultranationalist war criminal.
Makarov's expanding influence poses a global threat, compelling Task Force 141 to engage in unprecedented combat to counter his actions. This sequel continues the high-stakes narrative established in the record-breaking predecessor.
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Who is QYOU Media?
QYOU Media specializes in creating, sharing, and earning revenue from content produced by some of the coolest and most popular creators, bringing rising stars to prominence.
In India, through its The Q India brand, QYOU has launched six channels across broadcast and video-on-demand platforms. Here, its influencer-led content reaches more than 125 million households.
Meanwhile, its influencer marketing campaigns are spearheaded by Chtrbox, its in-house expert in connecting brands with just the right online content creators. Notably, Chtrbox hit a record milestone with its largest revenue month since inception booking total revenue of over 7 Crore or $1,150,000 in October 2023.
Also, in India, QYOU Media has edged into the gaming space. QYOU’s acquisition of Maxamtech gives it reach in the direct-to-consumer mobile gaming space. This is a means to help advertisers reach the rapidly expanding audience of Indian mobile gamers. QYOU intends to build out its Maxamtech and Q GamesMela gaming business by embracing real money gaming in the coming months.
In the United States, QYOU specializes in developing and overseeing influencer marketing campaigns for prominent film studios, game publishers, and brands. Here, QYOU Media produces content geared towards millennials and Gen Z, reaching over one billion global consumers each month.
The company’s management team has vast experience in the US entertainment business, with company founders being industry experts from Lionsgate, MTV, Disney, and Sony. This has helped bring some of these exciting campaigns to QYOU’s door.
QYOU Media has seen sustained success with nine straight quarters of year-over-year revenue increases, reduced losses, improved adjusted EBITDA, award-winning channel growth, and partnerships with top-tier advertisers like Nestle, Pepsi, and Amazon.
Additionally, QYOU Media is analyst-backed. Atrium Research has initiated coverage on QYOU Media Inc. with a BUY rating and target price of $0.15/share. This represents a potential 114% upside from the initiation date, Oct 27, 2023.
Find out everything you need to know about QYOU and its compelling investment opportunity.
