GamesBeat Summit 2024: How games marketing has shifted in the digital age

One of the highlights of GamesBeat Summit 2024 was the dissection of some of the industry’s biggest successes. In one such discussion, Tyler Bahl, SVP, Head of Global Marketing at Activision, spoke about the viral marketing success of his company’s flagship franchise, the Call of Duty series. These include its social media campaigns and connections with creators. Vanessa Chang, Head of Global Gaming Marketing, Cross-Platform at TikTok, moderated the fireside chat.

The chat began with a sizzle reel of Call of Duty’s viral marketing, including its social media and streaming efforts, to celebrate the series’ 20th anniversary (which happened in 2023). During the chat, Bahl noted that marketing around a game’s release has changed, especially with the rise of digital purchasing. “We have to find new ways to reach our audience from a digital standpoint,” said Bahl. “In addition to that, just in the last three years, we’ve launched a LiveOps business with Warzone free-to-play. We have two mobile games that are out in the world. So we are always on. It is nonstop for the marketing team. There is not a single day when there isn’t a new piece of Call of Duty content going into the world.”