Returning To Roots, Call Of Duty Reunites The Squads

It’s time to get the band — er, squad — back together. 

In the run-up to the release of Call of Duty: WWII (which returns the franchise game back to the era of its first iterations), Activision has launched a series of trailers showing groups of gamers “reassembling” to take part in the action. 

“The message underscores the camaraderie of playing Call of Duty together with your friends,” Todd Harvey, senior vice president of consumer marketing at Activision, tells Marketing Daily. “Call of Duty: WWII is a return to our franchise roots and 'Reassemble' reflects the fun of reuniting with your friends.”

The basic premise of all three videos is the same. One person visits another unexpectedly, declaring that “Call of Duty is going back to World War Two.” The other immediately declares that they have go “get the squad back together.” The video then follows as they recruit in unexpected places (in bars, at grocery stores) and unexpected people (a London barrister, a mom hustling kids in an arcade) to recapture their old online gaming glory. Each spot ends with the team walking slowly in a hero shot with the line, “Get your squad back together.”

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“What’s great about the members within each of the three squads is that they are different from each other, are leading very different lives and yet the one common bond they share is Call of Duty,” Harvey says. “The consistent theme across the three spots is the fact that there is no ‘typical’ Call of Duty fan.” 

The campaign (from agency 72andSunny in Los Angeles) includes a global trailer, as well as unique French and UK versions. In addition to those spots, the company will employ digital and outdoor advertising to promote the game’s Nov. 3 launch. 

“We really focused efforts on creating a truly global launch. One that emphasized the nuances and relationships in different markets, with different people and different cultures,” Matthew Curry, group creative director at 72andSunny. “Apart from that, it’s consistent with previous years in that it spans across multiple channels and platforms.”

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