Activision seeks to break a new record with Modern Warfare 2 — and not just one to do with games. Instead, the company hopes that TBWA/Chiat/Day, an ad agency in Los Angeles, will make Modern Warfare 2 “the biggest entertainment launch of all time.”
What that means is that Activision isn’t just trying to sell a lot of copies of Modern Warfare 2 (which it assuredly will), but that it wants Modern Warfare 2 to make more money on its opening day than any other entertainment property has in existence.
The Dark Knight, for instance, did $158 million USD on its opening weekend. The previous record holder, 2008’s Grand Theft Auto IV, made $310 million from 3.6 million copies on its opening day.
$310 million is the number to beat, then, and Activision is confident that TBWA’s expertise will give Modern Warfare 2 the exposure it needs. Brad Jakeman, chief creative officer at Activision, told AdAge he chose TBWA because he felt their “campaign is…an idea that’s big enough to be articulated in lots of different kind of media…that is always the acid test for a great idea.”
Those of you who read PSU already know about Modern Warfare 2 and are probably already anticipating its release; just be aware that as Modern Warfare 2’s release date approaches, you will see ads for it everywhere.