Play video games? Maybe you think they are just for kids and there is no money to be made. Think again.
Did you know the two biggest entertainment launches in history were NOT The Dark Knight or Avatar but two games from the Call Of Duty video game series?
$360,000,000 on the FIRST day of release is not too shabby, eh? Especially when your only competition is from the year’s prior launch of the previous title that sold 4.7 Million units in ONE day (2 in a row…and counting).
To put that in some perspective, games retail at $60, about 3 times more than CDs from major artists. So someone like Beyonce, Taylor Swift, or even Michael Jackson would have to go just over 14 TIMES PLATINUM in 24 hours to compete with those sales figures. The Dark Knight would have had to more than DOUBLE it’s opening WEEKEND to get those same figures. And that’s just to beat last years launch that they already blew away.
So how did they do it and what can you learn from it?
Take Pre-Orders
- COD: An estimated 2.5 Million of the units were pre-sales. Retailer took as little as $5.00 down to secure the game on the day of release.
- YOU: Get a small financial commitment from your leads first.
Midnight Launch
- COD: Over 12,000 retailers participated in the midnight launch keeping doors open to make sure hungry fans got their copies right at 12:01 AM.
- YOU: Recruit affiliates and target potential joint venture partners and strictly enforce launch timing.
Offer Special Editions
- COD: Offered “in-game” bonus for pre-orders, offered special edition game console branded COD.
- YOU: Do you have an “upgraded” edition to pre-sell? Do you even have an upsell?
Integrated Jeep Campaign
- COD: Jeep spent millions on TV ads promoting the video game. COD had created a virtual “in-game” version of a special edition Black Ops Jeep.
- YOU: Can you “co-op” with another powerful brand congruent with your offer?
Leveraged Online Video
- COD: Produced and distributed teaser videos online through blogs and their own channels. There are millions upon millions of views for each of the videos in the search result on YouTube
- YOU: Video is easier to create and distribute than ever. When did you last update your YouTube account?