How to Launch One Of The Biggest Games In The World With Matt Webster of Activision

In this episode of Scratch, we had the pleasure of talking to Matthew Webster, the Vice President of Global Marketing for Activision and Call of Duty, about the launch of one of the biggest games in the world, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. With a career spanning over 15 years, Matthew has led global marketing at Twitch, Spotify, PlayStation, SoundCloud, and Ticketmaster, and has a wealth of experience in transforming challenger brands into industry giants. He shares his insights on understanding and connecting with your audience through testing, research, and community engagement, and also emphasizes the importance of maintaining a strong in-game experience.

Additionally, the conversation touches on the value of strategic partnerships and collaborations within the gaming industry, including working with franchises like World of Warcraft, Diablo, and Overwatch. Matthew highlights the benefits of learning from successful brands and leveraging their expertise to drive innovation and growth. The episode also explores regionalization strategies, influencer marketing, and the importance of staying agile and open to emerging opportunities in the ever-changing landscape of the gaming industry.

Watch the video version of this Podcast on YouTube.

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Chapters:

[03:20] Intro

[04:20] What challenger brand are you most passionate about?

[08:20] How do you balance between being relevant and driving scale for a game like Call of Duty?

[13:30] What process did you go through when you were new to this role?

[24:00] What are the ways that you find to stay on top of all the changes happening in the MarTech Ecosystem?

[27:20] A billion-dollar revenue in 10 days, what's next? Where do we go from here?

[32:05] What lessons have you learned from COD's launch that can apply to other marketers?

[33:40] What is the flywheel for my business?

[34:40] Lightning Round

"Scratch" is a production of Rival, a marketing consultancy and technology company that builds challenger brands, strategies, and capabilities to change categories. 

In every episode Eric interviews the CMO of some of the world’s biggest or fastest-growing brands, exploring their innovative marketing strategies that challenge established incumbents. Immerse yourself in the world of challenger brands and learn valuable marketing lessons from industry experts, as you discover their secrets to success. 

Find Matthew on Linkedin.

Find Rival online at www.wearerival.com, LinkedIn, and Twitter. 

Find Eric on LinkedIn and tweet him @efulwiler. 

Say hi at [email protected], we’d love to hear from you.

Scratch is a production of Rival, a marketing innovation consultancy that develops strategies and capabilities that help businesses grow faster. Scratch is hosted by Eric Fulwiler, and he’s joined by Bryant Garvin of Ozlo Sleep in this episode. Past guests include CMOs from Mastercard, GE, Shell, Hyperloop, Adobe, PepsiCo, and Papa Johns.