Key Contributions​​
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Brought in subject matter expertise about Call of Duty through personal experience and shared it with group members
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Analyzed the TikTok presence of different e-sports teams
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Researched the functionality of TikTok algorithm to create a strategy that aligns with the algorithm
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Identified and examined Call of Duty micro-influencers who grew on YouTube by successfully driving their audience from TikTok to YouTube
Project Background​​
Activision-Blizzard Esports (ABE) is a cultural powerhouse in gaming, with its products, Call of Duty League and Overwatch League commanding the attention of millions of gamers. One of the main opportunities with ABE is there are many fans of the games (Call of Duty franchise, Overwatch franchise) that may not be ardent fans of the esports league. The overall goal of the Call of Duty League (CDL) is then to:
1. Convert casual gamers into active CDL fans
2. Driving viewership of official CDL broadcasts.
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As Activision-Blizzard esports digital content team, we were assigned to build out a Gen Z and roll out strategy for the Call of Duty League TikTok channel to instill product awareness and recognition to drive further interest and discoverability across the board. The CDL had traditionally used influencers and endemic community creators (endemic = personalities tied to the CDL like TimTheTatMan, PrestigeIsKey, ecoliEspresso, NoisyButters, NoahJ456). However, this strategy does not necessarily have to be influencer-led if other opportunities exist. But the strategy should include tactics on how to work with influencers to either create content or amplify the CDL TikTok’s channel content.
Process​​
This was one of my most memorable project as I am very passionate Call of Duty gamer. During the initial stages of the project, I gave a short presentation to my group members by explaining them more about Call of Duty, Call of Duty League and esports. My team was new to the concept of gaming and esports, so this short presentation helped us gain more context and knowledge about about the project.
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Our next step was to figure out the reasons for CDL's low viewership. Therefore, we simultaneously conducted an online research and a survey amongst Call of Duty players.
Through the research and the survey, we concluded two key challenges with CDL:
1. Lack of awareness for CDL amongst casual COD players
2. Low viewership of CDL amongst casual COD players
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Based on these challenges, our team developed a TikTok strategy with the purpose of increased engagement. We chose AIDA model (Awareness, Interest, Desire, Action) explain the customer journey throughout the presentation.
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Another important component of our presentation was to analyze the TikTok algorithm. Since the TikTok algorithm is very complex, it was vital to create a strategy based on the algorithms and also for the presentees to better understand the basic functioning of the TikTok algorithm.
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