In this edition of the Creative Showcase, we look at how AdColony’s Aurora HD Video™ was utilized to drive brand awareness and retention in an award-winning campaign for World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth.
How it Worked
In 2018, With the latest expansion of World of Warcraft set to be released, Blizzard Entertainment tapped AdColony to create a unique mobile campaign that would entice and excite target audiences. To promote the Battle for Azeroth expansion, the campaign used AdColony’s Aurora™ HD Interactive Video technology which allowed users to view the trailer and join in the battle themselves. Users were given multiple engagement opportunities throughout a polished and high-concept trailer showcasing the action from Battle for Azeroth’s full trailer.
Users were transported to the battle itself and asked to wipe away the dirt from a frantic clash of warriors and tap to deploy the fearsome Banshee. They were then prompted to choose a side in the upcoming conflict, Horde or Alliance, which then triggered additional video content. Once the interactive video completed, users were given a simple end card where they could pre-order World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth. After the expansion launched, this call-to-action became a “Buy Now” link.
Why it Worked
Using Aurora™ HD Interactive Video, this mobile campaign not only gave users a high-quality visual preview of the Battle for Azeroth but it also gave them a chance to experience an easy and interactive way to engage with the content. The “wipe away” effect brought a higher level of interactivity to the experience. Users were then further engaged during the guided experience to become a Banshee and then followed by the ability to choose between the Horde or Alliance. These three interactive elements received high engagement rates and got new and returning users familiar and excited about the new expansion.
Results
The World of Warcraft mobile campaign delivered excellent results with a 78% engagement rate — more than 25 times higher than the benchmark engagement rates of standard video campaigns or rich media executions. Furthermore, over one-third of these engagements came from unique users, with more than 1.5 million users engaged with the ad overall.
Beyond the strong engagement metrics, Aurora™ HD Video also drove healthy lifts across key brand metrics. A brand study certified by Nielsen showed an increase in purchase intent of the campaign recipients of 8.6% over an unexposed control segment. Brand recall vs similar competitive ads saw a 4% uplift. Because of the creative execution and exceptional results, the World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth campaign won Entertainment Campaign at the latest DMN Awards.
About the Campaign
AdColony worked with Blizzard to create a 30-day campaign to drive brand awareness and retention for a new expansion pack for their hit game, World of Warcraft. The Battle for Azeroth campaign used AdColony’s Aurora™ HD Interactive Video technology which allowed users to view the trailer and join in the battle themselves. The campaign was named Entertainment Campaign at the DMN Awards, which recognizes groundbreaking uses of data, strategy, and technology in marketing campaigns launched or updated in 2018 or 2019.
About Blizzard Entertainment
Blizzard Entertainment is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software. After establishing the Blizzard Entertainment label in 1994, the company quickly became one of the most popular and well-respected makers of computer games. The video game company is a subsidiary of Activision Blizzard.
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