Call of Duty: Black Ops Soldiers
American strategy → Concept built for American Culture
A franchise-defining campaign that reframed Call of Duty from a gamer stereotype into a universal human instinct.
Problem
Despite massive scale, Call of Duty was still culturally boxed in as a game for a narrow type of player. To grow the franchise, Black Ops needed to break that stigma and invite a much broader audience in.
Solution
We grounded the campaign in a simple human truth: the competitive, tactical instinct isn’t limited to gamers. By showing doctors, coworkers, athletes, and public figures revealing their inner soldier, we repositioned Call of Duty as something everyone already relates to, not something you have to become.
Results
At launch, Black Ops generated $360M in 24 hours, surpassing Modern Warfare 2 and Avatar to become the biggest entertainment launch of all time. The campaign permanently expanded the cultural perception and scale of the franchise.
Headline Video
