Activision takes to the streets for MW3 invasion

EA may be off to an explosive start with Battlefield 3 but now Activision is rolling out the big guns in retaliation.

Next Tuesday (November 8th) marks the arrival of this year’s biggest game, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, and Activision is mobilising its full marketing force to ensure the hotly-anticipated shooter conquers the market once again.

The publishing giant has invested millions of pounds into promoting the game in the UK alone, with TV and outdoor the main focus.

The TV campaign will target the franchise’s core audience of men aged 18 to 34, with ads running around UEFA Champions League and Premier League matches. The launch trailer is also running regularly during The X Factor, reaching an audience of over 10m adults every weekend.

Meanwhile, the nationwide outdoor campaign has seen massive billboards and digital ads deployed in the busiest sites of the UK’s biggest cities, including London, Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol and Leeds. There will also be large banners at London Underground stations.

This will be supported by an online ad push, with site takeovers on mainstream sites such as YouTube and Yahoo in the run-up to the game’s arrival.

All of this will culminate with the sort of mammoth launch event the series is known for. The official launch party will feature special performances from chart-topping artists Example and Chase and Status, as well as surprise guests.

And, of course, UK High Streets will be flooded with Call of Duty followers with Activision promising an unprecedented number of midnight openings.