Advertising is a Tricky Thing
A lot of the time I sit there annoyed at the fact that YouTube is advertising, say, an album I’ll never listen to, or a movie I’ll never watch, or a product I’ll never buy. That’s not to say I want to give them all my information just to get relevant ads, but I do wish that there was some algorithm where, say, if I watch six music videos by ONE OK ROCK or The Dresden Dolls in a row it doesn’t assume what’s missing from my life is Shawn Mendez’s new song.
However, even that much information is too much for a lot of people. Targeted advertisements is controversial for a reason, and sometimes nowhere near as relevant as they’re hoping, but it looks like Call of Duty: Black Ops may have found the formula, as they’ve started showing advertisements for their new game within online matches in Call of Duty: Warzone.
In terms of advertising strategy, this is definitely something new, and a good way of getting the news directly to the people most likely to buy and enjoy the upcoming game. Who’s to say whether this will happen with more games in the future- or even if eventually this will become an annoyance on the same level as actual advertising, but for now this is a new novelty and it seems to be getting people excited.
Cod 2020 teaser in warzone!!! Full clip!!!! @PrestigeIsKey @NICKMERCS @timthetatman @drdisrespect @InfinityWard @CallofDuty @charlieINTEL @Swagg #CallofDuty #CoD2020 #CallofDutyModernWarfare #Warzone @RavenSoftware @Treyarch pic.twitter.com/K36EMaNirH
— NutterButterAF (@NutterButterAF) August 7, 2020
In another branch of the game’s promotional campaign, multiple streamers and influencers were shipped boxes and, upon examining the contents, took part in an ARG which led them to www.pawntakespawn.com. There’s not much on the website yet, but it does promise a reveal on Friday, August 14th, at 12.00, so if you’re a longtime fan of the franchise, it might be worth keeping an eye on. This close to confirms our earlier speculation about the mysterious website.
What do you think of the news? Is this the future of advertising or are you just annoyed? Let us know down in the comments, or hit us up on Twitter or Facebook.