Mtn Dew and Activision were stuck in an awkward arranged marriage. They had committed to a promotional partnership for the launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, but each wanted different things out of the relationship: Dew wanted to reestablish their cred with gamers, and Activision wanted more eyes on the launch of their signature title. To complicate matters, the personalities of these brands couldn’t be more different. COD was gritty, intensely serious and known for its hyper-realistic portrayal of war. Dew was rebellious, fun-loving and beloved by thrill-seekers everywhere.

To win blessing from both brands’ leadership and approval of these merged audiences, this had to be bigger than a campaign solely about gaming or soft drinks. This needed to be a celebration of the perfect union of two incredible brands. We needed to show people that together, Dew and COD were the ultimate power couple.

By combining the heart-pounding action of Modern Warfare with the irreverent attitude of Mtn Dew, we made this partnership the perfect outlet for gamers’ pursuit of mischief. Whether it be a bottle-covered soldier pranking an unsuspecting victim, or a tank being airdropped onto a battlefield “parking spot”, our work perfectly captured the moments of swagger that gamers live for. Best of all, through work that embodied the essence of both Dew and COD, we drove interest and engagement that far exceeded the fanbases of either brand.

Serious gamers want to get every possible advantage as soon as a highly anticipated game is released. Being the first to level up is one of the keys to dominating rivals. This promotion promised crucial Experience points hidden underneath Mtn Dew caps, gaining the gear upgrades needed to slay. For the chance at domination, Mtn Dew challenged gamers to Come Get It.

Gamers are a jaded audience when it comes to ads, and they’ve seen every kind of commercial under the sun...so we knew we had to take a different angle in our research. We already knew what motivated them (winning, duh). So instead of going down the same old path, we focused on learning more about how they like to win.

As it turns out, gamers don’t want to just dominate; they want to instigate. Sure, the final score kinda matters, but real victory lies in the frustration and embarrassment of your foes. The shit-talking. The teabagging. The hilarious antics punctuating an intense firefight. Feats of ridiculousness immortalized across millions of social media views. THIS is the true measure of a gamer, not K/D ratios and headshots. Wins and score-streaks may come and go...but get in someone’s head, and you can live there rent-free forever.

Gamers want to be the first to win. Strong pre-orders are crucial for mass engagement on opening weekend. Modern Warfare’s pre-release date was Friday Oct 25th, 2019. Mtn Dew's Come Get It campaign promised early advantage through 2XP points under bottle caps/tabs. Speed is crucial for gamers – and was for this campaign: approved in July, shot late August - early September, and debuted pre-release Monday. Every new COD release features a new ultimate reward, achieved when a player unlocks the final prize – this was MW’s airdropped tank. Tank was so secret that its reveal in this Mtn Dew commercial was its public debut. Sworn to NDA’s, none of the actors or crew knew ‘what’ was being dropped when the spot was made.

Tank and Camo video ads were posted on MTN DEW social channels as a direct promotion call to action, amplified by paid social and in-game advertising.

These social, in-game, and digital videos made the Mtn Dew 2XP promotion a huge success with 2.5 million on-package promo codes redeemed. In-game branded promotional items were used in 7 million hours of game play.