Game On! How Overwatch Wins Over Players For The Long Run

Ryan Davis, global marketing communications director also, believes in the power of the relationships with its players and fans. After all, they share a mindset, he explains.

As part of an ongoing series of conversations with 2017 Effie-winning marketers, I spoke with Ryan Davis, global marketing communications director for Overwatch, a first-person shooter game developed by Blizzard Entertainment.

In this week’s podcast, Davis discussed the thinking behind the launch of Overwatch, the critically acclaimed and commercially successful game that debuted in May of last year. For the main focus of their marketing, Davis and Blizzard went over the top, creating 15-foot-tall action figures, complete with packaging, to promote the game.

While thinking big, Davis also believes in the power of the relationships Blizzard builds with its players and fans. After all, they share a mindset: “We’re all gamers. Everybody’s really enthusiastic about doing stuff that we really think is cool and the players will love.”

He went on to add, “We’re building a relationship with our players and with our fans that we want to be long-lasting. We want to be really genuine with them, listen to them, and collaborate with them.”

Highlights from this week’s “Marketing Today” podcast include:

• Making a big impression in a fragmented media landscape. (2:05)
• Getting gamers pumped and finding evangelists. (7:45)
• Creating higher-level engagement for marketing effectiveness. (11:49)
• Working with Mr. T is bound to define your career in some way. (13:08)
• Davis on building relationships that pave the way for long-haul success. (15:25)
• Davis’ take on the future of marketing. (16:45)

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