Activision Got a 6 Billion Dollar Crush On Candy Crush

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By: Emory Brown

Last week I realized that I am not pushing my creative talent to its limits. I earn a really good living as a marketing professional, but game developers are starting to give me an envious eye. I write stories. I draw. That’s what I was telling myself…until I remembered that one of my friends works for Ubisoft.

I’ve seen her work. Her landscapes for video worlds are sick. I have to take my hat off to the gaming chaps. Mobile games. Video games. Apps are the new bread and butter in the world of creativity. But why? It’s not just Candy Crush. It’s the audience that comes with games.

Media and reach — or, as we New Age marketers say, media/consumer consumption — plays a very important role in big brand deals and acquisitions. Candy Crush is a game played by millions of users daily, so Activision didn’t just buy a hot game. They bought an active audience they can market other games to. This is the ultimate brand tribe. Candy Crush fans are going to play the upgrades to the game while also entertaining new games offered by their beloved game experience provider. This gives the boys and girls at Activision a platform to increase their product trial experience with a new base of users. Strategically, Activision can also begin to take hit games that were only available on regular gaming systems and remarket them or build on a bigger marketing push for the games that are already mobile friendly.

However, the purchase of King Digital, the maker of Candy Crush, came with an interesting market position. Activision Blizzard's revenue stream has earned them $2.3 billion so far this fiscal year, and only 5% of that comes from mobile games. King Digital, on the other hand, earns twice that in mobile. In the second quarter, 24% of its earned $490 million was mobile. Sounds like a match made in the world of perfect strategic sells. If you’re going to have a $6 billion crush, make sure the audience is sweet.

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About the Author

Emory Brown is an award-winning creative director/writer whose mission is to spread the gospel of what great marketers can do when they put their heads together and work together for the greater good and not the bottom line. Working with many esteemed clients, his portfolio of work ranges in genre from conservative to ultra-modern including American Family Insurance, United Airlines, Mazda 6 and RX-8, Illinois Lottery, Tyson, Miller Genuine Draft, Nike Air Force 1, and Mercedes Benz, to name a few.

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