Activision Blizzard King is a global gaming giant with more than 13,000 employees. It produces a number of iconic games such as Call of Duty, World of Warcraft and Candy Crush. However, the merging of three businesses led to a push to create greater cultural unity under the banner of ‘one culture, one ABK’. ABK wanted to transform its culture from the ground up, increasing employee engagement, increasing applications, and creating a true sense of unity across all of its teams and locations.

The solution was a brand champions programme, bringing together a diverse team of employees who embodied the ABK spirit. There were 55 ambassadors across 22 countries, with a 50/50 gender balance, who became ‘ABK Game Changers’. They were given branded templates to share their participation in the programme on social channels, and a unique onboarding box combining designs from each ABK brand. The ambassadors could access bespoke training materials for copywriting and storytelling, and there was a weekly community management plan with one-to-one sessions for those who needed support.

Champions were kept in the loop through regular newsletters and prompts, and a leader board encouraged them to level up their content and posting. The programme has had a snowball effect, with one idea becoming a monthly audio event, and engagement across the company rising considerably. ‘Game changer gurus’ now share their knowledge, support and advice with others via a smaller, opt-in group. ABK employees now generate more direct referrals for potential new recruits, thousands more applications have been achieved, and impressions on ambassadors’ social posts are worth millions in earned media value.