As a gaming company, we have the unique ability to shape the digital space where our audience spends their time, allowing for truly impactful social media conversations.
Discovering the best ways to leverage that special connection has been a priority for World of Warcraft’s (WoW) social channels from the start. One particularly effective approach we’ve discovered is encouraging and celebrating player self-expression via User Generated Content (UGC) with a unique twist.
WoW players often showcase their individuality with transmogrifications, also known as transmogs, or “mogs”. These are the clothes and items player characters wear while adventuring through the rich fantasy world of Azeroth. Many players spend a great deal of time, energy, and sometimes real-world-currency to get exactly the look they want, whether to show off to other players, to better roleplay their characters, or simply because they like looking stylish.
The extensive variety of in-game items allows for virtually limitless options for character attire, and our players continue to surprise and delight with their creative use of transmogs. We wanted to ensure that creativity was rewarded.
That’s why we created Mog Monday, a long-running weekly campaign that puts our players (and their excellent fashion choices) on a digital runway, allowing them to flaunt their hard work on our social channels to an audience that appreciates their efforts.
After all…where’s the fun in getting dressed up if nobody is watching?
The journey to Mog Monday began in early 2021, when it became clear that the creativity and dedication of our more fashion-savvy players needed to be shared with the world.
The next step was recognizing that showcasing the creative possibilities of the transmog system would be the best way to achieve this. Additionally, it could provide an excellent opportunity to highlight the artistry behind these extraordinary pieces of digital gear and also remind new and existing players of the diversity of gameplay experiences available in WoW.
Our audience gets an opportunity to be featured on their favorite game’s social media, and we get high-quality UGC that helps expand that audience. It’s a win-win…and those don’t come around every day.
Implementing this activation was not without challenges, however. An ongoing campaign of this scope requires significant effort, so it was essential to establish a consistent submission strategy that wouldn't become overly resource-intensive.
Soon, the campaign began to take shape. Every Mog Monday morning (Who can resist a little alliteration?) we would feature a different player's transmog, paired with an engaging caption and a call to action for others to submit their creations over the coming week.
We almost immediately began to see the additional benefits of offering guidance and direction to these Call To Actions. By requesting transmogs based on specific themes - such as in-game events, seasons, or holidays - we were able to steer the conversation toward the ever-evolving state of the game while keeping the content fresh and our community consistently engaged with new challenges.
The campaign was an immediate success, as evidenced by the high volume of submissions we received from the first CTA on. We’ve since worked diligently to showcase as much of our diverse global community as possible, ensuring we feature a variety of players rather than the same few dedicated fans every week.
Mog Monday has been an undeniable success, clearly demonstrated by the high levels of interaction and enduring impact of the campaign. It quickly secured its place as a reliable tool in our social media arsenal, serving as a dependable source of positive sentiment, audience engagement, and a powerful means to connect with new players.
Mog Monday is now a cherished staple of our digital community and players look forward to it each week. On the rare occasions we’ve had to skip it, our dedicated audience never fails to remind us they are eagerly awaiting its return.
It’s also allowed us to turn focus back to that audience, giving them the creative accolades they deserve from a community that appreciates their hard work.
The fashion future of Azeroth looks very bright indeed…and we’ll be here to provide a virtual runway for every adventurer that makes their way through the World of Warcraft.
