1. BRANDING
NOVEMBER 2008
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2. Map of the Problematique
?
World Tour
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3. wHY IS BRANDING
IMPORTANT?
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4. A brand is the mental image
of a product in a consumer’s mind
“The primary role of advertising
is to say who you are”
Don Hudler, VP of Marketing, Saturn
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5. Lighthouse Brands
How branding can make a difference
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6. The Purpose of a strong brand/identity
Invite and create
a more intense
relationship
between the
company/product
and the user
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7. The Unholy Trinity
Without a good product, Everything has to flow out of the identity:
branding is nothing Difference between reality & marketing posture
BRAND Advertising is the
Brand is the sum of expression of the
communications brand identity.
ADVERTISING
Drawing inspiration Delivery of the
Be true to the material advertising promise
PRODUCT / GAME
Instruments, technical issues, features,
chart quality, track list (songs I like/know), price, etc.
7 | XX

8. A brand does not exist in a vacuum
ECOSYSTEM
The Market (video games)
The category (music video games)
The consumers’ behavior
The product & its competitors (RB vs. GH)
The parties involved ( Harmonix, MTV, EA)
Image : Beko – “Quiet” 8 | XX

9. The Big Funnel
Why do people play Market
video games? Level
Why do people play Category
music games? Level
Why would people Product/Brand
play Rock Band? Level
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10. wHY DO PEOPLE
PLAY vIDEO GAMES?
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11. Why do people play video games?
72% “A fun way to spend time”
(vs. 68% for TV/cinema)
48% “Stimulates the imagination”
(vs. 35% for TV)
Image : BMW – “Ultimate Attraction” | Source: Nielsen Games, July 2008 11 | XX

12. Escapism: “Live in Your World, Play in ours”
Image : PlayStation 2 – “New SKin “ 12 | XX

13. Vicarious joy of self-projection
I like to pretend I’m someone else and have a visual proof in front of me to make it real.
Image : PlayStation 2 – “Head “ 13 | XX

14. Pretend to be who you would have loved to be
(had you had the power to decide)
Image : PlayStation 2 – “Second Skin “ 14 | XX

15. The exciting, sensorial aspect of gaming
Image : PlayStation 2 – “Body “ 15 | XX

16. A taste of what lies out of the ordinary boredom
(of what usually only belongs to dreams)
Image : PlayStation 2 – “Spring “ 16 | XX

17. A release from our physical boundaries
and fear of the unknown
Image : PlayStation 3 – “Play Beyond “ 17 | XX

18. A Philosophy of “Carpe Diem”
Identity is defined by your experiences, not your money or status
Image : PlayStation 2 – “Head “ 18 | XX

19. wHY DO PEOPLE PLAY
MUSIC vIDEO GAMES?
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20. Two key drivers to the same object
Social
Gaming
&
Music
Image : Levi’s – “Music” 20 | XX

21. 5 attitudinal segments of music/singing/rhythm gamers
Hardcore Non Musical
PRIMARY music
TARGETS enthusiasts Socialites
(22%) (24%)
(46%)
Casual
SECONDARY Music Game Reserved Knowledgeable
TARGETS Lovers Renters Loners
(17%)
(33%) (16%) (20%)
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22. Getting to know our two primary targets
HARDCORE MUSIC ENTHUSIASTS
Hardcore Driven by music passion
music Emulation of reality
enthusiasts
(22%) Reproduction of the real deal
Projection of themselves
Living the dream/music fantasy
People who didn’t think of themselves as gamers
We let non-musicians experience the excitement of being a band
Driven by the “Start a band” part of Rock Band’s tagline
NON MUSICAL SOCIALITES
Driven by the social experience
Non Musical
Socialites Fun part of the rock life
(24%) Driven by the “Rock YOUR world”
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23. Seduction by capillarity (i.e. word-of mouth)
PRIMARY Hardcore
music Non Musical
TARGETS (46%) enthusiasts Socialites
Influencers (22%) (24%)
Brand advocates
SECONDARY Casual
Reserved
TARGETS (33%) Music Game Knowledgeable
Lovers Renters Loners
Reached indirectly (17%)
through word-of-mouth (16%) (20%)
Followers
Difficult to reach
Impervious to advertising
and word-of-mouth
(self-educated consumer)
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24. Spot the difference (Part 1/2)
Image : E3 2008 stands (2K sports stand) 24 | XX

25. Spot the difference (Part 2/2)
Image : E3 2008 stands (Rock Band stand) 25 | XX

26. The social aspect of gaming
Not a hobby for lonely nerds anymore
GAMES ARE
FUN TO PLAY
MUSIC GAMES ARE
FUN TO PLAY
& WATCH
Image : PlayStation 2 – “Plugs “ 26 | XX

27. wHY wOULD PEOPLE CHOSE
ROCK BAND OVER
GUITAR HERO?
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28. The key of the battle is in the quest for realism
Reality Fantasy
DISTANCE BETWEEN BOTH CLOSES WITH AUTHENTICITY
The experience gets better with how authentic it feels
Dreams are more enjoyable when they are closer to the real deal
This is what gamers are looking for (believable escapism)
This is what music gamers are looking for (credible emulation)
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29. The Strategy
AUTHENTICITY
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30. WHAT DOES AUTHENTICITY MEAN?
Authenticity means embracing
rock in its natural diversity
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31. Proof of authenticity: the music platform factor
UNIFIED MUSIC PLATFORM SEVERAL MUSIC GAMES
Unparalleled variety of songs and rock genres Logic of add-ons/expansion packs
Motley Crue selling more on RB than on iTunes specific to the video game industry
Diverse / unique / versatile / polymorphous / multifarious
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32. Why is the song library diversity so important?
+ =
A player’s enjoyment of The more diverse
the game depends upon People’s taste and large the song
his/her enjoyment of in music is library is, the
the music the game is incredibly broadest appeal the
based on fragmented game will have
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33. Two very different ways to reach mass audiences
A GAME FOR YOU, A GAME FOR
WHOEVER YOU ARE EVERYBODY
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34. Proof of authenticity: developer’s credibility
MUSIC COMPANY GAME COMPANY
MAKING GAMES MAKING MUSIC GAMES
Legacy of pioneers of No prior experience
interactive music in the music universe
Frequency Tony Hawk franchise
Amplitude Gun
Phase Guitar Hero III
Guitar Hero 1&2
Rock Band franchise
Harmonix’ own bands +
relationship with music
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35. Proof of authenticity: involvement
Instantaneous music universe recognition
Powerful music brand (industry giant)
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36. MTV Brand Manifesto
“DARE TO CHANGE”
Self-expression
Freedom
Discovery
Rebellion
Movement
Accessibility
Open-mindedness
Meaningfulness
Innovation
Inventiveness
Experimentation
Exploration
Genuineness
Party-starting
Inspiration
Independence
Authenticity
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37. August 1st, 1981
Video Killed the Radio Star
First revolution in music industry
(in how people engage with their music)

38. Today
Gaming is killing the
radio & video star
The interactive revolution

39. WHAT DOES AUTHENTICITY MEAN?
Authenticity means we’re blurring
the line between fantasy and reality
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40. Proof of authenticity: master tracks instead of covers
WRONG!
NO!
DON’T!
BAD! NO!
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41. Proof of authenticity: the figurines
CUSTOM-MADE FIGURINES McFARLANE’S TOYS
Custom-made figurines of your band 4 action figures based on game characters
Plasticity/comical/cartoony feeling
Source: http://www.spawn.com/news/news2.aspx?id=13394 41 | XX

42. Proof of authenticity: the drums
PLAY DRUMS PLAY GAMES
Real electronic set built by engineers at
Alesis (professional electronic drums).
(And an authentic price, too: $300)
Source: http://www.drumrocker.com 42 | XX

43. WHAT DOES AUTHENTICITY MEAN?
Authenticity is NOT being boring
Authenticity is NOT being exclusive
(we remain accessible to large audiences)
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44. WHAT DOES AUTHENTICITY MEAN?
Authenticity is not just about better performance,
but about the attitude, the spirit, the emotional payoff
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45. WHAT DOES AUTHENTICITY MEAN?
Experiencing the rock universe/atmosphere
Inviting people to share our philosophy
Establishing Rock as our mantra
(a deep, intimate connection, a way of life you can aspire to)
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46. HOW DO WE DIFFERENTIATE OURSELVES?
Go beyond saying that playing RB feels like the real deal.
Authenticity is innately assumed
and infused into all communications
This way, GH becomes the clunky Fisher Price of music games;
we are the closest thing you can get from the real feel.
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47. is about the feeling you get
from playing the game
is about the feeling you get
from playing rock
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