Blizzard Entertainment is a video game company known for popular games like World of Warcraft, Starcraft, Overwatch, and Diablo. This presentation focuses on their massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft, their most successful title. Blizzard uses integrated marketing communication strategies including advertising, sales promotions, public relations events like Blizzcon, and social media to engage customers new and old. While still dominating its genre, World of Warcraft faces competition from titles like Elder Scrolls Online, addressed through Blizzard's customer-focused approach to development.
Riot Games Interview presentation Product launch planEdward Hwang
Though I failed to get the job as a product manager for SEA region after more than 10 interviews and hundreds of e-mails exchanged over a 6 months period, I still would like to share this slide that helped me get to the very last stage of the interview.
I made the slide within a week between interviews based on the request of the hiring manager to come up with a hypothetically scenario to launch a new product for Riot Games. The idea was to basically understand your skill-set and thinking process. And, of course to have something more solid to initiate a better communication during the interview process.
Anyways, I hope this helps if anyone is interviewing for a similar gaming company.
Creating an MSO: Viral Emotions and the Keys to Social Play GDC09 100n032609Nicole Lazzaro
How to use emotion to create an MSO (Massively Social Online game) by using social emotions to drive the viral distribution of games.
Slides from my presentation at GDC 2009
7 ways how your brand can benefit from the gaming industry. A presentation for advertising agencies, PR agencies, media agencies, marketeers and anybody working with brands.
Riot Games Interview presentation Product launch planEdward Hwang
Though I failed to get the job as a product manager for SEA region after more than 10 interviews and hundreds of e-mails exchanged over a 6 months period, I still would like to share this slide that helped me get to the very last stage of the interview.
I made the slide within a week between interviews based on the request of the hiring manager to come up with a hypothetically scenario to launch a new product for Riot Games. The idea was to basically understand your skill-set and thinking process. And, of course to have something more solid to initiate a better communication during the interview process.
Anyways, I hope this helps if anyone is interviewing for a similar gaming company.
Creating an MSO: Viral Emotions and the Keys to Social Play GDC09 100n032609Nicole Lazzaro
How to use emotion to create an MSO (Massively Social Online game) by using social emotions to drive the viral distribution of games.
Slides from my presentation at GDC 2009
7 ways how your brand can benefit from the gaming industry. A presentation for advertising agencies, PR agencies, media agencies, marketeers and anybody working with brands.
Since the last generation of consoles were released 7 years ago, the gaming industry has been through a seismic revolution with social media and mobile technology creating completely new types of gamer. With the next generation of consoles from Sony and Microsoft likely to be available later this year, we wanted to explore this fragmented gaming audience landscape and measure the challenge that lies ahead for the two giants.
In the first of a two part post, we interview four people from within the gaming industry to understand how they see the landscape and where the power to engage and own gaming audiences lies.
An Analysis of Game Freak's Pokemon Sword and Shield Pre-LaunchGabrielle Cushman
A landscape analysis presentation that covers the communication, tone, and clarity of three different Nintendo Switch releases (Pokemon Sword and Shield, Animal Crossing New Horizons, and Super Smash Brothers Ultimate) to determine what went wrong with Pokemon Sword and Shield's advertisement prior to the game's launch.
My talk on independent games given at GDC China in Shanghai, October 2009 - also includes a large section given in Australia's Digital Distribution Summit in that same month. Includes information on trends, tips, tactics for success.
Since the last generation of consoles were released 7 years ago, the gaming industry has been through a seismic revolution with social media and mobile technology creating completely new types of gamer. With the next generation of consoles from Sony and Microsoft likely to be available later this year, we wanted to explore this fragmented gaming audience landscape and measure the challenge that lies ahead for the two giants.
In the first of a two part post, we interview four people from within the gaming industry to understand how they see the landscape and where the power to engage and own gaming audiences lies.
An Analysis of Game Freak's Pokemon Sword and Shield Pre-LaunchGabrielle Cushman
A landscape analysis presentation that covers the communication, tone, and clarity of three different Nintendo Switch releases (Pokemon Sword and Shield, Animal Crossing New Horizons, and Super Smash Brothers Ultimate) to determine what went wrong with Pokemon Sword and Shield's advertisement prior to the game's launch.
My talk on independent games given at GDC China in Shanghai, October 2009 - also includes a large section given in Australia's Digital Distribution Summit in that same month. Includes information on trends, tips, tactics for success.
1 Activision Blizzard Impact of Cutting Costs .docxShiraPrater50
1
Activision Blizzard Impact of Cutting Costs
Prepared for
Prepared by
2
Memorandum
To:
From:
Subject: Recent Layoffs
Here is my report to you about the recent layoffs and past actions this company has done to cut
costs down to a minimum.
The way the company has been dealing with how we should cut costs might help us in the short
term, but we will get a lot of criticisms and our sales numbers might get affected as a result. I
would prefer it if we went with another method instead of having to lay off a large fraction of our
employees. Our company has been getting a lot of criticisms with how we have been handling
the marketing of our games, the scale down of Heroes of the Storm, and the recent changing of
our CFO and other top executives.
I would recommend that we try restructuring our advertising budget so we can use it more
effectively, while also cutting down on expenses.
Thank you for spending the time to read this message, I hope you take into account my ideas and
if you have any more questions please contact me.
Thank you for your time,
……….
3
Table of Contents
Executive Summary ………………………………………………………………………….. 4
Introduction …………………………………………………………………………………… 5
Background……………………………………………………………………….…...………. 6
Blizzcon 2018…………………………………………………………………………………. 7-8
Heroes of the Storm Scale Down………………………………………………………………8-9
Bungie Split with Activision…………………………………………………………………. 9-10
Activision Blizzard Executives Leaving the Company………………………………………... 10
Cut of Hundreds of Jobs………………………………………….…………………………. 10-11
Conclusions……………………………………………………………………………………. 11
Recommendations……………………………………………………………………………... 12
References……………………………………………………………………………………... 13
Appendix: Table 1 and 2.
4
Executive Summary
This report will analyze how Activision Blizzard cut costs in the last two years and how it has
impacted the company.
How they Cut Costs
Activision Blizzard’s stock has dropped by 10% as a result of the announcements made
during Blizzcon. This event might have forced the company to make drastic changes to save the
company some money. One of the changes made was with one of their games called Heroes of
the Storm. In order to cut costs, they reorganized the development team and moved developers to
other game projects. Then at the start of 2019, they made the decision to split from the company,
Bungie. They had a 10-year publishing agreement with them, but they decided to part ways after
Bungie’s game, Destiny has not met the sales number they estimated. Then their most recent
cutting-cost decision was the layoffs in February that shrank their employee numbers by 8
percent.
Conclusions and Recommendations
The direction Activision Blizzard has ...
1 Activision Blizzard Impact of Cutting Costs .docxgertrudebellgrove
1
Activision Blizzard Impact of Cutting Costs
Prepared for
Prepared by
2
Memorandum
To:
From:
Subject: Recent Layoffs
Here is my report to you about the recent layoffs and past actions this company has done to cut
costs down to a minimum.
The way the company has been dealing with how we should cut costs might help us in the short
term, but we will get a lot of criticisms and our sales numbers might get affected as a result. I
would prefer it if we went with another method instead of having to lay off a large fraction of our
employees. Our company has been getting a lot of criticisms with how we have been handling
the marketing of our games, the scale down of Heroes of the Storm, and the recent changing of
our CFO and other top executives.
I would recommend that we try restructuring our advertising budget so we can use it more
effectively, while also cutting down on expenses.
Thank you for spending the time to read this message, I hope you take into account my ideas and
if you have any more questions please contact me.
Thank you for your time,
……….
3
Table of Contents
Executive Summary ………………………………………………………………………….. 4
Introduction …………………………………………………………………………………… 5
Background……………………………………………………………………….…...………. 6
Blizzcon 2018…………………………………………………………………………………. 7-8
Heroes of the Storm Scale Down………………………………………………………………8-9
Bungie Split with Activision…………………………………………………………………. 9-10
Activision Blizzard Executives Leaving the Company………………………………………... 10
Cut of Hundreds of Jobs………………………………………….…………………………. 10-11
Conclusions……………………………………………………………………………………. 11
Recommendations……………………………………………………………………………... 12
References……………………………………………………………………………………... 13
Appendix: Table 1 and 2.
4
Executive Summary
This report will analyze how Activision Blizzard cut costs in the last two years and how it has
impacted the company.
How they Cut Costs
Activision Blizzard’s stock has dropped by 10% as a result of the announcements made
during Blizzcon. This event might have forced the company to make drastic changes to save the
company some money. One of the changes made was with one of their games called Heroes of
the Storm. In order to cut costs, they reorganized the development team and moved developers to
other game projects. Then at the start of 2019, they made the decision to split from the company,
Bungie. They had a 10-year publishing agreement with them, but they decided to part ways after
Bungie’s game, Destiny has not met the sales number they estimated. Then their most recent
cutting-cost decision was the layoffs in February that shrank their employee numbers by 8
percent.
Conclusions and Recommendations
The direction Activision Blizzard has .
As a final project in my Principals of Marketing class, we were tasked with developing a marketing plan for an existing company. I chose Nintendo video games.
Games have exploded on the web and mobile. But brands have missed the big bang moment. What can Brands do to remain relevant in the biggest evolution in Media? That approach is what this ppt attempts to describe!
Successfully Publishing your PC Games in China | Matthew LeopoldJessica Tams
Premium PC Games have been picking up steam in China, but the government is cracking down. Join Matthew Leopold to find out how to successfully navigate the China PC gaming scene not only from a regulations standpoint but also in terms of ‘culturalization’ and distribution.
5 big bets to drive growth in 2024 without one additional marketing dollar AND how to adapt to the biggest shifting eCommerce trend- AI.
1) Romance Your Customers - Retention
2) ‘Alternative’ Lead Gen - Advocacy
3) The Beautiful Basics - Conversion Rate Optimization
4) Land that Bottom Line - Profitability
5) Roll the Dice - New Business Models
Most small businesses struggle to see marketing results. In this session, we will eliminate any confusion about what to do next, solving your marketing problems so your business can thrive. You’ll learn how to create a foundational marketing OS (operating system) based on neuroscience and backed by real-world results. You’ll be taught how to develop deep customer connections, and how to have your CRM dynamically segment and sell at any stage in the customer’s journey. By the end of the session, you’ll remove confusion and chaos and replace it with clarity and confidence for long-term marketing success.
Key Takeaways:
• Uncover the power of a foundational marketing system that dynamically communicates with prospects and customers on autopilot.
• Harness neuroscience and Tribal Alignment to transform your communication strategies, turning potential clients into fans and those fans into loyal customers.
• Discover the art of automated segmentation, pinpointing your most lucrative customers and identifying the optimal moments for successful conversions.
• Streamline your business with a content production plan that eliminates guesswork, wasted time, and money.
Monthly Social Media News Update May 2024Andy Lambert
TL;DR. These are the three themes that stood out to us over the course of last month.
1️⃣ Social media is becoming increasingly significant for brand discovery. Marketers are now understanding the impact of social and budgets are shifting accordingly.
2️⃣ Instagram’s new algorithm and latest guidance will help us maintain organic growth. Instagram continues to evolve, but Reels remains the most crucial tool for growth.
3️⃣ Collaboration will help us unlock growth. Who we work with will define how fast we grow. Meta continues to evolve their Creator Marketplace and now TikTok are beginning to push ‘collabs’ more too.
In this presentation, Danny Leibrandt explains the impact of AI on SEO and what Google has been doing about it. Learn how to take your SEO game to the next level and win over Google with his new strategy anyone can use. Get actionable steps to rank your name, your business, and your clients on Google - the right way.
Key Takeaways:
1. Real content is king
2. Find ways to show EEAT
3. Repurpose across all platforms
Top 3 Ways to Align Sales and Marketing Teams for Rapid GrowthDemandbase
In this session, Demandbase’s Stephanie Quinn, Sr. Director of Integrated and Digital Marketing, Devin Rosenberg, Director of Sales, and Kevin Rooney, Senior Director of Sales Development will share how sales and marketing shapes their day-to-day and what key areas are needed for true alignment.
SEO as the Backbone of Digital MarketingFelipe Bazon
In this talk Felipe Bazon will share how him and his team at Hedgehog Digital share our journey of making C-Levels alike, specially CMOS realize that SEO is the backbone of digital marketing by showing how SEO can contribute to brand awareness, reputation and authority and above all how to use SEO to create more robust global marketing strategies.
The session includes a brief history of the evolution of search before diving into the roles technology, content, and links play in developing a powerful SEO strategy in a world of Generative AI and social search. Discover how to optimize for TikTok searches, Google's Gemini, and Search Generative Experience while developing a powerful arsenal of tools and templates to help maximize the effectiveness of your SEO initiatives.
Key Takeaways:
Understand how search engines work
Be able to find out where your users search
Know what is required for each discipline of SEO
Feel confident creating an SEO Plan
Confidently measure SEO performance
When most people in the industry talk about online or digital reputation management, what they're really saying is Google search and PPC. And it's usually reactive, left dealing with the aftermath of negative information published somewhere online. That's outdated. It leaves executives, organizations and other high-profile individuals at a high risk of a digital reputation attack that spans channels and tactics. But the tools needed to safeguard against an attack are more cybersecurity-oriented than most marketing and communications professionals can manage. Business leaders Leaders grasp the importance; 83% of executives place reputation in their top five areas of risk, yet only 23% are confident in their ability to address it. To succeed in 2024 and beyond, you need to turn online reputation on its axis and think like an attacker.\
Key Takeaways:
- New framework for examining and safeguarding an online reputation
- Tools and techniques to keep you a step ahead
- Practical examples that demonstrate when to act, how to act and how to recover
Core Web Vitals SEO Workshop - improve your performance [pdf]Peter Mead
Core Web Vitals to improve your website performance for better SEO results with CWV.
CWV Topics include:
- Understanding the latest Core Web Vitals including the significance of LCP, INP and CLS + their impact on SEO
- Optimisation techniques from our experts on how to improve your CWV on platforms like WordPress and WP Engine
- The impact of user experience and SEO
Digital Commerce Lecture for Advanced Digital & Social Media Strategy at UCLA...Valters Lauzums
E-commerce in 2024 is characterized by a dynamic blend of opportunities and significant challenges. Supply chain disruptions and inventory shortages are critical issues, leading to increased shipping delays and rising costs, which impact timely delivery and squeeze profit margins. Efficient logistics management is essential, yet it is often hampered by these external factors. Payment processing, while needing to ensure security and user convenience, grapples with preventing fraud and integrating diverse payment methods, adding another layer of complexity. Furthermore, fulfillment operations require a streamlined approach to handle volume spikes and maintain accuracy in order picking, packing, and shipping, all while meeting customers' heightened expectations for faster delivery times.
Amid these operational challenges, customer data has emerged as an important strategy. By focusing on personalization and enhancing customer experience from historical behavior, businesses can deliver improved website and brand experienced, better product recommendations, optimal promotions, and content to meet individual preferences. Better data analytics can also help in effectively creating marketing campaigns, improving customer retention, and driving product development and inventory management.
Innovative formats such as social commerce and live shopping are beginning to impact the digital commerce landscape, offering new ways to engage with customers and drive sales, and may provide opportunity for brands that have been priced out or seen a downturn with post-pandemic shopping behavior. Social commerce integrates shopping experiences directly into social media platforms, tapping into the massive user bases of these networks to increase reach and engagement. Live shopping, on the other hand, combines entertainment and real-time interaction, providing a dynamic platform for showcasing products and encouraging immediate purchases. These innovations not only enhance customer engagement but also provide valuable data for businesses to refine their strategies and deliver superior shopping experiences.
The e-commerce sector is evolving rapidly, and businesses that effectively manage operational challenges and implement innovative strategies are best positioned for long-term success.
AI-Powered Personalization: Principles, Use Cases, and Its Impact on CROVWO
In today’s era of AI, personalization is more than just a trend—it’s a fundamental strategy that unlocks numerous opportunities.
When done effectively, personalization builds trust, loyalty, and satisfaction among your users—key factors for business success. However, relying solely on AI capabilities isn’t enough. You need to anchor your approach in solid principles, understand your users’ context, and master the art of persuasion.
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To take the pulse of consumers’ feelings about their financial well-being ahead of a highly anticipated election, ThinkNow conducted a nationally representative quantitative survey. The survey highlights consumers’ hopes and anxieties as we move into 2024. Let's unpack the key findings to gain insights about where we stand.
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Digital marketing is the art and science of promoting products or services using digital channels to reach and engage with potential customers. It encompasses a wide range of online tactics and strategies aimed at increasing brand visibility, driving website traffic, generating leads, and ultimately, converting those leads into customers.
https://nidmindia.com/
2. Introduction to Blizzard
The organization being presented today is Blizzard Entertainment.
They are a video game development company.
They are proud producers of Starcraft 1&2, World of Warcraft, Overwatch, Heartstone, Heroes of
the Storm, Diablo
3. Intro
For the most part this presentation will focus on Blizzard’s World of Warcraft department.
This is their most successful game.
World of Warcraft is the most successful Massive Multiplayer Role Playing Game.
4. Customers
Blizzard’s customer’s are people who play computer video games.
World of Warcraft can only be played on the computer. Its not the most new player friendly
game.
Mostly marketed to veterans of computer gamers.
Also the players must have more money than the typical gamer because this game has a
monthly fee, of $15.
5. Customer Categories
Video Game Veterans
Consistent changes to the game
This makes the game more smooth and fun for these constant players
Blizzard does this monthly
Blizzard markets wow to these players
New Players
These players will want things to make it so they can play more easily
Discounts to play game
Lower of the base price of the game
Catch up mechanic in the video game so they can play with everyone else
Blizzard does all these things
7. Advertising
Blizzard used to run ads with celebrities such as Mr.T during the super bowl. Also mini me, and
Ozzy Osbourne.
8. Sales Promotion
The lower of the base game of world of Warcraft to $10. Then eventually giving the base game
and some expansions for $10 so that way people will be more encouraged to play the current
game which is $50.
9. Public Relations
Every year Blizzard Entertainment host Blizzcon.
This is a huge event where fans of Blizzard come to this convention to hear more about
upcoming projects and to just be a part of the family.
Often blizzard will tell of upcoming games here and comment on the current state of their past
projects.
10. Personal Selling
Blizzard has done incentive programs in the past.
For world of Warcraft; if a player invites a friend to play the game.
The player will get free game time for this game. Not only this but both players get in game
items.
This has been a major hit.
11. Influence of Internet and Social Media
For a larger portion of World of Warcraft life, they only marketed via the internet.
They did not start using commercials on television till 2007. 3 years after its launch. Today it still
does not use many tv commercials if any at all.
The company uses the internet to market its deals for the game. Such as now you can buy base
parts of the game for cheaper.
World of Warcraft is active on social media. For the most part they use social media to talk to the
fans about the game. Such as what parts of the game will be changing this week or what you feel
as a fan should be changed. This is a huge emphasis of their social media presence. To make the
player feel valued.
They also use their site heavily to market the game or to just connect with fans. Via their forum
system.
12. Integrated Marketing Communication
Blizzard does a great job at this.
Its promotional and marketing tools are carefully linked.
Its ads are always directly linked to things in the game.
Blizzcon does an awesome job at this as well.
13. IMC: Continued
Blizzcon talks about all their games and provides things to be used in their games as well.
The promotions at Blizzcon are easily used in the games they sell.
Blizzards makes changes to the game based off player feedback. This is done smoothly every
month
The Mr.T commercial showed actual components of the game and did not try to dramatize.
Blizzards ads are real and actually contain things that relate to their games.
What you see is what you get
14. Competition
World of Warcraft has competitors but not really.
This is my most successful game in its genre ever.
The only competitors at the moment would be Guild Wars 2 but that game is dying. Final Fantasy
XIV, and Elder Scrolls Online.
From a Marketing stand point only Elder Scrolls Online stands out.
15. Competition: Continued
These other games are competitors because they offer games in the same genre.
A competitor in the gaming market generally only applies to games in the same genre because
its rare that a player will be taken from their genre to another.
For instance if you are a huge MMORPG fan its rare that you’ll completely stop playing MMORPG
for a FPS. Its more likely that you play both.
Elder Scrolls Online is a product of Bethesda Studios. They use a lot of commercial ads. At the
moment they have been showing the ad for their new expansion. They also used E3 to market
their products. That is a convention and would fall under Public Relations.
16. What Makes Them Different?
Essentially Blizzard does not still try to differentiate it self from others.
They were for the most part the first ones to make the biggest MMORPG and RTS.
They differentiated themselves at the very beginning of their birth by just making the best of that
kind of product. This has held them over since.
They are the grandfathers of these genres and this is why they are still relevant. No one has come
close.
17. Consumer Relationship Marketing Strategies
Blizzard uses the concept of CRM strategies very often.
For instance in World of Warcraft at least monthly will make changes to the game based on the
fans.
They will take note to the reactions of fans to certain aspects of the game. Blizzard takes notice of
the fans via social media comments or their forum website.
A more in depth tool they use is what people play in the game. If a lot of people start playing
one class instead of another than they will make changes to the least played classes. This is their
way of keeping a great relationship with the players. It lets the player know they care.
For the most part Blizzard listens to the players based off the forum and actual gameplay.
18. Auditing Blizzard Entertainment
The company is doing a great job in general.
They have diverse games and many customers.
For World of Warcraft I think they should run more commericals. Commericals like the ones for
Overwatch. Overwatch is a huge hit at the moment.
For the most part Overwatch rose to promise because of their extensive marketing campaign. These
ads for Overwatch were high quality. They were mini movies. This really got fans intrigued and wanted
more and more.
World of Warcraft lacks these ads. This allowed fans to be deeply connected with Overwatch even
before it was released.
Also I think Blizzard should listen to the fans even more in World of Warcraft because they game is on
a downtrend. The game had its most promise during the period of the Mr. T, Mini ME, and Ozzy tv ads.
