Game connection speach 2012
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A talk I gave in Paris drawing similarities between what changes are happening in games to what changes took place when the Film industry was challenged by Television. Download the file for the notes
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Game connection speach 2012
- 2. The History of Film The Horse In Motion (1878)
- 3. The History of Film Workers Leaving the Lumiere Factory (1895) -December 28, 1895 in the basement the Salon Indien du Grand Café in Paris
- 4. The History of Television Scottish inventor John Logie Baird (1925-1926) Broadcasting Begins (1941)
- 6. Core Tenants TV Film • Episodic • Self Contained • Free • Pay to Watch • MVP launch strategy (Pilots) • Finished at launch • Service • Product • Smaller Budgets • Big Budgets • Niche genres • Blockbusters
- 7. Correlation Film Box Games =
- 8. Correlation TV Digital Games =
- 9. Games Core Tenants Digital Games Box Games • Evolving Content • Self Contained • Free • Pay to Play • MVP launch strategy • Finished at launch • Service • Product • Smaller Budgets • Big Budgets • Niche genres • Blockbusters
- 11. Marketing Differences Film Marketing • Push vs. Pull • Limited optimization • Compressed duration • Preview/Review focused • All about the trailer • One Sheets • Heavy Paid • Drive traffic to media spend theater • Reach focused • Mass market
- 12. Marketing Differences TV Marketing • Pull vs. Push • Analytics driven optimization • Messaging over time • Content focused • Preview next weeks episode • Digital and on channel • Light paid media spend • Drive repeat views • Retention focused • Niche generas
- 13. Analytics vs. Branding TV Marketing • TV programming marketing is highly driven by analytics and optimization
- 16. Learnings
- 17. Learnings Applying TV Marketing Techniques to Games • Communicate for a full season • On network marketing is the most cost efficient and best used for retention • Optimize based on data • Don’t forget to entertain with your marketing • Need to go off network for new shows and new viewers
- 18. Learnings Where is this already in practice? "Our marketing strategy for HAWKEN is primarily all “inbound”. Instead of chasing our target audience with banner ads we’ve commissioned creative collateral coordinated as transmedia – an original graphic novel, digital comic, an eBook, a live action digital web series – that are cross-linked and search optimized to funnel players to playhawken.com. We use social media as an accelerant to broadcast the release of new content to remind and re-engage players. And we localize the content for each of our ten major territories." Mark Long, CEO Meteor Entertainment
- 19. Learnings Where is this already in practice? “Defiance started out as a transmedia project from its inception, which means our world, characters, and events have been originally conceived to span these different mediums. Whether someone watches Defiance the TV show, plays Defiance the game, or even engages with Defiance on social platforms, they will get a unique part of the story, and the ability to become part of the overall story as it is being told.” – Alex Rodberg - Global Brand Director
- 20. Learnings Where is this already in practice? "Marketing games through immersive storytelling brings audiences into the emotional disposition of the game, enabling fans to imagine how they will feel when they play. Pushing beyond the 30 and 60 second spots to something as big as Halo 4:Forward Unto Dawn allows us to scale both in terms of reach and engagement by telling a meaningful story as a direct entree to Halo 4. We believe fans are loving it and getting ready for the launch of Halo 4 on November 6th.” Matt McCloskey – Director of Franchise Business Management at 343 Industries
- 21. Learnings Where is this already in practice? Licensing Events Youtube Celebrity
- 22. Marketing Differences Marketing services is fundamentally different than marketing products
Editor's Notes
- In 1878 the first moving images appeared on screen in California as a science experiment to prove if when a Horse runs all four of his feet touch the ground at the same time.
- But then in 1895 here in Paris was the birth of Movies for themass public invented byAuguste and Louis Lumiere. Workers Leaving The Lumière FactoryThe First Commercial movie. it was screened as the first in a series of 10 short films at the Salon Indien du Grand Café in Paris, and marked the first time admission was charged for a movie screening. The film Hugo was a great moviethat showed the amazement the public. had with motion pictures. A mega industry was born
- Although there were several different attempts of showing moving images on a electronic device prior to John Logie, he deserves the most credit for giving the first public demonstration and for transmitting a signal. But it wasn't until 1941 when the FCC in the US and BBC in the UK began public broadcasts and allowed advertisers to place advertisements within programing. This changed everything and the Motion Picture industry, well established in Hollywood, got a bit nervous.
- So lets run down the core fundamental differences between the two different mediums. Both TV and Film deliver video entertainment to consumers but they are extremely different in their approach. Now there are exceptions to each of these assumptions but for the most part these core differences apply to each medium more than the other.1. Distribution Format- TV delivers episodic content vs Film which is a single self contained viewing experience. This simple fact introduces huge implications to the viewer, the business strategy and the content created for each medium. 2. Monetization Structure- For the most part TV is delivered as a free product while the consumer purchases a ticket to watch a movie. Films monetization allows for more structured forecasting but at the same time somewhat limits their upside.3. Product Development- Since TV is an episodic medium with a free business model they must “test” their content with Pilots to see if there is an audience while in the world of film the studio needs to be all in. The idea of delivering a minimum viable product works in the TV world but spells disaster in the world of film.4. Service vs. Product- Due to the differences noted earlier what TV is at the end of the day is a service. TV is only as good as it is able to get customers to come back and keep watching. While in stark contrast Film is a product by nature. These facts have lead to the vast differences that have matured in the marketing, development and business of video entertainment.5. Budgets- Since TV was able to give away their product free and test creative they were able to get away with smaller initial spends while the big studios, in order to compete were doubling and tripling down on big budget blockbuster films in order to stand out. 6. Appeal- With the ability to spend less and test ideas TV began to cater to smaller niche audiences and genres while the studios in order to turn a profit needed to be everything to everybody.How much of this sounds familiar to what is going on today in the games industry?
- The similarities are uncanny
- So, since they have already gone through this transition what can we learn from them?
- So now lets look at the similarity the games business has to Film and TV. Both Digital Games and Boxed games deliver interactive entertainment to consumers but, similar to TV/Film they are extremely different in their approach. Again there are exceptions to each of these assumptions but for the most part these core differences apply to each type more than the other.1. Product Format- Digital games tend to evolve over time, adding content, improving performance, implementing user suggested changes and eliminating bugs. Boxed games on the other hand for the most part are finished products. Everything you need and all content on a disk.2. Monetization Structure- The prevailing business model for digital games is by far Free to Play. Mobile online and social gamers now expect these games to be free to begin and pay to enhance their experience. Boxed games are pay to play just like feature films are pay to watch.3. Product Development- The term “minimal viable product” can have negative connotations but it is a powerful shift in development that allows for significant optimization and product changes based on consumer feedback. Where with traditional boxed games development teams must spend years perfecting the game and hope consumers like it4. Service vs. Product- At the root of the differences is that the traditional boxed console games business is really selling “products” and the new emerging side of our industry with mobile, social and online is managing services. 5. Budgets- In order to compete in the product business publishers are doubling down on proven genres and IP’s and building mega games with astronomical budgets while the digital side of the business, with direct access to consumers has been able to be much more nimble and experiment with varying sizes of budgets and scopes6. Appeal- Without the burden to compete directly against these mega games, digital games have found success in appealing to very focused niches. The re emergence of genres like simulation, strategy and puzzle games have found new audiences and rekindled old audiences desire to play these games on digital platforms.The similarities between to our two industry shifts is undeniable.
- So now lets turn our attention to how the two industries approached marketing. Film has become a very formulaic effort to market. It is almost a science with a pre-written playbook. Rinse and repeat the tactics for each release. For the most part film marketers broadcast their message through traditional channels like TV, Print and Online. Outbound marketing.The campaign for a film has a set duration, pre-launch build hype, big crescendo at release and accolades to finish off in theater shelf life.Make a great trailer and guarantee opening day success. Blanket media with a reach and frequency strategy Due to the short nature of the campaign there is very little change or optimization opportunities available to Film marketersFrom a public relations point of view the system works perfectly with the preview/review cycleSingle piece of key art tells the whole storyOne single very focused call to action – Go to the theaterBlockbusters appeal to everyone
- Now look at the way Television is marketedThere is stark contrast in delivery of the message where the film industry predominantly broadcasts their message (push technique) TV relies heavily on in network messaging and other pull techniquesThe simple fact that TV is episodic means that TV marketers can build on their message over time They can use previews to hype what is next and use that as a retention techniqueThey can use the power of their own network and reduce overall spend outside their channelsSince the business model is based on viewership and ratings they use retention based tactics, the ultimate goal is to get repeat viewsTV, in order to justify ad dollars has access to massive amounts of analytics from companies like Neilsen. This allows marketers to test marketing techniques, learn from results and make changes to them i.e. optimize marketingThe assets they use to market their programs are low cost and re-purposed content from their shows Frequency becomes much more important than reach, need to stay top of mind to get viewers to tune inSince TV programing can be more niche genre focused the TV marketers ability to better define target markets allows for even more efficiency
- In today’s hyper-competitive media environment, TV marketers need to utilize a more scientific and tactical approach to promote programming. For the sake of the networks and the CMOs alike, it’s time to utilize measurement tools that can help networks optimize their program promotions—and then measure the direct impact on ratings. Only then can marketers determine if their on-channel vs. cross-channel/paid promotions mix is effective. Even so it should be noted that TV marketers, with all the luxury of cross product promotion i.e. spots that advertise similar shows on the same network still soon realized that only advertising to viewers on their own networks limited significantly the ability to gain new viewers. Even more important in TV show marketing as a learning is the importance in off network advertising for new shows. According to a 2011 Nielson study new shows that were only exposed to on-channel promotion made up below 40 percent of the premiere’s audience. Recentcyis critical! Promotions on premiere day are critical. Typically, around one-third of the total audience of a premiere was only exposed to a promo that day. This is in stark contrast to Film where significant marketing and exposure prior to launch is the make or break.Lets take a look at two case studies of TV marketing at its best.
- One of the most successful shows of our generation both from a viewership standpoint but more importantly from a marketing standppoint in TV was Lost. The Lost Experience was truly a pinnacle of TV marketing. If there are folks who remember ABC TV in conjunction with the UK’s Channel 4 network delivered on one of the most integrated transmedia marketing campaigns ever conceived for a television show. After two successful seasons the marketing team behind the show was determined to solidify its viewership with fans and broaden their audience by empowering the enthusiasts. ABC's integrated marketing strategy for 'Lost' was widely appreciated by many media experts and analysts. It was reported that even people who were initially skeptical were won over by the unique multi-pronged campaign. Not only were the fans playing the game, but they were also e-mailing and messaging each other when they discovered new clues. They used a true transmedia effort to reach out to fans. Events, websites, SMS, products like the real Appolo chocolate bars were are tied into a campaign that bridged the gap from season two to three and empowered core fans to bring their more hesitant friends into the world of Lost. The campaign was also able to brilliantly integrate brands such as Sprite, Jeep, Monster.com and Verizon into it without feeling like it sold out. Tom Lowry of BusinessWeek wrote, "Using podcasts, interactive games, websites, and good, old-fashioned hype, ABC has turned a cult-style show into a cross-media sensation." The Lost Experience was hailed as breaking new grounds in marketing a TV show. Earlier, advertisers were concerned that consumers, especially those who had DVRs, could skip the ads that were aired during commercial breaks... And so lets take a look of what was done and remember this was 2006, all done without the aid of todays social channels like Facebook and Twitter.Run video…..The results were that season three saw Lost just from #15 most viewed show in the US to #10 and grew their numbers from 15 million viewers per episode to over 18 million.
- HBO right now is on top of the world and really giving TV viewers content that rivals feature film. With shows like Game of Thrones and Boardwalk Empire it seems they can do no wrong. Episodic content with near feature film level production value has been tremendously successful for them and spawned other networks to try and do the same i.e. Showtime and AMC. But their advantages over film also extend to what they can do with their marketing. In the months leading up to its premier in 2008 HBO marketers launched one of the most interesting and well thought out marketing campaigns for a TV show ever created with “Blood Copy”Run video/….Here there was a difference in their goals than what Lost did. This was a pre-launch effort. HBO saw the need to use “Original Content” to drive awareness and brand affinity for True Blood. Without knowledge of characters and story HBO needed to build that through the use of this campaign and results were outstanding.The BloodCopy work resulted in a very loyal fan base. By mid Nov in their first season True Blood was the most watched show on the network since The Sopranos. In addition the DVD sales of season 1 were the only TV series in the top 50 selling DVD’s of 2009
- So what can we learn from marketing successes in TV like Lost? On network remessaging, analytics based tactics and big budget film style tactics in some cases do not work and even in the best executed campaigns have limited upside. Marketers need to look to original content and tramsmedia efforts to truly engage, retain and monetize their efforts.
- So what can we learn from marketing successes in TV like Lost? On network remessaging, analytics based tactics and big budget film style tactics in some cases do not work and even in the best executed campaigns have limited upside. Marketers need to look to original content and tramsmedia efforts to truly engage, retain and monetize their efforts. Halo FUDHawkenLeague of Legends – World ChampionshipsTrion – DefianceAPB YoutubersAngry Birds – Licensing
- So what can we learn from marketing successes in TV like Lost? On network remessaging, analytics based tactics and big budget film style tactics in some cases do not work and even in the best executed campaigns have limited upside. Marketers need to look to original content and tramsmedia efforts to truly engage, retain and monetize their efforts. Halo FUDHawkenLeague of Legends – World ChampionshipsTrion – DefianceAPB YoutubersAngry Birds – Licensing
- So what can we learn from marketing successes in TV like Lost? On network remessaging, analytics based tactics and big budget film style tactics in some cases do not work and even in the best executed campaigns have limited upside. Marketers need to look to original content and tramsmedia efforts to truly engage, retain and monetize their efforts. Halo FUDHawkenLeague of Legends – World ChampionshipsTrion – DefianceAPB YoutubersAngry Birds – Licensing
- So what can we learn from marketing successes in TV like Lost? On network remessaging, analytics based tactics and big budget film style tactics in some cases do not work and even in the best executed campaigns have limited upside. Marketers need to look to original content and tramsmedia efforts to truly engage, retain and monetize their efforts. Halo FUDHawkenLeague of Legends – World ChampionshipsTrion – DefianceAPB YoutubersAngry Birds – Licensing
- So what can we learn from marketing successes in TV like Lost? On network remessaging, analytics based tactics and big budget film style tactics in some cases do not work and even in the best executed campaigns have limited upside. Marketers need to look to original content and tramsmedia efforts to truly engage, retain and monetize their efforts.