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Social Media Marketing Strategy
Jesse N. Braswell, Robert J. Carroway, Nathaniel E. Jones, Priyank M. Patel, and Drew A. Walker
COM 358: Social Media for PR – Flagler College Tallahassee
April 20, 2015
Table of Contents
Abstract............................................................................................................................................ 5
Chapter 01: Executive Summary...................................................................................................... 6
I. Summary of Brand Marketing Objectives and Social Media Goals ....................................... 6
Chapter 02: Brand Overview ........................................................................................................... 7
I. Product/Service Summary....................................................................................................... 7
Chapter 03: Social Media Objectives .............................................................................................. 8
I. Three Social Media Objectives ............................................................................................... 8
II. Key Performance Indicators................................................................................................... 8
III. Measurable Objectives.......................................................................................................... 9
Chapter 04: Defined Target Audience ...........................................................................................11
I. Audience Summary................................................................................................................11
II. Social Media Personas.........................................................................................................11
Chapter 05: Defined Platforms.......................................................................................................13
I. How the Brand Will Utilize Each Platform to Reach Audience and Achieve Goals............13
1. Driving Customers to Each Platform...............................................................................13
2. Post Content Strategy.......................................................................................................13
A. Frequency of Posts ....................................................................................................13
B. Response Times..........................................................................................................14
3. Success Metrics ...............................................................................................................14
II. Platforms to Include .............................................................................................................15
1. Facebook.........................................................................................................................15
2. Twitter..............................................................................................................................15
Table of Contents – Continued
3. Instagram..........................................................................................................................16
4. YouTube ..........................................................................................................................16
Chapter 06: Defined Brand Personality .........................................................................................17
I. Tone and Attitude ..................................................................................................................17
1. Brand Voice and Reason.................................................................................................17
II. Customer Response Strategy................................................................................................17
1. Listening and Response Tactics.......................................................................................17
2. Reactive............................................................................................................................18
A. Positive and Negative Feedback ...............................................................................18
Chapter 07: Content Strategy.........................................................................................................19
I. Content Mix...........................................................................................................................19
1. Description of Content Types and Goals.........................................................................19
A. Videos, Photos, Status Updates, Etc..........................................................................19
2. Two-Month Content Calendar.........................................................................................24
A. Two-Week Conversation Calendar............................................................................24
3. Content Integration with Other Marketing Strategies......................................................25
II. Content Management............................................................................................................25
1. Content Creation..............................................................................................................25
A. Marketing and Customers: When and How..............................................................25
2. Content Responsibility.....................................................................................................26
3. Content Monitoring..........................................................................................................26
Chapter 08: Campaign Initiatives and Big Ideas...........................................................................28
Table of Contents – Continued
I. Campaign Tactics: Awareness, Engagement, and Purchase .................................................28
1. Goals and KPIs................................................................................................................28
2. Audience ..........................................................................................................................29
3. Summary of Campaign Tactics........................................................................................29
A. Platforms ....................................................................................................................29
B. Content Types: Summary of Content ........................................................................30
C. Solution: Product Solutions........................................................................................31
D. Timing........................................................................................................................32
E. Estimated Cost of Paid Media....................................................................................32
Chapter 09: Measurement ..............................................................................................................38
I. How Social Media Will Be Measured ..................................................................................38
Appendix A...................................................................................................................................39
Appendix B ...................................................................................................................................40
Appendix C ...................................................................................................................................43
Appendix D...................................................................................................................................46
Appendix E....................................................................................................................................51
Abstract
Isolation is a survival horror/supernatural action thriller video game created by the Tallahassee,
Florida-based developer, Tsunami Studios. This social media marketing strategy centers on the
aforementioned company and its product by covering media objectives, brand personality, target
audience, general content, appropriate platforms, posting schedules, response plans, campaign
initiatives, costs of paid media, key performance indicators, and analytics among other factors
necessary for success. By addressing these points, this strategy will explain how Tsunami
Studios plans to use social media from the first quarter of 2016 to the second quarter of 2017 to
generate brand awareness, stimulate engagement with prospects, obtain earned media via target-
audience led promotion, and encourage conversion.
Keywords: cooperative gameplay, local gameplay, downloadable content, eighth
generation consoles, first-person perspective, third-person perspective, survival horror
* Please refer to Appendix A for a comprehensive list of target-specific definitions.
Chapter 01: Executive Summary
I. Summary of Brand Marketing Objectives and Social Media Goals
Tsunami Studios will focus its marketing objectives on increasing awareness of the brand
through the promotion of its flagship video game, Isolation; garnering prospect engagement with
the brand through visual content, conversations, and contests; and stimulating brand and product
promotion within its target audience by crafting fun, interesting, and shareable content.
The brand’s social media strategy takes the highly-visual nature of video games into
consideration, adapting this into a format appropriate for all channels utilized. An
interconnected series of Twitter-oriented brand conversations, Instagram-based photo sharing,
YouTube video uploads, and a Facebook-based amalgam of multi-channel content will
emphasize storyboard, puzzles, and challenges to prospects.
Chapter 02: Brand Overview
I. Product/Service Summary
Isolation is a survival horror/supernatural action thriller video game created by the
Tallahassee, Florida-based developer, Tsunami Studios. The game revolves around its
protagonist, Ben Solus, who moves to Alaska in an effort to cope with sleep paralysis. After
having moved to the small town of Twin Rivers, Solus has a horrible episode where he dreams of
a young lady’s death only to wake and find the town in a suspended state of twilight. With the
enigmatic number 213 serving as a recurring theme throughout, the game challenges players to
find clues, decipher puzzles, and use various items scattered within multiple environments to
fight shadow villains and solve Solus’ dilemma. The game will be available for eighth
generation consoles only: Xbox One (Microsoft), PS4 (Sony PlayStation), and Wii U (Nintendo).
Units available for eighth generation consoles
Chapter 03: Social Media Objectives
I. Three Social Media Objectives
The brand’s three primary social media objectives include generating brand awareness,
stimulating brand engagement with prospects, and obtaining earned media via target audience-
led promotion. Brand awareness is an expected product of utilizing major social media channels
(i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube) to feature product-pertinent content in
accordance with Isolation’s “survival” message/theme. Brand engagement is an anticipated
outcome of using channels such as Twitter and Facebook to start product-centric conversations
through interesting content, questions, and contests. Earned media, or fan-based promotion, is an
expected result of posting content within major social media channels that appeals to the specific
interests of Isolation’s target audience.
II. Key Performance Indicators
Key Performance Indicators will be used to assess the effectiveness of marketing
outreach through social media objectives. Awareness from brand background information,
product descriptions, and buzzworthy content – which will include, but is not limited to, articles,
videos, and photos – will be measured by the number of likes (page and post), shares, comments,
views, ratings, and subscribers acquired. Engagement will be measured by the volume and
quality of comments to brand-posted questions, thought-provoking visual content, and
participation in events, contests, and promotions. Earned media will be gauged through a social
media monitoring service (e.g. Hootsuite, Sysomos), to determine the number of shared/reposted
conversations and visual content across multiple social media channels.
The brand is hoping to achieve a 50% increase in awareness, a 20% boost in engagement,
and a 65% gain in earned media across all defined target audiences per quarter.
III. Measurable Objectives
Objectives vary according to content, channel, and projected target audience response,
and are intended to contribute to the aforementioned social media objectives. Tsunami Studios
has elected to post the following:
Articles: These will be posted to Facebook and linked through Twitter, give prospects
background information on the brand and product, and be measured by number of likes,
shares/retweets, and comments.
Videos: Teaser trailers, graphics demonstrations, and gameplay examples will be made
available through YouTube, reposted to Facebook, and linked through Twitter. The objective is
to generate excitement for the product. This content will be measured according to number of
views, ratings (minimum of three out of five stars on most sharing sites), share statistics, and
channel subscribers. An example of the brand’s current trailer can be found at the following
URL: https://youtu.be/8ScPwbiskXU.
Photos/Albums: Product-oriented images will be posted to Facebook and Instagram with
links posted through Twitter. These are intended to create brand/product awareness through
interesting, unusual, and thought-provoking visual material. Such content will be measured by
number of likes, shares/retweets, and comments.
Questions: Inquiries will be posted to Twitter and Facebook to start conversations about
the brand/product; direct posts may include visual components. This content will be measured
by number and quality of replies, favorites, and shares/retweets.
Events: Most events will be geared toward the promotion of downloadable content for
eighth generation consoles with announcements, updates, and wrap-ups posted to Twitter and
Facebook. The objective is to increase awareness, interest, and excitement. Success will be
measured by number of downloads, likes, shares/retweets, and comments.
Sales Promotions: All sales promotions will encourage pre-orders through the inclusion
of bonus materials (e.g. downloadable content, print materials, figures, and clothing) through
Twitter and Facebook. The number of pre-order sales, likes, shares/retweets, and comments will
determine effectiveness.
Contests: Prospect challenges in the form of contests will utilize Twitter, Facebook, and
YouTube as channels for providing entry information, rules, guidelines, terms, and conditions.
Contests will focus on Isolation’s “survival” message/theme to increase engagement, awareness,
and interest in the brand/product. The amount and quality of participation/number of entries,
likes, shares/retweets, and comments will determine effectiveness.
As noted in the previous section, the brand is hoping to achieve a 50% increase in
awareness with all of the noted content. A 20% boost in engagement is anticipated from
questions, events, sales promotions, and contests; and a 65% gain in earned media from each
item is expected with all defined target audiences per quarter.
Chapter 04: Defined Audience
I. Audience Summary
Isolation’s target audience can be demographically categorized as lower to middle-
income males (earning between $15,000 and $60,000 annually) between the ages of 17 and 45.
From the psychographic standpoint, these individuals lead both sedentary and moderately active
lifestyles; spend a large portion of their earnings on entertainment; have a tendency toward
survival horror and action games from the first and third-person perspectives; enjoy both local
and cooperative (online) gameplay; prefer in-person social interaction to varying degrees;
acquire most of their information about products and services online; and are quick to share
material appealing to their interests.
II. Social Marketing Personas
There are two social marketing personas that accurately represent the Isolation target
audience: Joseph and Patrick.
Joseph is a cashier working at a superstore and is responsible for customer purchases,
questions, and complaints. He is between 17 and 24 years of age, male, earns between $15,000
and $25,000 annually, lives in a rural or suburban setting, has a high school diploma, and no
children. His goals and challenges include filling recreational time with entertainment (e.g.
movies, video games, and online videos), sharing content through social media, and spending
time indoors. Joseph’s values include personal gratification, fulfilling responsibilities as needed,
and interacting with friends via social media; he takes issue with boredom during free time,
overwhelming responsibility, and limitations to social media access. Isolation can help him by
providing shareable online content geared toward his entertainment interests. A recommended
marketing message to grab Joseph’s attention states, “Zombie apocalypse prep won’t help where
you’re going” The appropriate elevator pitch for this customer is, "Find clues, solve puzzles, and
use various items scattered throughout multiple environments to fight shadows as you explore
the ominous town of Twin Rivers in this third-person supernatural action thriller.” Joseph
represents approximately 65% of Isolation’s target audience.
Patrick is a young professional working for a corporate entity and is responsible for the
creation of promotional material, client inquiries, and general sales. He is between 25 and 45
years of age, male, earns between $30,000 and $60,000 annually, lives in a suburban or urban
setting, holds a bachelor’s degree, and has up to three children. His goals and challenges include
job growth, spending time with kids, and trying to find entertainment options suited to his age
and interests. Patrick’s values include dependability, ambition, and an appreciation for nostalgia;
he takes issue with personal setbacks, children’s activities encroaching on personal time, and
limited entertainment options for his interests. Isolation can help him by offering a gaming
experience featuring traditional survival horror elements, and an entertainment option which
adds value to his limited recreational time. A recommended marketing message to earn Patrick’s
attention would feature the game’s protagonist and his shadow counterpart, stating, “There’s
Solus and there’s Soulless. You’ll have to be one to survive.” Like Joseph, an appropriate
elevator pitch will highlight play features: “Find clues, solve puzzles, and use various items
scattered throughout multiple environments to fight shadows as you explore the ominous town of
Twin Rivers in this third-person supernatural action thriller.” Patrick represents approximately
35% of Isolation’s target audience.
Chapter 05: Defined Platforms
I. How the Brand Will Utilize Each Platform to Reach Audience and Achieve Goals
1. Driving Customers to Each Platform
In an effort to build a solid social media strategy, all channels utilized in Isolation’s
marketing will contain information that is tied/linked to homogenous and complementary content
on one or more other channels. That is to say, customers will be driven to each platform by
crosslinking target-specific content. For example, a promotional image posted to Instagram may
be linked to a coinciding Twitter post; the image featured on Instagram and Twitter may then be
reposted to Facebook with an expanded variation of the written content featured on the previous
two channels. Another example would be the creation of a Twitter hashtag/conversation with
subsequent tweets describing an upcoming contest where participants can get entry information
from a YouTube video and post submissions to Facebook. By capturing prospect attention on
native platforms, which direct targets to other channels for additional content, Tsunami
Studios/Isolation will drive customers to each platform through a process of interconnected
engagement.
2. Post Content Strategy
A. Frequency of Posts
In order to maintain peak interest while avoiding target exhaustion, content will be posted
no more than three times daily, at no less than three, and no more than six days weekly. This
sets the minimum number of posts during a week at three (to allow for heavy development days)
and the maximum at 18 (to allow for events and contests requiring regular updates). The total
quantity of posts per channel throughout the campaign’s lifetime will depend on the type of
content traditionally hosted by the platform. That is to say, there may be an uncountable number
of posts for Twitter and Facebook conversations, but a definite five to 10 videos posted on
YouTube throughout the campaign’s duration.
B. Response Times
The Tsunami Studios team’s response time to customers/prospects should, ideally, be
within minutes of a post. Team members will, however, be assigned certain days of the week to
monitor the brand’s social media channels, and are encouraged to use their smart devices for
real-time recognition and response. If an assigned team member does not have access to, or is
unable to use, their smart device for this purpose, they are responsible for checking the brand’s
content management system/platforms eight times daily, at two-hour intervals, between the hours
of 7:00 AM and 11:00 PM EST. This way, responses to customers/prospects should occur
within moments, but will not exceed two hours (excluding the eight-hour time window between
11:00 PM and 7:00 AM).
3. Success Metrics
Success metrics for the brand’s various platforms will be measured by quantifiable
outreach, prospect engagement, and conversion.
Outreach, as a metric, will be determined by the number of likes on Facebook,
subscribers on YouTube, and followers on Twitter and Instagram.
Engagement will be determined by the ratio of those reached to likes, comments, and
shares received on Facebook; the number of video views versus likes/dislikes and subscribers on
YouTube; the ratio of retweets, mentions, and direct messages to follower quantity, as well as the
number of new followers gained from hashtags on Twitter; and the number of likes and reposts
versus the number of followers, as well as the number of new followers gained from image posts
on Instagram.
Conversion will, of course, be based on the number of pre-order sales three months prior
to release, as well as content downloads and unit sales over one, three, six, and 12-month periods
post-release. This will indicate whether or not social media marketing efforts were successful,
the product was well-received, and if a sequel or alternate title can/should be published.
II. Platforms to Include:
Facebook Logo
1. Facebook
As previously noted, Facebook will be one of four channels included and will serve as an
amalgam of multiplatform content emphasizing storyboard elements, cryptic puzzles, dark
humor messages, challenges to prospects, and any material that supports the brand’s “survival”
message/theme. Many Twitter posts, Instagram images, and YouTube videos will contain links
to Isolation’s Facebook where shorter posts will be expanded upon, images will be reposted, and
videos will be featured.
Twitter Logo
2. Twitter
Twitter will be used to initiate brand, product, and concept-oriented conversations.
Hashtags will be generated to organize discussions; posts will be designed to drive conversations
forward; tweets will occasionally contain similar, though condensed, versions of content posted
on Facebook; and posts will also provide links to additional brand material within other
platforms.
Instagram Logo
3. Instagram
Instagram will be predominately used for the purpose of photo sharing and hashtag
generation/linking. Brand and product-pertinent imagery will be posted with brief descriptions,
inquiries, or statements, and may also contain links to additional material within other platforms.
YouTube Logo
4. YouTube
A YouTube account/channel will be set up to feature videos of teaser trailers, graphics
demonstrations, and gameplay examples. Links to this content will be included in posts to
Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Chapter 06: Defined Brand Personality
I. Tone and Attitude
1. Brand Voice and Reason
The Tsunami Studios/Isolation team not only functions as a developer/producer, but also
comprises fans of the action and survival horror genres of video games. As such, the team will
serve as the brand’s voice with a quick, clever, and occasionally comic tone (emphasizing dark
humor) that remains personable, never failing to demonstrate a clear appreciation of fellow
fans/prospects. The team chooses this voice being as the tone, attitude, and conversation style
reflects that used in everyday interaction among the brand’s target audience. With this, prospects
will feel comfortable interacting with likeminded individuals and be encouraged to contribute to,
and support the brand’s efforts.
II. Customer Response Strategy
1. Listening and Response Tactics
Conversations about the brand will be located via social media monitoring through a
combination of Hootsuite and Sysomos. Hootsuite will cover activity within the Facebook and
Twitter platforms while the Sysomos Heartbeat tool will serve as a blanket monitor for real-time
recognition. Team members will be assigned certain weekdays to watch the various dashboards
within windows specified in the “Response Times” subsection under “Defined Platforms.”
Responses to prospects are expected to occur in real-time, but will not exceed two hours
(excluding an eight-hour window between 11:00 PM and 7:00 AM EST) per brand guidelines.
2. Reactive
A. Positive and Negative Feedback
The brand will address customer comments in an appropriate manner and timeframe
based on the type of feedback received. If a customer creates a post that is complimentary,
expresses gratitude, or generally elevates the brand, they will be thanked by the Tsunami
Studios/Isolation team. As with all posts, a response to positive feedback is expected to occur in
real-time, but will receive attention no later than two hours from the time of post within the
designated window.
Negative comments, on the other hand, will have a series of response templates crafted
for certain problem categories. Even so, responses will be tailored to the individual issue, and
may only be based on (not copied from) information contained in a template. Should a customer
resort to using profanities, threats, or malicious language, a response will not be made; the post
will be removed; and the customer will not be allowed to make future posts where applicable.
As with the positive, negative feedback will receive attention in real-time, but absolutely cannot
exceed two hours for response within the designated window.
* Please refer to Appendix B for response template examples.
Chapter 07: Content Strategy
I. Content Mix
1. Description of Content Types and Goals
A. Videos, Photos, Status Updates, Etc.
As noted in the “Objectives” subsection under “Social Media Objectives,” Tsunami
Studios will be creating content which includes articles, videos, photos, albums, questions,
events, sales promotions, and contests. The following are descriptions and goals of each:
Articles are information pieces in written format which will cover developer interviews,
product descriptions, and new information regarding Isolation. The material is to offer prospects
a deeper look into the work, ideas, and new developments involved in the game’s creation
process. The goal is to generate buzz, excitement, and appreciation for the product and to gain
likes, shares/retweets, and comments.
Game Informer cover featuring Tsunami Studios’ Isolation
Videos are visual content which will feature teaser trailers, graphics demonstrations, and
gameplay examples. This gives prospects a sample of the game’s atmosphere, technical
innovations, and visual perspective during a play experience. The goal is, again, to generate
buzz and excitement by acquiring views, ratings (likes), shares, and channel subscribers.
Facebook post directly prospects to the YouTube video
Photos/Albums are visual content which will feature product-oriented images in keeping
with the brand’s “survival” message/theme. The material will feature depictions of the game’s
protagonist, villains, and environments in static and dynamic scenarios. The goal is to provide
exciting imagery to prospects and enhance the appeal of posts, events, promotions, and contests
(and gain likes, shares/retweets, and comments).
Instagram photo album
General posts will be made regularly, many questioning the target’s ability to survive
nightmares, decipher game mysteries (e.g. the enigmatic 213), and understand psychological
elements of the protagonist. Many of these posts will contain support images to grab prospect
attention and encourage engagement. The goal is to initiate conversations that trigger quality
responses, leading to likes, shares/retweets, and ongoing comments.
Facebook post questioning a survival horror scenario
As stated earlier, most events will be geared toward the promotion of downloadable
content for eighth generation consoles, and will include announcement, update, and wrap-up
posts. As with other campaign elements, events will focus on the “survival” message/theme, and
will be designed to boost engagement, increase awareness, stimulate interest, and generate
excitement. Downloads, likes, shares/retweets, comments, and overall participation is the goal.
Sales promotions will be designed to encourage pre-orders through the inclusion of
downloadable content, print materials, figures, clothing, and other bonus items. All promotions
will feature item(s) bundled with a customer’s pre-order, and may be executed in progressive
timeframes with tiers containing different “levels” of bonuses. The goal is to boost sales,
increase awareness, stimulate interest, and generate buzz for the product, in addition to gaining
likes, shares/retweets, and comments.
Tweet providing information for a pre-order sales promotion
Prospect challenges in the form of contests will contain entry information, rules,
guidelines, terms, and conditions in general post and video formats. Contests will focus on
Isolation’s “survival” message/theme, and will be designed to boost engagement, increase
awareness, stimulate interest, and generate excitement. Likes, shares/retweets, comments, and
quality participation/entry volume is the goal.
Facebook post for a brand-hosted contest
2. Two-and-a-Half Month Content Calendar
* Please refer to Appendix C for an example of a two-month content calendar.
A. Two-and-a-Half Month Conversation Calendar
* Please refer to Appendix D for an example of a two-week conversation calendar.
3. Content Integration with Other Marketing Strategies
All marketing strategies will be centered on the single message/concept of “survival.” As
such, content integration with multiple marketing strategies will occur as stated in the “Driving
Customers to Each Platform” subsection under “Defined Platforms.”
All channels utilized in Isolation’s marketing will contain information that is tied/linked
to homogenous and complementary content on one or more other channels. That is to
say, customers will be driven to each platform by crosslinking target-specific content.
For example, a promotional image posted to Instagram may be linked to a coinciding
Twitter post; the image featured on Instagram and Twitter may then be reposted to
Facebook with an expanded variation of the written content featured on the previous two
channels. Another example would be the creation of a Twitter hashtag/conversation with
subsequent tweets describing an upcoming contest where participants can get entry
information from a YouTube video and post submissions to Facebook.
This point serves to exemplify how the Tsunami Studios/Isolation team plans to approach
integrated content with multiple marketing strategies.
II. Content Management
1. Content Creation
A. Marketing and Customers: When and How
Content will be the responsibility of the Tsunami Studios/Isolation marketing team and
the privilege of the brand’s customers. The two entities will work synergistically, one prompting
the other, to create new and interesting social media-based material.
It will be the marketing team’s task to initiate conversations with prospects through the
application of planned content. Articles, videos, and photos will be added to posted inquiries,
events, sales promotions, and contests to grab target attention and encourage response. Content
will be posted to the appropriate platforms by designated marketing personnel on the dates and
times, and with the frequency, outlined by the brand’s content and conversation calendars.
In response to brand posts/inquiries, participation in contests, and the submission of
photos, videos, and written works, customers will create product-pertinent content. In addition,
target recommendations for new content (e.g. events, contests, and DLC) will be considered,
and, if determined suitable, used to initiate/further brand engagement. Quality customer-
generated content may be used by the Tsunami Studios/Isolation team in future marketing
endeavors.
2. Content Responsibility
As noted above, content will be posted by both the marketing team and customers.
Tsunami Studios/Isolation will be responsible for posting planned content as specified by the
brand’s content/conversation calendars, and responding to target posts. Customers will submit
content in the form of general posts, photos, videos, and written works in response to brand
prompts.
3. Content Monitoring
Content will be managed through a combination of Hootsuite (CMS) and Sysomos
(SMMS). Hootsuite will cover activity within the Facebook and Twitter platforms while the
Sysomos Heartbeat tool will serve as a broad monitor for real-time content/conversation
recognition. Team members will be assigned certain weekdays to watch the various dashboards
within windows specified in the “Response Times” subsection under “Defined Platforms.”
Content monitoring with Hootsuite
Breakdown
Hootsuite: Though a free version of the CMS exists, the Pro version will be utilized for
the brand’s purposes. The cost to use this service is $9.99 a month, and features bulk message
scheduling, enhanced analytic reports, content curation, and team collaboration.
Sysomos Heartbeat: For one active Heartbeat SMMS set for a specific search engine, the
brand will pay $500 a month. This will provide real-time, comprehensive, multilingual
monitoring with unlimited use which offers information on geography, demographics, customer
sentiment, text analytics, and key influencers among other items.
The cost to cover effective monitoring is approximately $6,120 annually or $9,180 over
the course of the campaign’s duration (year-and-a-half)
Chapter 08: Campaign Initiatives and Big Ideas
I. Campaign Tactics: Awareness, Engagement, and Purchase
1. Goals and KPIs
The overarching goal is to use brand-generated content in the form of articles, videos,
photos, and albums to increase awareness of the Isolation product, while questions, events, sales
promotions, and contests serve to trigger engagement. The success of these materials can be
measured by likes, shares/retweets, comments, downloads, entries, and participation. Combined
social media efforts in awareness and engagement would ultimately lead to conversion/purchase.
From the “Key Performance Indicators” subsection under “Social Media Objectives:”
Awareness from brand background information, product descriptions, and buzzworthy
content – which will include, but is not limited to, articles, videos, and photos – will be
measured by the number of likes (page and post), shares, comments, views, ratings, and
subscribers acquired. A 50% increase in media impressions across all noted platforms
will serve as an indicator of success.
Engagement will be measured by the volume and quality of comments to brand-posted
questions, thought-provoking visual content, and participation in events, contests, and
promotions. A 20% boost in actions (clicks and customer responses) within defined
audience personas – Joseph and Patrick – will demonstrate effectiveness.
From the “Success Metrics” subsection under “Defined Platforms:”
Conversion will be based on the number of pre-order sales three months prior to release,
as well as content downloads and unit sales over one, three, six, and 12-month periods
post-release. This will indicate whether or not social media marketing efforts were
successful, the product was well-received, and if a sequel or alternate title can/should be
published. The brand hopes to sell a minimum of 150,000 units in the three months prior
to February 13, 2017. An additional 350,000 units sold over the following 12 months
will establish the title’s success.
* Please refer to Appendix E for a spreadsheet with itemized goals and KPIs.
2. Audience
From the “Audience Summary” subsection under “Defined Audience:”
Isolation’s target audience can be demographically categorized as lower to middle-
income males (earning between $15,000 and $60,000 annually) between the ages of 17
and 45. From the psychographic standpoint, these individuals lead both sedentary and
moderately active lifestyles; spend a large portion of their earnings on entertainment;
have a tendency toward survival horror and action games from the first and third-person
perspectives; enjoy both local and cooperative (online) gameplay; prefer in-person social
interaction to varying degrees; acquire most of their information about products and
services online; and are quick to share material appealing to their interests.
3. Summary of Campaign Tactics
A. Platforms
From the “Platforms to Include” subsection under “Defined Platforms:”
Facebook: This platform will be one of four channels included and will serve as an
amalgam of multiplatform content emphasizing storyboard elements, cryptic puzzles,
dark humor messages, challenges to prospects, and any material that supports the brand’s
“survival” message. Many Twitter posts, Instagram images, and YouTube videos will
contain links to Isolation’s Facebook where shorter posts will be expanded upon, images
will be reposted, and videos will be featured.
Twitter: This platform will be used to initiate brand, product, and concept-oriented
conversations. Hashtags will be generated to organize discussions; posts will be designed
to drive conversations forward; tweets will occasionally contain similar, though
condensed, versions of content posted on Facebook; and posts will also provide links to
additional brand material within other platforms.
Instagram: This platform will be predominately used for the purpose of photo sharing and
hashtag generation/linking. Brand and product-pertinent imagery will be posted with
brief descriptions, inquiries, or statements, and may also contain links to additional
material within other platforms.
YouTube: A YouTube account/channel will be set up to feature videos of teaser trailers,
graphics demonstrations, and gameplay examples. Links to this content will be included
in posts to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
B. Content Types: Summary of Content
Content will include articles, videos, photos/albums, questions, events, sales promotions,
and contests. From the “Content Mix” subsection under “Content Strategy:”
Articles are information pieces in written format which will cover developer interviews,
product descriptions, and new information regarding Isolation. The material is to offer
prospects a deeper look into the work, ideas, and new developments involved in the
game’s creation process.
Videos are visual content which will feature teaser trailers, graphics demonstrations, and
gameplay examples. This gives prospects a sample of the game’s atmosphere, technical
innovations, and visual perspective during a play experience.
Photos/Albums are visual content which will feature product-oriented images in keeping
with the brand’s “survival” message/theme. The material will feature depictions of the
game’s protagonist, villains, and environments in static and dynamic scenarios.
General posts will be made regularly, many questioning the target’s ability to survive
nightmares, decipher game mysteries (e.g. the enigmatic 213), and understand
psychological elements of the protagonist. Many of these posts will contain support
images to grab prospect attention and encourage engagement.
As stated earlier, most events will be geared toward the promotion of downloadable
content for eighth generation consoles, and will include announcement, update, and wrap-
up posts. As with other campaign elements, events will focus on the “survival”
message/theme, and will be designed to boost engagement, increase awareness, stimulate
interest, and generate excitement.
Sales promotions will be designed to encourage pre-orders through the inclusion of
downloadable content, print materials, figures, clothing, and other bonus items. All
promotions will feature item(s) bundled with a customer’s pre-order, and may be
executed in progressive timeframes with tiers containing different “levels” of bonuses.
Prospect challenges in the form of contests will contain entry information, rules,
guidelines, terms, and conditions in general post and video formats. Contests will focus
on Isolation’s “survival” message/theme, and will be designed to boost engagement,
increase awareness, stimulate interest, and generate excitement.
C. Solution: Product Solutions
Isolation is a supernatural action thriller video game that provides traditional survival
horror elements to those needing a break from the zombie cliché. Additionally, it is an
entertainment option that adds value to limited recreational time, and delivers fun, unusual, and
thought-provoking online content geared toward target interests.
D. Timing
All social media content and conversations will be scheduled by the Tsunami
Studios/Isolation marketing team according to the platforms, dates, times, and frequency
outlined by the brand’s content and conversation calendars. Awareness, engagement, and sales
efforts are anticipated to begin in the first quarter of 2016 and continue until the game’s release
in the first quarter of 2017. This will be followed by an addition six months of social media-
oriented support content/conversations.
E. Estimated Cost of Paid Media
Projected costs are based on the use of Facebook advertising over the course of a year-
and-a-half, beginning in quarter one of 2016 and continuing into quarter two of 2017.
Ideally, one Facebook post would be selected to boost monthly, and would be determined
by the highest level of organic reach. The budget amount would be set at $1000, cover a five-
day period, and target between 120,000 and 320,000 unique individuals with interests in survival
horror franchises (e.g. Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Alan Wake, and Dead Space). However, the
brand has elected to advertise over four months based on its current social media advertising
budget of $10,000. The overall focus will be centered on awareness and engagement with the
following specifications:
Target Audiences
Joseph: A male between the ages of 17 and 24 whose interests include action-adventure
games with open world atmospheres. Preferred titles include Alan Wake, Resident Evil, Silent
Hill, and other popular survival horror games. Common behaviors include console gaming and
game purchases.
Patrick (A): A male between the ages of 25 and 35 whose interests include encompass
Joseph’s, as well as family, career, and personal growth. With regard to video games, Patrick
(A) falls into the same behavior categories as Joseph.
Patrick (B): A male between the ages of 36 and 45 whose interests are similar to Patrick
(A)’s, but with a focus on relaxation during recreational time. With regard to video games,
Patrick (B) falls into the same behavior categories as the previous two personas.
The combined audience size among the three personas is approximately 88,000: Joseph
comprises 57,200, Patrick (A) consists of 24,900, and Patrick (B) represents 5,900.
Advertising Objective for Each Audience
Two ads will be run over a period of four months. Advertisement 01 will have a three-
month duration and will be designed to increase brand awareness, while Advertisement 02 will
have a one-month duration and will be designed for engagement purposes (ad clicks). The
former will target all three social media personas, and the latter will target Patrick (B)
specifically.
Campaign Duration
As stated above, Advertisement 01 will run for three months and Advertisement 02 will
run for one month.
Placement
The placement for each ad will be in the Facebook news feed; Tsunami Studios has
determined this real estate to be the most effective position in gaining prospect attention.
Advertisement 01 Calculation
The goal of this advertisement is to increase awareness through impressions. Assuming
the brand is attempting to reach 50% of its target audience at a cost of $10 CPM, $1,320 would
be required for three months – totaling $3,960. This is demonstrated in the following equation:
Total audience size = 88,000; 88,000 x 0.5 = 44,000
(Audience Reach x Frequency x Cost of CPM)/1000 = Total Spend
(44,000 x 3 x $10)/1000 = $1,320 (for 132,000 impressions)
$1,320 x 3 = $3,960
Advertisement 02 Calculation
The goal of this advertisement is to increase engagement through ad clicks. Assuming
the brand is trying to encourage 20% of the Patrick (B) persona to click on an Isolation ad for a
cost of $5 CPC, $5,900 would be required for one month. This is demonstrated in the following
equation:
Total audience size = 5,900; 5,900 x 0.2 = 1,180
(Audience Reach x Cost of CPC) = Total Spend
(1,180 x $5) = $5,900
Will Goals fit Within the Brand’s Budget?
The total cost of Facebook advertising for a collective duration of four months will come
to $9,860, edging in at $140 below Tsunami Studios’ $10,000 social media budget. It should
also be noted that the brand’s budget for media tools (Hootsuite and Sysomos Heartbeat) will
total $9,180 over the campaign’s lifetime. As such, the combined total of social media
advertising and media tools would be $19,040, requiring approximately $20,000 for a full
budget. This should allow the brand to effectively reach goals set within its advertising outline.
Budget Breakdown for Advertisement 01
Ad 01: There’s Solus and there’s Soulless. You’ll have to be one to survive.
Personas: Joseph, Patrick (A), and Patrick (B)
Location: United States
Interests: Video games, Survival horror, Resident Evil, Alan Wake, Silent Hill, Action-adventure
game or Open world
Behaviors: Console gamers or Gamers
Age: 17-45
Gender: Male
Language: English (All)
Audience Size: 88,000
Estimated Reach: 44,000
Frequency: 3x per month (9x total)
Duration: 3 months
Placement: News feed
CPM: $10
Subtotal Ad 01: $3,960 ($1,320 per month)
Facebook advertisement 01 Example
Budget Breakdown for Advertisement 02
Ad 02: Isolation Ad featuring house with console logos
Personas: Patrick (B)
Location: United States
Interests: Video games, Survival horror, Resident Evil, Alan Wake, Silent Hill Action-adventure
game or Open world
Behaviors: Console gamers or Gamers
Ages: 36-45
Gender: Male
Language: English (All)
Audience Size: 5,900
Estimated Reach: 1,180
Frequency: 3x per month (3x total)
Duration: 1 month
Placement: News feed
CPA: $5
Subtotal Ad 02: $5,900 ($5,900 per month)
Facebook advertisement 02 Example
Budget Breakdown Chart
Advertisement01 Advertisement02
Personas Joseph,Patrick(A),andPatrick(B) Patrick(B)
Location UnitedStates UnitedStates
Interests
Videogames,Survivalhorror,
ResidentEvil,AlanWake,SilentHill,
Action-adventure game orOpen
world
Videogames,Survivalhorror,
ResidentEvil,AlanWake,SilentHill,
Action-adventure game orOpen
world
Behaviors Console gamersorGamers Console gamersorGamers
Age 17-45 36-45
Gender Male Male
Language English(All) English(All)
Audience Size 88,000 5,900
Estimated Reach 44,000 (50%) 1,180 (20%)
Frequency 3x per month(9x total) 3x per month(3x total)
Duration 3 months 1 month
Placement Newsfeed Newsfeed
Cost $10 (CPM) $5 (CPA)
Subtotal $1,320 per month($3,960 total) $5,900
Chapter 09: Measurement
I. How Social Media Will Be Measured
From the “Success Metrics” subsection under “Defined Platforms:”
Success metrics for the brand’s various platforms will be measured by quantifiable
outreach, prospect engagement, and conversion.
Outreach, as a metric, will be determined by the number of likes on Facebook,
subscribers on YouTube, and followers on Twitter and Instagram.
Engagement will be determined by the ratio of those reached to likes, comments, and
shares received on Facebook; the number of video views versus likes/dislikes and
subscribers on YouTube; the ratio of retweets, mentions, and direct messages to follower
quantity, as well as the number of new followers gained from hashtags on Twitter; and
the number of likes and reposts versus the number of followers, as well as the number of
new followers gained from image posts on Instagram.
Conversion will, of course, be based on the number of pre-sales three months prior to
release, as well as content downloads and unit sales over one, three, six, and 12-month
periods post-release. This will indicate whether or not social media marketing efforts
were successful, the product was well-received, and if a sequel or alternate title
can/should be published.
More specific information regarding KPIs can be found in the “Goals and KPIs”
subsection under “Campaign Initiatives and Big Ideas.” Please also refer to the Goals
and KPIs spreadsheet under Appendix E for more detailed information.
Appendix A
Clothing: generally indicates t-shirts, baseball caps, and wristbands when referring to pre-order
bonus items.
Cooperative Gameplay: gameplay involving more than one party; typically indicates online in-
game interaction.
Downloadable Content: also referred to as DLC, downloadable content is any supplemental
content (character, environment, or game-extending enhancements) that adds value to a
customer’s play experience.
Eighth Generation Consoles: category of video game consoles comprising Xbox One, PS4, and
Wii U.
Figures: generally indicate statues, busts, or action figures when referring to pre-order bonus
items.
First-Person Perspective: gameplay view that allows a gamer to see environments from the
playable character’s perspective; this is typical in war and space shooter genres.
Local Gameplay: gameplay involving a single party; occurs when a gamer opts to avoid online
in-game interaction.
Print Materials: generally indicates comic books when referring to pre-order bonus items.
Survival Horror: video game genre focusing on action and horror elements.
Third-Person Perspective: gameplay view that allows a gamer to see the playable character
within their respective environment; this is typical of action and hack-n-slash genres.
Zombie Apocalypse: refers to the hackneyed fictional concept of zombie overpopulation leading
to catastrophic world events; this concept was made popular by video games, comic books, and
movies such as Resident Evil, The Walking Dead, and Dawn of the Dead.
Appendix B
Ratings and Content Misunderstanding
Dear Mr. / Ms. Smith,
We are sorry that you were unclear on the game’s content. Please note, however, that all video
games published and sold within the United States are subject to the Entertainment Software Rating
Board’s (ESRB) rating scale, which gives Isolation an M rating for Mature. As stated by the ESRB
website, a game with this rating might include “intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or
strong language.” Information specific to this game’s subject matter is listed on the back cover alongside
the rating to help those with concerns about content make an informed purchase decision.
If the game was ordered through the Tsunami Studios/Isolation website, you may return it, along
with a copy of your receipt, for a refund of the product price – please email us at
isolationevent@hotmail.com for specific return information.
If the game was bought from a third-party (i.e. GameStop, Walmart, etc.) a return can be made
depending on store policy. If you have any additional questions, please contact us at
isolationevent@hotmail.com.
Thank you,
Game Support Division
Tsunami Studios
Appendix B – Continued
Incompatibility
Hello Mr. / Ms. Smith,
Being as Isolation is a console-based video game (available for Xbox One, PS4, and Wii U) it is
not designed to be compatible with a PC or other devices.
If the game was ordered through the Tsunami Studios/Isolation website, you may return it for a
refund of the product price – please email us at isolationevent@hotmail.com for specific return
information.
If the game was purchased through a third-party, please contact them to make a return. If you
have any further questions, please let us know.
Thank you,
Game Support Division
Tsunami Studios
Appendix B – Continued
Console-Specific Dysfunctionality
Hello Mr. / Ms. Smith,
We apologize for the inconvenience. With this type of issue, there are a couple of things we like
to check prior to making a return.
1) Being as many consoles use an HDMI cable, stalled or frozen visuals may occur if the cord is loosely
attached to the system or television. This can appear as screen flashes,graphics glitches, and odd shifts in
picture. We recommend turning the system’s power off, unplugging and re-plugging the cord for both the
console and television, turning the system’s power back on, and seeing if this clears the problem.
2) Every now and then, altered graphics can result from errors in the system’s hardware. We recommend
ejecting the game disc and inserting a different one to see if the same issue presents itself. If faulty
graphics persist, the problem is likely console-related.
Although our games are tested for bugs, and fixes are made accordingly, a disc may occasionally
come out of production with playback issues. If you have checked everything and the problem remains,
the issue is likely disc-related and a return can be made.
If the disc is defective:
If your order was placed through the Tsunami Studios/Isolation website, please email us at
isolationevent@hotmail.com with your mailing/shipping address,and we will send a box and call tag (via
UPS) for an easy return. In the meantime, we will ship a new copy right away.
If the game was purchased through a third-party (i.e. GameStop, Walmart, etc.),please contact
the store to make a return/exchange. If you have any additional questions, please let us know.
Thank you,
Game Support Division
Tsunami Studios
Appendix C
Content Calendar
Appendix C - Continued
Content Calendar
Appendix C – Continued
Content Calendar
Appendix D
Conversation Calendar: April 2016 (Week 01)
Conversation Calendar: April 2016 (Week 02)
Appendix D – Continued
Conversation Calendar: April 2016 (Week 03)
Conversation Calendar: April 2016 (Week 04)
Appendix D – Continued
Conversation Calendar: May 2016 (Week 01)
Conversation Calendar: May 2016 (Week 02)
Appendix D – Continued
Conversation Calendar: May 2016 (Week 03)
Conversation Calendar: May 2016 (Week 04)
Appendix D - Continued
Conversation Calendar: June 2016 (Week 01)
Conversation Calendar: June 2016 (Week 02)
Appendix E
Goals and KPIs Spreadsheet

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Isolation Group Project (final draft)

  • 1. Social Media Marketing Strategy Jesse N. Braswell, Robert J. Carroway, Nathaniel E. Jones, Priyank M. Patel, and Drew A. Walker COM 358: Social Media for PR – Flagler College Tallahassee April 20, 2015
  • 2. Table of Contents Abstract............................................................................................................................................ 5 Chapter 01: Executive Summary...................................................................................................... 6 I. Summary of Brand Marketing Objectives and Social Media Goals ....................................... 6 Chapter 02: Brand Overview ........................................................................................................... 7 I. Product/Service Summary....................................................................................................... 7 Chapter 03: Social Media Objectives .............................................................................................. 8 I. Three Social Media Objectives ............................................................................................... 8 II. Key Performance Indicators................................................................................................... 8 III. Measurable Objectives.......................................................................................................... 9 Chapter 04: Defined Target Audience ...........................................................................................11 I. Audience Summary................................................................................................................11 II. Social Media Personas.........................................................................................................11 Chapter 05: Defined Platforms.......................................................................................................13 I. How the Brand Will Utilize Each Platform to Reach Audience and Achieve Goals............13 1. Driving Customers to Each Platform...............................................................................13 2. Post Content Strategy.......................................................................................................13 A. Frequency of Posts ....................................................................................................13 B. Response Times..........................................................................................................14 3. Success Metrics ...............................................................................................................14 II. Platforms to Include .............................................................................................................15 1. Facebook.........................................................................................................................15 2. Twitter..............................................................................................................................15
  • 3. Table of Contents – Continued 3. Instagram..........................................................................................................................16 4. YouTube ..........................................................................................................................16 Chapter 06: Defined Brand Personality .........................................................................................17 I. Tone and Attitude ..................................................................................................................17 1. Brand Voice and Reason.................................................................................................17 II. Customer Response Strategy................................................................................................17 1. Listening and Response Tactics.......................................................................................17 2. Reactive............................................................................................................................18 A. Positive and Negative Feedback ...............................................................................18 Chapter 07: Content Strategy.........................................................................................................19 I. Content Mix...........................................................................................................................19 1. Description of Content Types and Goals.........................................................................19 A. Videos, Photos, Status Updates, Etc..........................................................................19 2. Two-Month Content Calendar.........................................................................................24 A. Two-Week Conversation Calendar............................................................................24 3. Content Integration with Other Marketing Strategies......................................................25 II. Content Management............................................................................................................25 1. Content Creation..............................................................................................................25 A. Marketing and Customers: When and How..............................................................25 2. Content Responsibility.....................................................................................................26 3. Content Monitoring..........................................................................................................26 Chapter 08: Campaign Initiatives and Big Ideas...........................................................................28
  • 4. Table of Contents – Continued I. Campaign Tactics: Awareness, Engagement, and Purchase .................................................28 1. Goals and KPIs................................................................................................................28 2. Audience ..........................................................................................................................29 3. Summary of Campaign Tactics........................................................................................29 A. Platforms ....................................................................................................................29 B. Content Types: Summary of Content ........................................................................30 C. Solution: Product Solutions........................................................................................31 D. Timing........................................................................................................................32 E. Estimated Cost of Paid Media....................................................................................32 Chapter 09: Measurement ..............................................................................................................38 I. How Social Media Will Be Measured ..................................................................................38 Appendix A...................................................................................................................................39 Appendix B ...................................................................................................................................40 Appendix C ...................................................................................................................................43 Appendix D...................................................................................................................................46 Appendix E....................................................................................................................................51
  • 5. Abstract Isolation is a survival horror/supernatural action thriller video game created by the Tallahassee, Florida-based developer, Tsunami Studios. This social media marketing strategy centers on the aforementioned company and its product by covering media objectives, brand personality, target audience, general content, appropriate platforms, posting schedules, response plans, campaign initiatives, costs of paid media, key performance indicators, and analytics among other factors necessary for success. By addressing these points, this strategy will explain how Tsunami Studios plans to use social media from the first quarter of 2016 to the second quarter of 2017 to generate brand awareness, stimulate engagement with prospects, obtain earned media via target- audience led promotion, and encourage conversion. Keywords: cooperative gameplay, local gameplay, downloadable content, eighth generation consoles, first-person perspective, third-person perspective, survival horror * Please refer to Appendix A for a comprehensive list of target-specific definitions.
  • 6. Chapter 01: Executive Summary I. Summary of Brand Marketing Objectives and Social Media Goals Tsunami Studios will focus its marketing objectives on increasing awareness of the brand through the promotion of its flagship video game, Isolation; garnering prospect engagement with the brand through visual content, conversations, and contests; and stimulating brand and product promotion within its target audience by crafting fun, interesting, and shareable content. The brand’s social media strategy takes the highly-visual nature of video games into consideration, adapting this into a format appropriate for all channels utilized. An interconnected series of Twitter-oriented brand conversations, Instagram-based photo sharing, YouTube video uploads, and a Facebook-based amalgam of multi-channel content will emphasize storyboard, puzzles, and challenges to prospects.
  • 7. Chapter 02: Brand Overview I. Product/Service Summary Isolation is a survival horror/supernatural action thriller video game created by the Tallahassee, Florida-based developer, Tsunami Studios. The game revolves around its protagonist, Ben Solus, who moves to Alaska in an effort to cope with sleep paralysis. After having moved to the small town of Twin Rivers, Solus has a horrible episode where he dreams of a young lady’s death only to wake and find the town in a suspended state of twilight. With the enigmatic number 213 serving as a recurring theme throughout, the game challenges players to find clues, decipher puzzles, and use various items scattered within multiple environments to fight shadow villains and solve Solus’ dilemma. The game will be available for eighth generation consoles only: Xbox One (Microsoft), PS4 (Sony PlayStation), and Wii U (Nintendo). Units available for eighth generation consoles Chapter 03: Social Media Objectives
  • 8. I. Three Social Media Objectives The brand’s three primary social media objectives include generating brand awareness, stimulating brand engagement with prospects, and obtaining earned media via target audience- led promotion. Brand awareness is an expected product of utilizing major social media channels (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube) to feature product-pertinent content in accordance with Isolation’s “survival” message/theme. Brand engagement is an anticipated outcome of using channels such as Twitter and Facebook to start product-centric conversations through interesting content, questions, and contests. Earned media, or fan-based promotion, is an expected result of posting content within major social media channels that appeals to the specific interests of Isolation’s target audience. II. Key Performance Indicators Key Performance Indicators will be used to assess the effectiveness of marketing outreach through social media objectives. Awareness from brand background information, product descriptions, and buzzworthy content – which will include, but is not limited to, articles, videos, and photos – will be measured by the number of likes (page and post), shares, comments, views, ratings, and subscribers acquired. Engagement will be measured by the volume and quality of comments to brand-posted questions, thought-provoking visual content, and participation in events, contests, and promotions. Earned media will be gauged through a social media monitoring service (e.g. Hootsuite, Sysomos), to determine the number of shared/reposted conversations and visual content across multiple social media channels. The brand is hoping to achieve a 50% increase in awareness, a 20% boost in engagement, and a 65% gain in earned media across all defined target audiences per quarter. III. Measurable Objectives
  • 9. Objectives vary according to content, channel, and projected target audience response, and are intended to contribute to the aforementioned social media objectives. Tsunami Studios has elected to post the following: Articles: These will be posted to Facebook and linked through Twitter, give prospects background information on the brand and product, and be measured by number of likes, shares/retweets, and comments. Videos: Teaser trailers, graphics demonstrations, and gameplay examples will be made available through YouTube, reposted to Facebook, and linked through Twitter. The objective is to generate excitement for the product. This content will be measured according to number of views, ratings (minimum of three out of five stars on most sharing sites), share statistics, and channel subscribers. An example of the brand’s current trailer can be found at the following URL: https://youtu.be/8ScPwbiskXU. Photos/Albums: Product-oriented images will be posted to Facebook and Instagram with links posted through Twitter. These are intended to create brand/product awareness through interesting, unusual, and thought-provoking visual material. Such content will be measured by number of likes, shares/retweets, and comments. Questions: Inquiries will be posted to Twitter and Facebook to start conversations about the brand/product; direct posts may include visual components. This content will be measured by number and quality of replies, favorites, and shares/retweets. Events: Most events will be geared toward the promotion of downloadable content for eighth generation consoles with announcements, updates, and wrap-ups posted to Twitter and Facebook. The objective is to increase awareness, interest, and excitement. Success will be measured by number of downloads, likes, shares/retweets, and comments.
  • 10. Sales Promotions: All sales promotions will encourage pre-orders through the inclusion of bonus materials (e.g. downloadable content, print materials, figures, and clothing) through Twitter and Facebook. The number of pre-order sales, likes, shares/retweets, and comments will determine effectiveness. Contests: Prospect challenges in the form of contests will utilize Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube as channels for providing entry information, rules, guidelines, terms, and conditions. Contests will focus on Isolation’s “survival” message/theme to increase engagement, awareness, and interest in the brand/product. The amount and quality of participation/number of entries, likes, shares/retweets, and comments will determine effectiveness. As noted in the previous section, the brand is hoping to achieve a 50% increase in awareness with all of the noted content. A 20% boost in engagement is anticipated from questions, events, sales promotions, and contests; and a 65% gain in earned media from each item is expected with all defined target audiences per quarter. Chapter 04: Defined Audience I. Audience Summary
  • 11. Isolation’s target audience can be demographically categorized as lower to middle- income males (earning between $15,000 and $60,000 annually) between the ages of 17 and 45. From the psychographic standpoint, these individuals lead both sedentary and moderately active lifestyles; spend a large portion of their earnings on entertainment; have a tendency toward survival horror and action games from the first and third-person perspectives; enjoy both local and cooperative (online) gameplay; prefer in-person social interaction to varying degrees; acquire most of their information about products and services online; and are quick to share material appealing to their interests. II. Social Marketing Personas There are two social marketing personas that accurately represent the Isolation target audience: Joseph and Patrick. Joseph is a cashier working at a superstore and is responsible for customer purchases, questions, and complaints. He is between 17 and 24 years of age, male, earns between $15,000 and $25,000 annually, lives in a rural or suburban setting, has a high school diploma, and no children. His goals and challenges include filling recreational time with entertainment (e.g. movies, video games, and online videos), sharing content through social media, and spending time indoors. Joseph’s values include personal gratification, fulfilling responsibilities as needed, and interacting with friends via social media; he takes issue with boredom during free time, overwhelming responsibility, and limitations to social media access. Isolation can help him by providing shareable online content geared toward his entertainment interests. A recommended marketing message to grab Joseph’s attention states, “Zombie apocalypse prep won’t help where you’re going” The appropriate elevator pitch for this customer is, "Find clues, solve puzzles, and use various items scattered throughout multiple environments to fight shadows as you explore
  • 12. the ominous town of Twin Rivers in this third-person supernatural action thriller.” Joseph represents approximately 65% of Isolation’s target audience. Patrick is a young professional working for a corporate entity and is responsible for the creation of promotional material, client inquiries, and general sales. He is between 25 and 45 years of age, male, earns between $30,000 and $60,000 annually, lives in a suburban or urban setting, holds a bachelor’s degree, and has up to three children. His goals and challenges include job growth, spending time with kids, and trying to find entertainment options suited to his age and interests. Patrick’s values include dependability, ambition, and an appreciation for nostalgia; he takes issue with personal setbacks, children’s activities encroaching on personal time, and limited entertainment options for his interests. Isolation can help him by offering a gaming experience featuring traditional survival horror elements, and an entertainment option which adds value to his limited recreational time. A recommended marketing message to earn Patrick’s attention would feature the game’s protagonist and his shadow counterpart, stating, “There’s Solus and there’s Soulless. You’ll have to be one to survive.” Like Joseph, an appropriate elevator pitch will highlight play features: “Find clues, solve puzzles, and use various items scattered throughout multiple environments to fight shadows as you explore the ominous town of Twin Rivers in this third-person supernatural action thriller.” Patrick represents approximately 35% of Isolation’s target audience. Chapter 05: Defined Platforms I. How the Brand Will Utilize Each Platform to Reach Audience and Achieve Goals
  • 13. 1. Driving Customers to Each Platform In an effort to build a solid social media strategy, all channels utilized in Isolation’s marketing will contain information that is tied/linked to homogenous and complementary content on one or more other channels. That is to say, customers will be driven to each platform by crosslinking target-specific content. For example, a promotional image posted to Instagram may be linked to a coinciding Twitter post; the image featured on Instagram and Twitter may then be reposted to Facebook with an expanded variation of the written content featured on the previous two channels. Another example would be the creation of a Twitter hashtag/conversation with subsequent tweets describing an upcoming contest where participants can get entry information from a YouTube video and post submissions to Facebook. By capturing prospect attention on native platforms, which direct targets to other channels for additional content, Tsunami Studios/Isolation will drive customers to each platform through a process of interconnected engagement. 2. Post Content Strategy A. Frequency of Posts In order to maintain peak interest while avoiding target exhaustion, content will be posted no more than three times daily, at no less than three, and no more than six days weekly. This sets the minimum number of posts during a week at three (to allow for heavy development days) and the maximum at 18 (to allow for events and contests requiring regular updates). The total quantity of posts per channel throughout the campaign’s lifetime will depend on the type of content traditionally hosted by the platform. That is to say, there may be an uncountable number of posts for Twitter and Facebook conversations, but a definite five to 10 videos posted on YouTube throughout the campaign’s duration.
  • 14. B. Response Times The Tsunami Studios team’s response time to customers/prospects should, ideally, be within minutes of a post. Team members will, however, be assigned certain days of the week to monitor the brand’s social media channels, and are encouraged to use their smart devices for real-time recognition and response. If an assigned team member does not have access to, or is unable to use, their smart device for this purpose, they are responsible for checking the brand’s content management system/platforms eight times daily, at two-hour intervals, between the hours of 7:00 AM and 11:00 PM EST. This way, responses to customers/prospects should occur within moments, but will not exceed two hours (excluding the eight-hour time window between 11:00 PM and 7:00 AM). 3. Success Metrics Success metrics for the brand’s various platforms will be measured by quantifiable outreach, prospect engagement, and conversion. Outreach, as a metric, will be determined by the number of likes on Facebook, subscribers on YouTube, and followers on Twitter and Instagram. Engagement will be determined by the ratio of those reached to likes, comments, and shares received on Facebook; the number of video views versus likes/dislikes and subscribers on YouTube; the ratio of retweets, mentions, and direct messages to follower quantity, as well as the number of new followers gained from hashtags on Twitter; and the number of likes and reposts versus the number of followers, as well as the number of new followers gained from image posts on Instagram. Conversion will, of course, be based on the number of pre-order sales three months prior to release, as well as content downloads and unit sales over one, three, six, and 12-month periods
  • 15. post-release. This will indicate whether or not social media marketing efforts were successful, the product was well-received, and if a sequel or alternate title can/should be published. II. Platforms to Include: Facebook Logo 1. Facebook As previously noted, Facebook will be one of four channels included and will serve as an amalgam of multiplatform content emphasizing storyboard elements, cryptic puzzles, dark humor messages, challenges to prospects, and any material that supports the brand’s “survival” message/theme. Many Twitter posts, Instagram images, and YouTube videos will contain links to Isolation’s Facebook where shorter posts will be expanded upon, images will be reposted, and videos will be featured. Twitter Logo 2. Twitter Twitter will be used to initiate brand, product, and concept-oriented conversations. Hashtags will be generated to organize discussions; posts will be designed to drive conversations forward; tweets will occasionally contain similar, though condensed, versions of content posted on Facebook; and posts will also provide links to additional brand material within other platforms.
  • 16. Instagram Logo 3. Instagram Instagram will be predominately used for the purpose of photo sharing and hashtag generation/linking. Brand and product-pertinent imagery will be posted with brief descriptions, inquiries, or statements, and may also contain links to additional material within other platforms. YouTube Logo 4. YouTube A YouTube account/channel will be set up to feature videos of teaser trailers, graphics demonstrations, and gameplay examples. Links to this content will be included in posts to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Chapter 06: Defined Brand Personality I. Tone and Attitude
  • 17. 1. Brand Voice and Reason The Tsunami Studios/Isolation team not only functions as a developer/producer, but also comprises fans of the action and survival horror genres of video games. As such, the team will serve as the brand’s voice with a quick, clever, and occasionally comic tone (emphasizing dark humor) that remains personable, never failing to demonstrate a clear appreciation of fellow fans/prospects. The team chooses this voice being as the tone, attitude, and conversation style reflects that used in everyday interaction among the brand’s target audience. With this, prospects will feel comfortable interacting with likeminded individuals and be encouraged to contribute to, and support the brand’s efforts. II. Customer Response Strategy 1. Listening and Response Tactics Conversations about the brand will be located via social media monitoring through a combination of Hootsuite and Sysomos. Hootsuite will cover activity within the Facebook and Twitter platforms while the Sysomos Heartbeat tool will serve as a blanket monitor for real-time recognition. Team members will be assigned certain weekdays to watch the various dashboards within windows specified in the “Response Times” subsection under “Defined Platforms.” Responses to prospects are expected to occur in real-time, but will not exceed two hours (excluding an eight-hour window between 11:00 PM and 7:00 AM EST) per brand guidelines. 2. Reactive A. Positive and Negative Feedback
  • 18. The brand will address customer comments in an appropriate manner and timeframe based on the type of feedback received. If a customer creates a post that is complimentary, expresses gratitude, or generally elevates the brand, they will be thanked by the Tsunami Studios/Isolation team. As with all posts, a response to positive feedback is expected to occur in real-time, but will receive attention no later than two hours from the time of post within the designated window. Negative comments, on the other hand, will have a series of response templates crafted for certain problem categories. Even so, responses will be tailored to the individual issue, and may only be based on (not copied from) information contained in a template. Should a customer resort to using profanities, threats, or malicious language, a response will not be made; the post will be removed; and the customer will not be allowed to make future posts where applicable. As with the positive, negative feedback will receive attention in real-time, but absolutely cannot exceed two hours for response within the designated window. * Please refer to Appendix B for response template examples. Chapter 07: Content Strategy I. Content Mix
  • 19. 1. Description of Content Types and Goals A. Videos, Photos, Status Updates, Etc. As noted in the “Objectives” subsection under “Social Media Objectives,” Tsunami Studios will be creating content which includes articles, videos, photos, albums, questions, events, sales promotions, and contests. The following are descriptions and goals of each: Articles are information pieces in written format which will cover developer interviews, product descriptions, and new information regarding Isolation. The material is to offer prospects a deeper look into the work, ideas, and new developments involved in the game’s creation process. The goal is to generate buzz, excitement, and appreciation for the product and to gain likes, shares/retweets, and comments. Game Informer cover featuring Tsunami Studios’ Isolation Videos are visual content which will feature teaser trailers, graphics demonstrations, and gameplay examples. This gives prospects a sample of the game’s atmosphere, technical
  • 20. innovations, and visual perspective during a play experience. The goal is, again, to generate buzz and excitement by acquiring views, ratings (likes), shares, and channel subscribers. Facebook post directly prospects to the YouTube video Photos/Albums are visual content which will feature product-oriented images in keeping with the brand’s “survival” message/theme. The material will feature depictions of the game’s protagonist, villains, and environments in static and dynamic scenarios. The goal is to provide
  • 21. exciting imagery to prospects and enhance the appeal of posts, events, promotions, and contests (and gain likes, shares/retweets, and comments). Instagram photo album General posts will be made regularly, many questioning the target’s ability to survive nightmares, decipher game mysteries (e.g. the enigmatic 213), and understand psychological elements of the protagonist. Many of these posts will contain support images to grab prospect attention and encourage engagement. The goal is to initiate conversations that trigger quality responses, leading to likes, shares/retweets, and ongoing comments.
  • 22. Facebook post questioning a survival horror scenario As stated earlier, most events will be geared toward the promotion of downloadable content for eighth generation consoles, and will include announcement, update, and wrap-up posts. As with other campaign elements, events will focus on the “survival” message/theme, and will be designed to boost engagement, increase awareness, stimulate interest, and generate excitement. Downloads, likes, shares/retweets, comments, and overall participation is the goal. Sales promotions will be designed to encourage pre-orders through the inclusion of downloadable content, print materials, figures, clothing, and other bonus items. All promotions will feature item(s) bundled with a customer’s pre-order, and may be executed in progressive timeframes with tiers containing different “levels” of bonuses. The goal is to boost sales, increase awareness, stimulate interest, and generate buzz for the product, in addition to gaining likes, shares/retweets, and comments.
  • 23. Tweet providing information for a pre-order sales promotion Prospect challenges in the form of contests will contain entry information, rules, guidelines, terms, and conditions in general post and video formats. Contests will focus on Isolation’s “survival” message/theme, and will be designed to boost engagement, increase awareness, stimulate interest, and generate excitement. Likes, shares/retweets, comments, and quality participation/entry volume is the goal.
  • 24. Facebook post for a brand-hosted contest 2. Two-and-a-Half Month Content Calendar * Please refer to Appendix C for an example of a two-month content calendar. A. Two-and-a-Half Month Conversation Calendar * Please refer to Appendix D for an example of a two-week conversation calendar. 3. Content Integration with Other Marketing Strategies All marketing strategies will be centered on the single message/concept of “survival.” As such, content integration with multiple marketing strategies will occur as stated in the “Driving Customers to Each Platform” subsection under “Defined Platforms.”
  • 25. All channels utilized in Isolation’s marketing will contain information that is tied/linked to homogenous and complementary content on one or more other channels. That is to say, customers will be driven to each platform by crosslinking target-specific content. For example, a promotional image posted to Instagram may be linked to a coinciding Twitter post; the image featured on Instagram and Twitter may then be reposted to Facebook with an expanded variation of the written content featured on the previous two channels. Another example would be the creation of a Twitter hashtag/conversation with subsequent tweets describing an upcoming contest where participants can get entry information from a YouTube video and post submissions to Facebook. This point serves to exemplify how the Tsunami Studios/Isolation team plans to approach integrated content with multiple marketing strategies. II. Content Management 1. Content Creation A. Marketing and Customers: When and How Content will be the responsibility of the Tsunami Studios/Isolation marketing team and the privilege of the brand’s customers. The two entities will work synergistically, one prompting the other, to create new and interesting social media-based material. It will be the marketing team’s task to initiate conversations with prospects through the application of planned content. Articles, videos, and photos will be added to posted inquiries, events, sales promotions, and contests to grab target attention and encourage response. Content will be posted to the appropriate platforms by designated marketing personnel on the dates and times, and with the frequency, outlined by the brand’s content and conversation calendars. In response to brand posts/inquiries, participation in contests, and the submission of
  • 26. photos, videos, and written works, customers will create product-pertinent content. In addition, target recommendations for new content (e.g. events, contests, and DLC) will be considered, and, if determined suitable, used to initiate/further brand engagement. Quality customer- generated content may be used by the Tsunami Studios/Isolation team in future marketing endeavors. 2. Content Responsibility As noted above, content will be posted by both the marketing team and customers. Tsunami Studios/Isolation will be responsible for posting planned content as specified by the brand’s content/conversation calendars, and responding to target posts. Customers will submit content in the form of general posts, photos, videos, and written works in response to brand prompts. 3. Content Monitoring Content will be managed through a combination of Hootsuite (CMS) and Sysomos (SMMS). Hootsuite will cover activity within the Facebook and Twitter platforms while the Sysomos Heartbeat tool will serve as a broad monitor for real-time content/conversation recognition. Team members will be assigned certain weekdays to watch the various dashboards within windows specified in the “Response Times” subsection under “Defined Platforms.”
  • 27. Content monitoring with Hootsuite Breakdown Hootsuite: Though a free version of the CMS exists, the Pro version will be utilized for the brand’s purposes. The cost to use this service is $9.99 a month, and features bulk message scheduling, enhanced analytic reports, content curation, and team collaboration. Sysomos Heartbeat: For one active Heartbeat SMMS set for a specific search engine, the brand will pay $500 a month. This will provide real-time, comprehensive, multilingual monitoring with unlimited use which offers information on geography, demographics, customer sentiment, text analytics, and key influencers among other items. The cost to cover effective monitoring is approximately $6,120 annually or $9,180 over the course of the campaign’s duration (year-and-a-half) Chapter 08: Campaign Initiatives and Big Ideas
  • 28. I. Campaign Tactics: Awareness, Engagement, and Purchase 1. Goals and KPIs The overarching goal is to use brand-generated content in the form of articles, videos, photos, and albums to increase awareness of the Isolation product, while questions, events, sales promotions, and contests serve to trigger engagement. The success of these materials can be measured by likes, shares/retweets, comments, downloads, entries, and participation. Combined social media efforts in awareness and engagement would ultimately lead to conversion/purchase. From the “Key Performance Indicators” subsection under “Social Media Objectives:” Awareness from brand background information, product descriptions, and buzzworthy content – which will include, but is not limited to, articles, videos, and photos – will be measured by the number of likes (page and post), shares, comments, views, ratings, and subscribers acquired. A 50% increase in media impressions across all noted platforms will serve as an indicator of success. Engagement will be measured by the volume and quality of comments to brand-posted questions, thought-provoking visual content, and participation in events, contests, and promotions. A 20% boost in actions (clicks and customer responses) within defined audience personas – Joseph and Patrick – will demonstrate effectiveness. From the “Success Metrics” subsection under “Defined Platforms:” Conversion will be based on the number of pre-order sales three months prior to release, as well as content downloads and unit sales over one, three, six, and 12-month periods post-release. This will indicate whether or not social media marketing efforts were successful, the product was well-received, and if a sequel or alternate title can/should be published. The brand hopes to sell a minimum of 150,000 units in the three months prior
  • 29. to February 13, 2017. An additional 350,000 units sold over the following 12 months will establish the title’s success. * Please refer to Appendix E for a spreadsheet with itemized goals and KPIs. 2. Audience From the “Audience Summary” subsection under “Defined Audience:” Isolation’s target audience can be demographically categorized as lower to middle- income males (earning between $15,000 and $60,000 annually) between the ages of 17 and 45. From the psychographic standpoint, these individuals lead both sedentary and moderately active lifestyles; spend a large portion of their earnings on entertainment; have a tendency toward survival horror and action games from the first and third-person perspectives; enjoy both local and cooperative (online) gameplay; prefer in-person social interaction to varying degrees; acquire most of their information about products and services online; and are quick to share material appealing to their interests. 3. Summary of Campaign Tactics A. Platforms From the “Platforms to Include” subsection under “Defined Platforms:” Facebook: This platform will be one of four channels included and will serve as an amalgam of multiplatform content emphasizing storyboard elements, cryptic puzzles, dark humor messages, challenges to prospects, and any material that supports the brand’s “survival” message. Many Twitter posts, Instagram images, and YouTube videos will contain links to Isolation’s Facebook where shorter posts will be expanded upon, images will be reposted, and videos will be featured.
  • 30. Twitter: This platform will be used to initiate brand, product, and concept-oriented conversations. Hashtags will be generated to organize discussions; posts will be designed to drive conversations forward; tweets will occasionally contain similar, though condensed, versions of content posted on Facebook; and posts will also provide links to additional brand material within other platforms. Instagram: This platform will be predominately used for the purpose of photo sharing and hashtag generation/linking. Brand and product-pertinent imagery will be posted with brief descriptions, inquiries, or statements, and may also contain links to additional material within other platforms. YouTube: A YouTube account/channel will be set up to feature videos of teaser trailers, graphics demonstrations, and gameplay examples. Links to this content will be included in posts to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram B. Content Types: Summary of Content Content will include articles, videos, photos/albums, questions, events, sales promotions, and contests. From the “Content Mix” subsection under “Content Strategy:” Articles are information pieces in written format which will cover developer interviews, product descriptions, and new information regarding Isolation. The material is to offer prospects a deeper look into the work, ideas, and new developments involved in the game’s creation process. Videos are visual content which will feature teaser trailers, graphics demonstrations, and gameplay examples. This gives prospects a sample of the game’s atmosphere, technical innovations, and visual perspective during a play experience. Photos/Albums are visual content which will feature product-oriented images in keeping
  • 31. with the brand’s “survival” message/theme. The material will feature depictions of the game’s protagonist, villains, and environments in static and dynamic scenarios. General posts will be made regularly, many questioning the target’s ability to survive nightmares, decipher game mysteries (e.g. the enigmatic 213), and understand psychological elements of the protagonist. Many of these posts will contain support images to grab prospect attention and encourage engagement. As stated earlier, most events will be geared toward the promotion of downloadable content for eighth generation consoles, and will include announcement, update, and wrap- up posts. As with other campaign elements, events will focus on the “survival” message/theme, and will be designed to boost engagement, increase awareness, stimulate interest, and generate excitement. Sales promotions will be designed to encourage pre-orders through the inclusion of downloadable content, print materials, figures, clothing, and other bonus items. All promotions will feature item(s) bundled with a customer’s pre-order, and may be executed in progressive timeframes with tiers containing different “levels” of bonuses. Prospect challenges in the form of contests will contain entry information, rules, guidelines, terms, and conditions in general post and video formats. Contests will focus on Isolation’s “survival” message/theme, and will be designed to boost engagement, increase awareness, stimulate interest, and generate excitement. C. Solution: Product Solutions Isolation is a supernatural action thriller video game that provides traditional survival horror elements to those needing a break from the zombie cliché. Additionally, it is an
  • 32. entertainment option that adds value to limited recreational time, and delivers fun, unusual, and thought-provoking online content geared toward target interests. D. Timing All social media content and conversations will be scheduled by the Tsunami Studios/Isolation marketing team according to the platforms, dates, times, and frequency outlined by the brand’s content and conversation calendars. Awareness, engagement, and sales efforts are anticipated to begin in the first quarter of 2016 and continue until the game’s release in the first quarter of 2017. This will be followed by an addition six months of social media- oriented support content/conversations. E. Estimated Cost of Paid Media Projected costs are based on the use of Facebook advertising over the course of a year- and-a-half, beginning in quarter one of 2016 and continuing into quarter two of 2017. Ideally, one Facebook post would be selected to boost monthly, and would be determined by the highest level of organic reach. The budget amount would be set at $1000, cover a five- day period, and target between 120,000 and 320,000 unique individuals with interests in survival horror franchises (e.g. Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Alan Wake, and Dead Space). However, the brand has elected to advertise over four months based on its current social media advertising budget of $10,000. The overall focus will be centered on awareness and engagement with the following specifications: Target Audiences Joseph: A male between the ages of 17 and 24 whose interests include action-adventure games with open world atmospheres. Preferred titles include Alan Wake, Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and other popular survival horror games. Common behaviors include console gaming and
  • 33. game purchases. Patrick (A): A male between the ages of 25 and 35 whose interests include encompass Joseph’s, as well as family, career, and personal growth. With regard to video games, Patrick (A) falls into the same behavior categories as Joseph. Patrick (B): A male between the ages of 36 and 45 whose interests are similar to Patrick (A)’s, but with a focus on relaxation during recreational time. With regard to video games, Patrick (B) falls into the same behavior categories as the previous two personas. The combined audience size among the three personas is approximately 88,000: Joseph comprises 57,200, Patrick (A) consists of 24,900, and Patrick (B) represents 5,900. Advertising Objective for Each Audience Two ads will be run over a period of four months. Advertisement 01 will have a three- month duration and will be designed to increase brand awareness, while Advertisement 02 will have a one-month duration and will be designed for engagement purposes (ad clicks). The former will target all three social media personas, and the latter will target Patrick (B) specifically. Campaign Duration As stated above, Advertisement 01 will run for three months and Advertisement 02 will run for one month. Placement The placement for each ad will be in the Facebook news feed; Tsunami Studios has determined this real estate to be the most effective position in gaining prospect attention.
  • 34. Advertisement 01 Calculation The goal of this advertisement is to increase awareness through impressions. Assuming the brand is attempting to reach 50% of its target audience at a cost of $10 CPM, $1,320 would be required for three months – totaling $3,960. This is demonstrated in the following equation: Total audience size = 88,000; 88,000 x 0.5 = 44,000 (Audience Reach x Frequency x Cost of CPM)/1000 = Total Spend (44,000 x 3 x $10)/1000 = $1,320 (for 132,000 impressions) $1,320 x 3 = $3,960 Advertisement 02 Calculation The goal of this advertisement is to increase engagement through ad clicks. Assuming the brand is trying to encourage 20% of the Patrick (B) persona to click on an Isolation ad for a cost of $5 CPC, $5,900 would be required for one month. This is demonstrated in the following equation: Total audience size = 5,900; 5,900 x 0.2 = 1,180 (Audience Reach x Cost of CPC) = Total Spend (1,180 x $5) = $5,900 Will Goals fit Within the Brand’s Budget? The total cost of Facebook advertising for a collective duration of four months will come to $9,860, edging in at $140 below Tsunami Studios’ $10,000 social media budget. It should also be noted that the brand’s budget for media tools (Hootsuite and Sysomos Heartbeat) will total $9,180 over the campaign’s lifetime. As such, the combined total of social media advertising and media tools would be $19,040, requiring approximately $20,000 for a full budget. This should allow the brand to effectively reach goals set within its advertising outline.
  • 35. Budget Breakdown for Advertisement 01 Ad 01: There’s Solus and there’s Soulless. You’ll have to be one to survive. Personas: Joseph, Patrick (A), and Patrick (B) Location: United States Interests: Video games, Survival horror, Resident Evil, Alan Wake, Silent Hill, Action-adventure game or Open world Behaviors: Console gamers or Gamers Age: 17-45 Gender: Male Language: English (All) Audience Size: 88,000 Estimated Reach: 44,000 Frequency: 3x per month (9x total) Duration: 3 months Placement: News feed CPM: $10 Subtotal Ad 01: $3,960 ($1,320 per month) Facebook advertisement 01 Example Budget Breakdown for Advertisement 02
  • 36. Ad 02: Isolation Ad featuring house with console logos Personas: Patrick (B) Location: United States Interests: Video games, Survival horror, Resident Evil, Alan Wake, Silent Hill Action-adventure game or Open world Behaviors: Console gamers or Gamers Ages: 36-45 Gender: Male Language: English (All) Audience Size: 5,900 Estimated Reach: 1,180 Frequency: 3x per month (3x total) Duration: 1 month Placement: News feed CPA: $5 Subtotal Ad 02: $5,900 ($5,900 per month) Facebook advertisement 02 Example Budget Breakdown Chart
  • 37. Advertisement01 Advertisement02 Personas Joseph,Patrick(A),andPatrick(B) Patrick(B) Location UnitedStates UnitedStates Interests Videogames,Survivalhorror, ResidentEvil,AlanWake,SilentHill, Action-adventure game orOpen world Videogames,Survivalhorror, ResidentEvil,AlanWake,SilentHill, Action-adventure game orOpen world Behaviors Console gamersorGamers Console gamersorGamers Age 17-45 36-45 Gender Male Male Language English(All) English(All) Audience Size 88,000 5,900 Estimated Reach 44,000 (50%) 1,180 (20%) Frequency 3x per month(9x total) 3x per month(3x total) Duration 3 months 1 month Placement Newsfeed Newsfeed Cost $10 (CPM) $5 (CPA) Subtotal $1,320 per month($3,960 total) $5,900
  • 38. Chapter 09: Measurement I. How Social Media Will Be Measured From the “Success Metrics” subsection under “Defined Platforms:” Success metrics for the brand’s various platforms will be measured by quantifiable outreach, prospect engagement, and conversion. Outreach, as a metric, will be determined by the number of likes on Facebook, subscribers on YouTube, and followers on Twitter and Instagram. Engagement will be determined by the ratio of those reached to likes, comments, and shares received on Facebook; the number of video views versus likes/dislikes and subscribers on YouTube; the ratio of retweets, mentions, and direct messages to follower quantity, as well as the number of new followers gained from hashtags on Twitter; and the number of likes and reposts versus the number of followers, as well as the number of new followers gained from image posts on Instagram. Conversion will, of course, be based on the number of pre-sales three months prior to release, as well as content downloads and unit sales over one, three, six, and 12-month periods post-release. This will indicate whether or not social media marketing efforts were successful, the product was well-received, and if a sequel or alternate title can/should be published. More specific information regarding KPIs can be found in the “Goals and KPIs” subsection under “Campaign Initiatives and Big Ideas.” Please also refer to the Goals and KPIs spreadsheet under Appendix E for more detailed information.
  • 39. Appendix A Clothing: generally indicates t-shirts, baseball caps, and wristbands when referring to pre-order bonus items. Cooperative Gameplay: gameplay involving more than one party; typically indicates online in- game interaction. Downloadable Content: also referred to as DLC, downloadable content is any supplemental content (character, environment, or game-extending enhancements) that adds value to a customer’s play experience. Eighth Generation Consoles: category of video game consoles comprising Xbox One, PS4, and Wii U. Figures: generally indicate statues, busts, or action figures when referring to pre-order bonus items. First-Person Perspective: gameplay view that allows a gamer to see environments from the playable character’s perspective; this is typical in war and space shooter genres. Local Gameplay: gameplay involving a single party; occurs when a gamer opts to avoid online in-game interaction. Print Materials: generally indicates comic books when referring to pre-order bonus items. Survival Horror: video game genre focusing on action and horror elements. Third-Person Perspective: gameplay view that allows a gamer to see the playable character within their respective environment; this is typical of action and hack-n-slash genres.
  • 40. Zombie Apocalypse: refers to the hackneyed fictional concept of zombie overpopulation leading to catastrophic world events; this concept was made popular by video games, comic books, and movies such as Resident Evil, The Walking Dead, and Dawn of the Dead. Appendix B Ratings and Content Misunderstanding Dear Mr. / Ms. Smith, We are sorry that you were unclear on the game’s content. Please note, however, that all video games published and sold within the United States are subject to the Entertainment Software Rating Board’s (ESRB) rating scale, which gives Isolation an M rating for Mature. As stated by the ESRB website, a game with this rating might include “intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language.” Information specific to this game’s subject matter is listed on the back cover alongside the rating to help those with concerns about content make an informed purchase decision. If the game was ordered through the Tsunami Studios/Isolation website, you may return it, along with a copy of your receipt, for a refund of the product price – please email us at isolationevent@hotmail.com for specific return information. If the game was bought from a third-party (i.e. GameStop, Walmart, etc.) a return can be made depending on store policy. If you have any additional questions, please contact us at isolationevent@hotmail.com. Thank you, Game Support Division Tsunami Studios
  • 41. Appendix B – Continued Incompatibility Hello Mr. / Ms. Smith, Being as Isolation is a console-based video game (available for Xbox One, PS4, and Wii U) it is not designed to be compatible with a PC or other devices. If the game was ordered through the Tsunami Studios/Isolation website, you may return it for a refund of the product price – please email us at isolationevent@hotmail.com for specific return information. If the game was purchased through a third-party, please contact them to make a return. If you have any further questions, please let us know. Thank you, Game Support Division Tsunami Studios
  • 42. Appendix B – Continued Console-Specific Dysfunctionality Hello Mr. / Ms. Smith, We apologize for the inconvenience. With this type of issue, there are a couple of things we like to check prior to making a return. 1) Being as many consoles use an HDMI cable, stalled or frozen visuals may occur if the cord is loosely attached to the system or television. This can appear as screen flashes,graphics glitches, and odd shifts in picture. We recommend turning the system’s power off, unplugging and re-plugging the cord for both the console and television, turning the system’s power back on, and seeing if this clears the problem. 2) Every now and then, altered graphics can result from errors in the system’s hardware. We recommend ejecting the game disc and inserting a different one to see if the same issue presents itself. If faulty graphics persist, the problem is likely console-related. Although our games are tested for bugs, and fixes are made accordingly, a disc may occasionally come out of production with playback issues. If you have checked everything and the problem remains, the issue is likely disc-related and a return can be made. If the disc is defective: If your order was placed through the Tsunami Studios/Isolation website, please email us at isolationevent@hotmail.com with your mailing/shipping address,and we will send a box and call tag (via UPS) for an easy return. In the meantime, we will ship a new copy right away. If the game was purchased through a third-party (i.e. GameStop, Walmart, etc.),please contact the store to make a return/exchange. If you have any additional questions, please let us know. Thank you,
  • 43. Game Support Division Tsunami Studios Appendix C Content Calendar
  • 44. Appendix C - Continued Content Calendar
  • 45. Appendix C – Continued Content Calendar
  • 46. Appendix D Conversation Calendar: April 2016 (Week 01)
  • 48. Appendix D – Continued Conversation Calendar: April 2016 (Week 03) Conversation Calendar: April 2016 (Week 04)
  • 49. Appendix D – Continued Conversation Calendar: May 2016 (Week 01) Conversation Calendar: May 2016 (Week 02)
  • 50. Appendix D – Continued Conversation Calendar: May 2016 (Week 03) Conversation Calendar: May 2016 (Week 04)
  • 51. Appendix D - Continued Conversation Calendar: June 2016 (Week 01)
  • 52. Conversation Calendar: June 2016 (Week 02)
  • 53. Appendix E Goals and KPIs Spreadsheet