DGR_Digital Advertising Strategies for a Cookieless World_Presentation.pdf
Marketing Plan
1.
2. Goals and Objectives
› Position Adrenaline Junk as THE online racing room for US players
by providing convenient depositing and new playing options that
capture the interaction and intensity of live multiplayer play.
› Build market share:
Sustainable average US player volume
Significant player base in terms of deposits
Peak play volume to signal growth potential
› Become Industry Leader in Real Time, Instant Deposit and
Withdrawal Options
“One-click” Bitcoin deposits and debit card withdrawals – legal,
fast, practical
3. Strategic Focus
› Niche marketing –targeting children and youth ,US
online gamers.
› Fixed monthly subscribtion, penetration pricing strategy
for market introduction to build market share
› Core multiplayer experience – Focused game choice
early on to keep costs low and avoid fragmentation of
customer base
› Product leadership orientation – Multiplayer racing and
tournaments to win real money is exciting .
4. Implementation Issues
› High player volume and turnover is essential for differentiating on
features and convenience; need player exposure and word-of-mouth to
gain momentum
› Gaining market share and brand acceptance is crucial to prevent large
multiplayer racing rooms from copying our business model
Existing market share leaders Shift 2 and Project cars could implement
a stopgap blocking strategy
› Bitcoin objectives are critical to distribution strategy – players and
partners will be motivated via rakeback deals which require functional
financial transactions
› Any CEO downtime will interfere with centralized marketing structure;
Rogue decisions or communications by lower managers (through SM or
other) could threaten program
› There are likely to be unforeseen operational and IT related challenges
due to use of independent software package – necessary to maintain
autonomy and implement features
5. Expected Outcomes
› Rapid increase in brand awareness
Strong brand association with patriotic US imagery – successful
communication that we are actively seeking US players
Successful communication of ease of use and demonstration of
unique features
› Large numbers of new players trying Adrenaline rush and making
Bitcoin deposits
› Real time SM and racing forum based customer service –
combining support and promotion
› Successful market share grab - stage set for growth
6. Technologically advanced, social media enhanced, US-facing online
multiplayer racing game.
Based in New York with Las Vegas investors
Founder of Adrenaline Rush is Mathew Adams
In public beta testing (play money) as of 9/13/17; website went live
12/23/16
Accepts Bitcoin deposits – instant, global, legal, secure
› Standalone digital cryptocurrency – independent of US$
› Bypasses banks, credit card companies, other financial intermediaries
› Players no longer have to store their bankroll with the poker room
Adrenaline Rush multiplayer racing with tournaments for premium
subscribers; can play at public and private lobby.
Adrenaline Rush Connected social media platform partnered with Profit 4
Purpose, a sustainable business non-profit group
7. Current and Potential Customers:
› Existing online US players “on the margins”
› Live in US major metro areas, 5-25 years of age
› Very computer savvy, play daily - heavy users; Treat games as a
second job
› get excited about promotions that reward “extra boost” or skill – like
“drifting” poker
› Socialize mostly online and offline.
8. Customer Product Use
› Above board, well promoted, smooth running, feature packed US-
facing site serves customer groups
› Software would be downloaded from Adrenaline Rush website.
› Players would install adrenaline Rush software on any and all of
their computers ,mobile.
› Future complementary products: sportsbetting, blackjack ,casino
games
› Adrenaline Rush lobby feel is optimized for multi-hour sessions,
but users can rapidly jump in and out of games
› “Auto-rebuy” settings and redeposit ease influences player session
length
9. Product Purchase
› Real money deposits would be made via Bitcoin or Credit Cards initiated
through the Adrenaline Rush software and supported by live chat and email
support.
› Potential intermediaries include Bitcoin currency exchanges (Mt Gox), instant
transfer services (BitInstant, Dwolla), online wallet accounts (Google Wallet)
› Traditional banking support services may assist in withdrawals – debit cards,
paper checks
› The likely trend for US players would be from Moneygram style depositing
(Western Union) to instant digital depositing
10. Converting Non-customers
› Some players will be daunted by technology or prefer the feel and
pace of multiplayer play – Adrenaline Rush features and customer
support can convert this group
› Some players are loyal to their existing games – “Grand Opening”
free premium intended to draw in these customers
› Non-players will be intimidated by rules and fast pace – free play
version of software and “how to play material” on web site
addresses this group
11. Brand – Shift 2 and Monkey racing
› Online poker rooms with slightly similar features and benefits – specifically
ones that accept Bitcoin deposits
Generic – Brick & Mortar Card rooms and Casinos, Horse and dog racing tracks,
Sports books
› Live gaming options
Budget – Video games, Play money gambling apps (Zynga), Sports, TV, Home
games, Reading
› Other activities that compete for gaming dollars or hours
12. Technological Advancements
› Improved and faster broadband saturation enables live webcam
tables, faster software, handling of more players and tables
› Bitcoin enables instant back and forth funds transfers
› Social networking enables communication about who is playing
where and when
› Unclear what would happen if a big online player like Pokerstars
were to suddenly allow Bitcoin.
13. Product leadership orientation –
› Significant product advantages related to technological features
› Premium users enables a more live poker feel online including
reading tells and body language
› Bitcoin enables instant deposits and withdrawals, helps US players
to play without fear.
14. Alliance with Lewis Hamilton takes advantage of his
significant media presence in national televised
tournaments
Trademarked Adrenaline Rush technology and logo
help build strong brand
Current situation means they are essentially the only
game in town with this level of features and service
Positive media exposure and beta testing – far
superior to direct competitors
15. Strengths M I R Opportunities M I R
Well-known F1 racer, Lewis Hamilton, frequently on TV, brings in
players 3 3 9
Other multiplayer racing games are complacent in regards to
Bitcoin and US funding/customer service concerns 3 3 9
Proprietary adrenaline rush demonjam engine technology 3 3 9 NO other competition offers chance to win money 3 3 9
Low transaction costs and instant processing by relying on Bitcoin 3 3 9
Rival networks (US market) have poor customer service and
image 2 3 6
Thriving social media presence (Facebook, Twitter, soon Youtube) 3 2 6 Rapid growth of interest in racing due to televised tournaments 2 2 4
CEO has combination of small business . 2 2 4
Online racing players play on multiple sites with high switching
rates 2 2 4
Integrated racing related social networking feature - enables "home
games" online 2 2 4
Cheaper, faster broadband enables new bandwidth intensive
features
Sufficient funding 2 1 2
Alliance with non-profit sustainable business group 1 1 1
Weaknesses M I R Threats M I R
Weak market image relative to existing racing networks, especially
outside the US -3 3 -9
Entry of large online racing games into US market by way of
Bitcoin or change in legislation -3 3 -9
Small player pool, limited beta testers -3 2 -6 Entry of Bitcoin racing rooms into US market (like Switch racer) -3 2 -6
Unproven technologies -3 2 -6 Entry of many small online racing rooms into US market -2 3 -6
Scattered strategic direction – aiming for technological excellence, social
networking penetration, and to build a signature brand all at once -3 2 -6 Bitcoin regulation -3 1 -3
Limited staffing -2 2 -4
Congress could expand UIGEA or pass additional legislation
regulating online gaming -1 3 -3
Potential lead time issues related to beta testing (software bugs) -2 2 -4
Justice department could expand enforcement of UIGEA or apply
Wire Act in new ways to online gaming -1 3 -3
Narrow selection of buy-ins -2 1 -2
racing players could reject online play in favor of live play or
other activities -1 3 -3
Lukewarm or skeptical reception by some trade publications -1 2 -2
Bitcoin valuation could decrease rapidly or fluctuate wildly
-1 3 -3
IT/computing costs could shift down enabling new entrants or
shift up blocking expansion
-1 2 -2
17. Position Adrenaline Junk as THE multiplayer racing game for US players by
providing convenient depositing and new playing options that capture the
interaction and intensity of high graphics and real money involved.
Strategy Canvas analysis
› Brand/product competitors will hold early advantage in players and
games
› Niche market strategy will leverage superior features into a dedicated
player base
› New games and promotions can be tailored to the unique player pool
› Customer loyalty to features will maintain market share as Bitcoin use
grows
› As US player volume returns to pre-UIGEA levels, customers will stay
because of ease of use and new players will join for the features
18. Initial strategic focus –
follow a niche marketing direction targeting savvy, children and
youth
› Win over players who are currently compromising with high fees
and legal risk (Merge/Revolution players)
› Build a loyal player base, grow via word-of-mouth and social
media efforts
› Capture market share as US players who abandoned online play in
the 2004-2010 time frame return to the fold
19. Substantial:
› Current volumes (Racingscout.com average): 3,549 players on
sites accepting US players
› volumes (Fiedler and Wicke 2017): 1,428,823 unique US players –
logged on at least once in a six month window
› market size: $650.5 million (26.02% of global market – next
largest is Germany at 9.35%)
20. Identifiable and Measurable:
› US Online racing game
› They are gaming oriented
› They watch gaming related media – televised tournaments, movies
about racing.
21. Responsive:
› Players regularly shift between sites based on: player traffic,
deposit bonuses, software speed/reliability, features, famous
players at the tables, big tournaments
› US players are actively seeking new online poker sites due to
recent room closures and deposit hassles
22. Accessible Through:
› Popular racing forums need for speed, pug, grand tourismo.
› sports magazines- F1 racing, GP racing etc
› Televised racing events – top gear , dream car garage.
› Social media – Facebook, Twitter, YouTube
23. Viable and Sustainable:
› New crops of poker players every year (18 is the typical minimum
gambling age online)
› Bitcoin deposits don’t require extensive vetting by financial
intermediaries or poker room
› UIGEA doesn’t disallow Bitcoin deposits; most states allows online poker,
more will soon
24. Summary of Primary Target
Primary Target – Scott, the dedicated online gamers
› ID: Scott continues to find ways to play online from the US . He frequents
nfs, shit2,monkey racing daily and keeps up on what racing rooms are hot
and not. He used to play simultaneously for 4+ hours each day, but now
he is frustrated over the lack of players and games available.
› Expectations – He wants the game to function smoothly and not interfere
with his immersion into the game.
25. › Buying habits and preferences:
Deposits big up front for deposit bonuses; will
redeposit for bonuses even if not “busted”
Subscibes in player’s club for rewards and rake-back
26. Summary of Primary Target
› Consumption/disposition:
Plays many hours per day, most days per week, both peak and
off hours
Doesn’t generally get too involved with special events like
tournaments, but will dabble
Prefers the “steady grind” of game
Chats and interacts occasionally with other players
27. Demographic
› 23 years old, Single, Male, Caucasian
› Engineering Degree, Quality Engineer, Non-manager, $68k salary
› Not religious
Geographic
› Twin Cities, Minnesota
› Lives with roommate in large apartment in suburbs near major
mall
28. Behavioral
› Doesn’t overdo it at work
› Plays late into the night multiple nights per week
› Has considered “going pro”, but doesn’t want to break his routine
› Shops and eats at local chain stores and restaurants
29. Psychographic
› Fairly quiet in real life
› Active in online discussions about poker strategy and trends
› Thinker – enjoys the “process” of poker
› Sees family on holidays, friends on the weekends
30. Secondary Target – Mark, the live tournament player
› ID: Mark loves the speed.
› Buying habits and preferences:
Deposits as he needs to buy into specific tournaments or events
and for cash play afterwards
Doesn’t actively participate in player’s clubs, but watches
tournament calendars closely
› Expectations – He wants big events so he can be part of something
special
31. › Basics:
Mark needs a medium to high stakes tournament offered at least
a few times a month with big side games afterwards
Mark wants the software to support player interaction similar to
live play – Mark prefers to have big fields of players who know
the rules, but aren’t too tough. Slow or rookie players frustrate
him.
Mark requires a site that handles tournaments well (doesn’t
break down in the middle
32. › Consumption/disposition:
Plays only a few days per month, but may play for 8+ hours –
similar to all-day live poker play
Will buy into a range of different sized tournaments, including
the biggest ones
Prefers the excitement of a final table
Chats and interacts with other players near constantly – is
“known” on the site, loves it, and interacts over social media
with other players frequently
33. Demographic
› 25 years old, Married – no children, Male, Caucasian
› Computer Science Degree, Program Manager, $110k+ salary
› Atheist
Behavioral
› Workaholic, works from home 2 days per week
› Schedules time into busy schedule for home games and big tourneys
› Hosts home games frequently
› Plays online only occasionally now, but keeps an eye out for ways to play more
› Will play long stretches when in Vegas or traveling
Psychographic
› Accomplished and affable with friends and contacts in many circles
› Enjoys talking about bad beats and big pots
› Innovator-Achiever
› Enjoys outdoor activities with wife
› Knows he can win at poker, but is looking for a game-changing experience
Geographic
› Southern California, L.A. County
› Significant equity in large house in recent development
34. Adrenaline Junk is a multiplayer game that enables US players of all experience
levels to have hassle-free access to a core set of games that are set up to feel
and play like live gaming
Features Advantages Benefits
Bitcoin deposits
Reduced transaction fees and time for
deposit and withdrawal
Get playing faster - immersive
entertainment
Junk tournaments To win money and experience gaming. Polarize players to our game
Social Networking "Home
Games"
Easy to play with whomever you want
or set up your own tournaments Help friends try poker, casual play
Custom software
Dedicated user base - loyal players,
instead of a multitude of generic "skins"
One stop shop for poker - no need
to chase the action
35. Lifecycle Stage: Adrenaline Junk is in the Development Stage of its lifecycle.
Customer Service – Combining Support and Promotion
› Twitter based real time support
› Rapid response email and live chat through website
› Facebook discussions and promotions
› Twoplustwo.com dedicated forum for support and promotion
Image– Bold and Above Board
› Patriotic US imagery to communicate they are actively seeking US players
(instead of begrudgingly or temporarily like Merge/Revolution)
› Big grand opening specials and blow out promotional activities (instead of
quietly grinding away with a small player base like SealsWithClubs)
36. Adrenaline Junk combination of convenient transactions and software
features make it superior to existing US accessible multiplayer games.
Ring game grinders like Scott will come for the quick deposits and stay
for the dedicated player pool and immersive experience
Tournament pros like Mark will join for big Adrenaline Junk grand
opening events and stay for the interactive experience.
“What if sites which accepted US-based customers had been handling
their deposits and withdrawals in Bitcoins?...there would have been
no bank involved at all - thus, no bank could have been defrauded.” –
Matt Kaufman (bitstrategy.com)
37. Variety of Games/Features
Favors Dedicated
Playing Sessions
Convenient
Entry and Exit
Barebones/Fewer Options
LA
racer
Indian
roads
Jumbo
gamer
DT
racres
Adrenaline Junk
Switch*
nfs
Road
rash
SWC
puk
38. Goal 1: To launch and position Adrenaline Rush as the most exciting
US-facing online poker room available
› Objective 1: Obtain a 7 day average player volume of 250 US
players
Volume level necessary to demonstrate software stability and
multiplayer room viability
As measured on racercount.com – compiling running averages
will start after 1st week
Milestones are set every 12 months - adjusted upwards annually
CTO is responsible for site integrity and reporting data trends to
CEO; CEO sets promotions and incentives
39. › Objective 2: Reach 5000 real money player sign-ups and
initial deposits
Volume level necessary to demonstrate multiplayer
sustainability
As measured by internal account software
Timeframe: Within first 6 months after go-live
CMO is responsible for developing process to attract
new players
40. › Objective 3: Achieve peak player volume of 750 US Players
Volume level necessary to demonstrate viability and growth
potential
As measured on racercount.com – compiling running averages
will start after 1st week
Over course of first 12 months and then adjusted upwards
annually
CTO is responsible for compiling and report data and trends to
CEO (and avoid brown-outs)
CEO sets promotions and incentives intended to influence play
volume
41. Goal 2: Become Industry Leader in Real Time, Instant Deposit and
Withdrawal Options
› Objective 1: Simplify Bitcoin deposits and withdrawals to “one-
click”
Within 1st 18 months of operation – process should be
streamlined along the way
Need to develop strategic partnerships with Bitcoin service
providers
CFO and CTO will work together to develop Bitcoin process due
to financial and technical aspects
CEO has final sign off on new process due to its potential impact
on player experience
42. › Objective 2: Roll out withdrawal debit card
Within 1st year of operation
Need to develop strategic partnership with New York bank
CFO is responsible for bank selection, coordinating with CTO for
integrating into software and CMO for promotion and usage
strategies
43. Adrenaline Junk is transitioning from their Development
Stage into their Introduction Stage
Due to the uniqueness of revenue generation from
tournaments, a fixed oriented pricing objective is
appropriate. High player volume and turnover is
essential.
44. A penetration pricing strategy is appropriate for market
introduction. Although, there are significant features and
advantages, it would be too risky to adopt a price
skimming strategy.
The key to being able to differentiate on features and
convenience is establishing a large player pool as quickly
as possible. The new features require player exposure and
word-of-mouth to gain momentum.
45. Tactics:
› Patriotic promotions – deposit bonuses for Presidents’ Day, 4th of
July, Thanksgiving
› Special bonus to players bringing new customers
› Return and 2nd deposit bonuses to roll out after 90 days, tethered
to player volume
› Players Club points for tournament entries, message gear (hats,
shirts, hoodies), F1 magazines, etc.
46. Exclusive Distribution of Core Product: Adrenaline Junk
will be a standalone, independent multiplayer racing game.
› Infiniti Poker will protect its competitive advantage and by delivering its product
via its proprietary software – only available by download from their web site
› Infiniti Poker will keep costs low by relying on cutting edge deposit/withdrawal
processes
› Users will have their software automatically upgraded upon log on and checked for
authenticity (to prevent user modifications to the poker room interface)
Achieving Bitcoin and deposit/withdrawal intermediary objectives are critical to
distribution/supply chain strategy – potential partners will be motivated via rakeback
deals and supply agreements where possible
Having a visibly distinct product (NOT a “skin” on one of the existing networks) will
help differentiate Adrenaline Junk and preserve their autonomy in rolling out new
features and offers as they move into their Growth Stage
47. Strategy – Adrenaline Junk is the easy, legal way to play real poker online in the
US
› Tailored specifically to primary and secondary target markets – aiming to
rapidly increase brand awareness, communicate ease of use, and
demonstrate unique features
› End result is large numbers of new players trying Adrenaline Junk.
48. Component Objectives in the Introduction Stage
› Pull strategy – focus on generating player volumes
Partnerships with financial intermediaries triggered by size of player pool
IT/server expansion scaled with play volumes – balanced approach to contain
costs with some risk of server overload if demand is great
› Significant Internet and Print Advertising– key poker websites, forums, publications
75/25 mix of Product/Institutional Advertising for primary target – drive traffic
on features for existing players
50/50 mix for secondary target – drive traffic on convenience/experience for
players not currently playing online
› Initial large sales promotion to drive players to install and make initial deposits
› Public relations – Mostly secondary to advertising; handling “technical”
communication
› Personal selling – Customer support to streamline deposits for high volume players
49. Significant budget in the early stages to generate awareness and drive traffic
› Initial budget should be based on an Objectives and Tasks Approach with phases
and milestones to release rounds of funds
Phase 1 – drawn from start up capital – sufficient to reach primary and
secondary targets primarily through internet and print communication
channels. Milestone – Goal 1, Objectives 1 and 2
Phase 2 – drawn primarily from early revenue – Reach referrals and follow-on
targets. Milestone – Goal 1, Objective 3
› After initial volume targets are reached, transition to a Percentage of Sales
Approach
To coincide with strategic shift towards player retention, loyalty, and per player
play volume boosting
Phase 3 – scaled budget from ongoing revenue stream – Hook customers for the
long run. Milestone – Goal 2
50. IMC
Strategy
Advertising
• Brand rollout: Ad purchases on
online gaming forums, top 3 multiplayer
racing referral sites, top 2 rakeback
sites, and top 2 print racing
publications
• SMM: SEO, keyword ads (Google
and Bing), targeted Facebook ads
• Poker room launch: Website and
email communication
Public Relations
•Press Releases/White Papers:
Technical communications of Bitcoin,
Adrenaline Junk
•Feature Articles: Adrenaline
Junkaccomplishments and expansion,
CEO background, social commitment
• Product Placement: Adrenaline Junk
gear worn during televised tourneys.
Personal Selling
•Premium Customer support:
Streamlined deposits/withdrawals;
deposit incentives, tourneys, clubs for
high volume and high referral players
•Targeted Player Blocks: Set up
dedicated forum on twoplustwo.com and
private message high value players
Sales Promotion
•Competitively matched initial and
return deposits with low minimums
•SM (Facebook/Twitter):
Announcements of freerolls,
guaranteed prize pool tourneys
•Web conferences and chats
•“In Real Life” showcasing at
tradeshows
51. Relationship Stage Customer Relationship Goal IMC Strategy
Awareness
Communicate lobby availability and features;
Build awareness in gaming community
Advertising – Internet, SMM, print
Promotions – Initial deposits, freerolls, play
chips leaderboard
Initial Purchase
Convert play chip players into real money players;
Build initial player base;
Add Adrenaline Junk to “evoked set” of racing forum
Expand Awareness stage with more
institutional ads
Rollout personal selling strategies – forums,
SMM
Repeat Customer
Successful withdrawals and return deposits;
Users seeking out and interacting with Adrenaline
Junk
Personal selling and customer support are key
Expand Public Relations technical
communications
Client
Customers deposit and withdrawal with confidence,
comfort, and regularity
Rollout player’s clubs and “earned” tourney
buy-ins;
Expand game types and scale;
Community
Users following and interacting with Adrenaline Junk;
Users looking to Facebook and Twitter for new
tourneys and features – significant SM traffic
Create player “tiers”: promote and personal sell
accordingly
Advocacy
Strong use of SM and collaborative features;
Loyalty to Infiniti Poker’s experience rather than
games, incentives, or specific features
Players customizing their settings; tweeting favorite
tourneys
Speed up gaming experience: increase players
per lobby; Reduce time in finding game.
52. Implementation as Organizational Culture – Adrenaline Junk is a
startup company; Leadership Team will implement early phases of the plan
directly; Blurring of technical, operational, and marketing lines requires deep
and direct understanding of company’s strategy
53. Structural changes needed to implement strategy:
› The org chart should be adjusted to be explicitly flat underneath the CEO
› Also call out critical cross-functional teams assigned to early phase goals and
objectives (requiring IT, marketing, and game operational expertise
simultaneously)
› Outside consultants should be relied on to tackle specific, unique challenges as they
arise rather than adding roles – at least until initial player base is established – rate
of change will be too high
54. Shared Goals and Values – Racing is a great way to have
fun, challenge one’s skills, and socialize. Adrenaline Junk
employee’s believe they are bringing something positive
and valuable.
55. Internal marketing activities:
› Employee training – Specifically in framing the Adrenaline Junk -Bitcoin
experience as convenient, drawing on players’ familiarity with
tournaments.
› Employee motivation – Significant commission and referral incentives to
drive up player volume; Employee tourneys
› Overcoming resistance to change – Training and role-playing to demo the
approach; focus groups; mentoring and early interacts with real players
› Internal communication – CEO will post on company’s internal SM
network; allows for interaction from CEO to employees and employees
amongst themselves
56. Centralized Marketing Structure – CEO will keep tight control in
order to manage marketing message in company’s early stages. Due
to the newness of the technology and financial processes, the CEO will
be involved in day-to-day decision-making for operational and legal
reasons as well.