Marketing video games

Marketing video games
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· Top 21 tips for video marketing
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I. Video marketing content for you!
The bedrock of any video game or console launch is its marketing.
Only with an eye-catching campaign and memorable messages can any
games blockbuster hope to draw in the millions of consumers required to
make it a success.
But the days of just targeting gamers through specialist channels are
long gone. It’s a new world, one of trailers that are broadcast through
everything from console dashboards to online banner ads. A world of
constant conversation with avid fans and uninformed consumers alike
through social media. A world of following potential customers
throughout their daily lives – at work, at home and in transit – via
mobile apps, billboards and coverwraps on freesheets.
In such a diverse, crowded and at times confusing market, the best
marketing practices have evolved beyond anything we could have
predicted even five years ago. With that in mind, MCV looks at the most
crucial truths behind the art of marketing games today.
Video marketing. Free pdf download examples Page 1

RULE 1: YOU MUST BE EVERYWHERE
The entire landscape of video games marketing has changed.
No longer are promotions centred around games magazines and shops,
nor are they only about selling titles. Now they are about ‘engagement’ –
and not just promoting big reveals, but establishing a constant presence
in consumers’ lives.
“We’ve completed the transition from push to pull marketing, from a
one-way broadcast to a two-way conversation around content,” says
marketing firm An.x MD Jon Sloan.
“We’re at a point where even well-designed and well-positioned ads that
extort the consumer to ‘buy now’, however subtly done, are not effective
anymore.”
Bruce Kennedy, creative director at design agency Kennedy Monk,
adds: “Where once the salesman set his stall up in your street, now he’s
in your house and he knows a lot about you. In the case of mobile, he’s
constantly by your side. So it’s our job to understand the customer even
more personally than ever, so the ‘visitors’ we send into this very
personal digital space are charming, attractive and most of all,
welcome.”
"Companies are beating their brains
out to keep abreast with changing
trends in consumer tastes."
Katie Rawlings, Gem Creative
This has been made possible by the widespread adoption of smartphones
and tablets, meaning consumers are never away from a screen and a
potential canvas for advertising.
“According to IGN research, over 75 per cent of their audience are
smartphone owners, with gamers over-indexing for tablet ownership and
it is this sort of insight which is really shifting attitudes of marketers
within the sector,” says Nick Shadbolt, account director at mobile ad
specialists Candyspace.

“A trend we’re seeing a lot of is publishers starting to use mobile to
integrate various channels. For example, using QR codes and augmented
reality – such as Blippar – mobile search and SMS to ‘activate’ press
and outdoor ads.”
RULE 2: ONLINE ADS ARE MORE ACTIVE
In the early days of the internet, web ads were merely digital replications
of those found in magazines and newspapers: colourful but static
imagery with basic information, albeit with a link that leads to an
appropriate website.
But the possibilities have grown faster than anyone could have expected
and marketing firms are racing to keep up with new ways they can use
space on websites.
Gem Creative’s head of marketing Katie Rawlings says: “While online
advertising began in the form of banner ads on websites, it has now
taken the forms of viral videos, blogging, promotional campaigns on
social networks and forums. Agencies and publishers are beating their
brains out to keep themselves abreast with the changing trends in
consumer needs and tastes.”
Even download games have transformed online advertising. With more
and more consumers buying download games, marketers can follow
potential customers from announcement right up to the point of purchase
through the same online ad channels.
And that’s without taking into account the opportunities afforded by the
now-established social networks such as Twitter and Facebook (see
‘Social Skills’, below).
“Digital routes to market which were in their infancy five years ago have
now developed and matured,” says Lu Digweed, marketing and PR boss
at ads and packaging firm Fluid.
“One-to-one marketing via granular channels such as Facebook, or the
explosion of DLC mean companies know exactly what consumers want.

Clients are increasingly looking to combine the huge reach of, say, TV
with the very personalised approach of Twitter and Facebook.”
RULE 3: CONSIDER CONTENT MARKETING
Companies have embraced the relatively new strategy of raising
awareness of a retail release through the creation of original, separate
content in addition to traditional advertising.
For example, Microsoft built up to the launch of Halo 4 with the popular
Forward Unto Dawn webseries, which racked up 5m views per episode.
That show exists largely to promote the new Halo, and yet few
consumers would identify it as an ad.
Ubisoft had similar success with its Far Cry Experience, a webseries that
drew in 500,000 people per episode. Meanwhile, EA’s regular video
show Pwned is essentially a platform for promoting new games.
Should this content marketing activity be compelling enough, consumers
will even share it with their friends via social networks, further
spreading the message in a way that is far more subtle than any
homepage takeover.
There are even opportunities in marketing around content that
consumers have created, such as regular video shows and podcasts.
“For gaming the biggest game changer in recent years has been the
massive increase in YouTube sites,” says PR agency Indigo Pearl’s
director Caroline Miller.
“Videos from Yogscast tend to get over 1m views, 3.7m subscribers on
the main channel, and its front page is amongst the biggest channel
pages in the world. Approached correctly these outlets can show a
tremendous benefit for brands.”
RULE 4: RESEARCH YOUR AUDIENCE
The proliferation of consumers on social networks and other online
forums means that marketing firms and publishers can constantly

compile information on what their fans want, helping to dictate the
direction of future campaigns.
“The internet has proved to be a reliable source for gathering data,” says
Gem’s Rawlings. “Anyone can research the target market through
surveys, polls, and focus groups via online media. This has enabled the
consumers to contribute in the decisions pertaining to product offering
thus enhancing sales.”
"Where once the salesman set his
stall up in your street, now he’s in your
house and knows a lot about you."
Bruce Kennedy, Kennedy Monk
An.x’s Jon Sloan adds: “Where we are both blessed and cursed now,
especially in the digital sphere, is in the availability of data, data and
more data.
“Previously, customer insights came in fairly limited ways: internal sales
reports or POS data, consumer behaviour reports, focus testing. Now
marketers can access a huge range of real-time data but are, at the same
time, bombarded by it. So, the difficulty arises in how to sift through it
to gain useful, actionable insights.”
RULE 5: SPREADING THE WORD
Much like the viral spread of content marketing, consumer opinions can
be another form of marketing in itself – albeit one that firms have no
direct control over.
Metacritic reviews, opinions aired via Twitter, forum discussions; all of
these are keeping games at the forefront of the public mind.
“Word of mouth has always been the Holy Grail of marketing and PR,”
says Indigo Pearl’s Miller. “This is now much easier to ignite due to
Twitter and social bookmarking, and of course the feedback from these
outlets can be crunched in to data that allows brands to improve their
product and messaging.”

But Lick Creative’s creative director Dan Bacon adds that this comes
with a price: “Brands now find themselves in a world of high
accountability, with reviews and user posts acting as benchmarks that
additional consumers will judge.
“Whether we like it or not, user driven information is becoming more
and more what other consumers use to make decisions and marketing
teams need to adapt their processes accordingly. “We need to accept that
we are maybe no longer in charge of a brand’s image to the same
extent.”
RULE 6: PLAN YOUR STRATEGY
Marketing campaigns can’t follow a cookie-cutter structure.
What works for one release won’t necessarily be as effective for another.
Every promotion must be planned from the ground up.
“There’s no magic formula,” says Game Room’s managing partner Lau
Glendinning.
“Strategies and channels will vary in effectiveness, so planning a proper
launch strategy is essential to determine the right choices.
“You have to ask yourself is this a new IP or the latest installment of a
successful franchise? Do you need to attract new fans or re-engage with
an existing community? Who are your target audience? Where do they
consume content? What’s your budget?”
"We need to accept that we are
maybe no longer in charge of a
brand’s image to the same extent."
Dan Bacon, Lick Creative
An.x’s Jon Sloan urges publishers to stray away from the usual multi-staged
game reveals, perhaps announcing future plans so fans have
something to look forward to.

“Instead of planning the standard teaser, announcement, and launch
videos, you could plan a web series against a more frequent calendar,”
he says.
“Make sure your audience knows when your new content is coming:
they’ll look forward to it and be more likely to share that content around
their own networks.”
RULE 7: LONG-TERM VS SHORT-TERM
A crucial decision in any marketing campaign is how long your activity
will run for.
Blockbusters like Call of Duty and FIFA will often be persistently
promoted from announcement to launch and beyond, with POS calling
for pre-orders as early as six months before release. Meanwhile smaller
or newer properties will concentrate their activity around release.
“Campaigns where we have engaged earlier as part of a long-tail
strategy have resulted in better pre-orders,” says marketing agency SJS
London’s client and planning director Rachel Norman. “This then allows
us to develop short-term tactical strategies that can concentrate on more
direct calls to action, rather than trying to squeeze a narrative into
limited channels or timeframes.”
Lick’s Bacon says: “With short-term campaigns, it remains the
marketing team’s responsibility to monitor and adapt to the shifts in
media and communication channels.
“However, long-term requires a complete business shift into
accommodating media and the role in which it plays in our everyday
lives. It is no longer good enough to have scheduled campaigns.
“We now need to have continuous dialogue with our consumers.They
are growing more demanding and it is only those that fulfil those
demands that will flourish.”
RULE 8: STRIVE TO STAND OUT

As video games have become a more widely accepted form of
entertainment, their competition for consumer spending has increased.
Not only are publishers trying to secure more sales than their rivals,
they’re also competing with films, home entertainment releases,
smartphones, tablets and other consumer electronics, and a myriad of
alternative luxury items.
“There’s no guarantee of cut-through,” says marketing firm Studio CO2
director Steve Cross. “You have to be aware what else is going on at the
same time, not just in gaming, look at the big picture, and make sure that
your campaign is true to the product.”
Uber’s Benjamin adds: “It’s certainly noisy out there but a lot of it is
simply an annoying cacophony. To stand out from that you need clarity,
intrigue and a reason to exist.
“Gamers are an emotive, passionate and loyal bunch. So tap into their
emotions, tell a story, try and give your campaign a narrative and
purpose.
“Marketing and feelings seem like uneasy bed-fellows but if a campaign
can be delivered with an element of heart and, dare I say it, soul, then
you’re already on track to capture the emotions of your target.”
II. Video marketing tips
#1: Make your title count
Just like a headline to a blog post,
video titles can pull powerful
traffic. There are two main reasons
why the title is so important. One,
a great title can instantly grab a
viewer’s attention.

Two, when you use the appropriate keywords in your title, you are more
likely to show up on search engines when people are searching for your
topic. And remember Google owns YouTube, so there’s a story
connection between video and searching.
#2: Provide excellent content
Take some time to think about your ideal viewer. What do you know
that they’ll find valuable? What can you teach them? “How-to” videos
are extremely successful because not only do they offer great value to
your viewer, but also you’re able to showcase your knowledge and skill,
thus positioning yourself as an expert. This is key as you continue to
grow your brand.
#3: Include your URL in your video
When you edit your video, take advantage of the different editing
features. One easy feature is to add a text box to your video. This is
where you can display your website address and it’s a great way to get
exposure.
Here’s a screen shot of Mari Smith’s YouTube channel. Notice how she
used a text box in her video to display key information, including her
website URL at the end of her video. Smart move!
#4: Take advantage of video’s branding opportunities
For branding purposes, have your company logo displayed prominently
somewhere on the screen. You can do this at all times, or during key
times in your video.
In the image below, notice how the company logo is displayed in the
upper-left corner. You can display your logo throughout your video or
only at key times.

#5: Always provide an HTML link
When you post on YouTube, you have the option to write a short
description of your video. Always start with the link you want to drive
your viewers to so you don’t miss this key opportunity.
Here’s a snapshot of the description boxes from one of my YouTube
videos. Notice the placement of my website URL (it’s the first thing
you want to put in the box!) and the keywords I used in my title as well
as the description.
#6: Go beyond YouTube
Most people post their videos on YouTube. In addition to this, make
sure to always embed your video on your own website. This will
increase the amount of time people spend on your website and help grow
a captive audience.
Also, Google’s algorithms consider how many times a video is viewed,
and embedded video views you receive get added to the ‘views’ tally on
YouTube. This is important for showing up in Google search results!

Marketing video games

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