I think it’s safe to say that there are marketing campaigns that succeed and others that fall flat. What many underestimate though is the effect that marketing can have on a game, movie or other form of entertainment. When it’s good, it’s good but when it goes bad…it really goes bad. And then there are times when the initial point was to have it go bad because in some strange ways bad is actually good.
I’m sure that was confusing but work with me. There’s an old saying that goes ’any publicity is good publicity’. In some cases it’s hard to argue that it isn’t that way. Dante’s Inferno anyone? In my opinion I think the marketing around Dante’s Inferno has been very effective.
That brings me to my question. Think about your favorite game/movie or your least favorite game/movie. Think about a game or movie that you intend on purchasing or viewing in the near future. Did the marketing help or hurt when it came down to a) finding out about it, b) buying the game or tickets or c) totally wiping it off of your list of games/movies to pay attention to.
What say you?
October 17, 2009 @ 4:18 pm
when there’s a title like Modern Warfare 2 or Halo 3 that will sell no matter the marketing, how much does it even come into play? an established name or brand sells itself so it’s hard to know how much marketing affected it.
October 17, 2009 @ 4:18 pm
good post btw shoedog.
October 18, 2009 @ 2:26 pm
Happy face.
October 18, 2009 @ 4:07 pm
I’d also like to add that it’s very hard to cover up a bad game with amazing marketing. Chances are, that if you do poorly at making a game, that the marketing for it or your choice of marketing company for it will be similarly poor.
I’d like to think that gamers are relatively informed and won’t just by a game based on one trailer. Also, the XBL Dashboard and the PSN x-blade help show console gamers videos about games and such, and in doing so help gamers see what a game is like. That way, when time to buy said game comes around, the gamers can already tell whether or not they’re interested in the title.
October 18, 2009 @ 6:13 pm
This is gonna be awesome.
October 18, 2009 @ 7:35 pm
Dante’s Inferno’s marketing is a good example. I for one think it has some very good marketing. So I do plan on picking it up. From the TV Ads and Magazine Ads. As for a game like Halo ODST. I didn’t really plan on picking it up. I was tired of Halo, but they had some really cool commercials, and a pretty strong marketing campaign. So I thought hey why not, since they keep shoving it in my face everytime I watched TV. Lol, so in most cases I think it helps.
October 18, 2009 @ 8:11 pm
I agree with many of you. It’s safe to say some things are cut and dry while others, not so much. Such great feedback!
October 18, 2009 @ 8:43 pm
Well, one marketing viral that I’ve really gotten into is There’s Something In The Sea at http://www.somethinginthesea.com. It’s for Bioshock 2. I had always planned on buying it, but this viral is so in depth that I find myself constantly checking for updates and really caring for the characters. I also end up telling all my friends about, which I guess ends up marketing by word of mouth.
Halo ODST has been mentioned a lot, and I’ve got to say that their marketing has worked on me. I’ve never played Halo before (I didn’t have an xbox for a very long time), and I didn’t even know about the viral marketing, but the commercials and hype from gaming magazines and sites have really convinced me that I want to buy it. Wow, that was a long sentence.
October 18, 2009 @ 8:52 pm
a long but good sentence catgirl
October 19, 2009 @ 9:25 am
I liked the MW2 campaign…ones that make you think about the product and research it to me are better.
October 19, 2009 @ 6:54 pm
The viral for cloverfield is what really made me want to see the film more than the previews, i liked watching the story unfold before the movie began. I also enjoied the marketing for the dark knight even though i jumped into it rather late and there was not a lot of interaction with the city i live in, definately made me want to see the movie even more. the marketing for arkham asylum also drew me in, something about hacking into the asylum’s security system really got my blood pumping.
October 19, 2009 @ 6:56 pm
very good call Dusty…Cloverfield had brilliant a viral strategy.
October 19, 2009 @ 9:19 pm
I think a viral campaign like Cloverfields would work well for a game, but maybe not. Us gamers are a lot more discerning since we are spending 60 dollars instead of just 10. The mystery can only lead us so far.
October 20, 2009 @ 5:13 pm
“When it’s good, it’s good but when it goes bad…it really goes bad.”
Deep.
October 26, 2009 @ 8:54 pm
Oh loaded question and ill use some marketing jargon, i think lots of marketing campaigns go wrong with who their key segments are. Some campaigns dont really market their products to their key segments. I think other companies dont take in all the macro-invironmental problems out there, such as economic and technological changes. Thats where 51 marketing comes into play. You guys are going in the right direction by taking into account that most of the costumers and consumers are using technology more and more.
haha
As far as big games go such as MW, MW2, Halo 3, i think its up to the companies to do some market research and see who the people where that actually bought the game. At the end of the day the gamers are going to buy the game no matter what, what matters is if the marketing that they did, made the people who where thinking of buying the game or people who had no interest in it, to buy it.
I have a lot more to say about this but i think ill leave it here. Dont wanna make it too long