lafs marketing and monetization lecture 1: marketing fundamentals

MARKETING FUNDAMENTALS

Level 1

David MullichMarketing and MonetizationThe Los Angeles Film School

Who Am I? David Mullich

dmullich@lafilm.edu@David_Mullichwww.electricsheep.biz

LAFS Game Program Lead Faculty

Former Producer at Disney, Activision, 3DO and the Spinmaster toy company

PREPARE TO GET SCHOOLED!

Marketing and Monetization

What Do You Think This Class About?

What This Class Is Really About Marketing: The action or

business of promoting and selling products or services, including market research and advertising.

Monetization: The process of converting something into money.

How To Market Your Game

HOW THIS CLASS WORKS

Class Topics1. Marketing Fundamentals and Branding2. Game Publishing3. Game Funding4. Social Media5. Marketing Materials6. Advertising and Publicity7. Sales and Distribution8. Monetization and Metrics9. Community Development and Management10. Marketing Plans

Class Grading

20%: 10 Labs 30%: 10 Assignments 30%: 3 Tests 10%: Professionalism 10%: Attendance

2% Extra Credit for attending Game Fair

Be Your Own Career Entrepreneur

Devotion Persistence Reinvention

3 Keys To Success

Remember, This Is A College Class

Studying game development at college is still college study.

Take Notes

Having one of these is a minimum requirement.

At all times.

Study

Review the online Lecture Notes

Think Understand Reflect and Connect

Tests Study for your tests! Refer to the slides. If you see on a slide, it will probably

be on the test. If you don’t know the answer to a test

question, guess! There are no points deducted for wrong

answers on multiple-choice questions I will award some points for clever or

knowledgeable answers on short-answer questions, even if they weren’t the answer I was looking for.

Labs

Game development is a team sport. Each of your labs is a group assignment in which everyone must participate.

Assignments

Do your homework assignments on the LMS (Learning Management System).

Word CountsWord counts are there for a reason.

Use them wisely and avoid: Padding Going off topic Repeating yourself Padding by stating the obvious in a way that takes

quite a lot of words but really isn’t saying anything new

Repeating yourself but in a different way Padding, wadding, lining, extemporising, extraneous

content or going on any other kind of Synonym Safari TM

Creativity Within ConstraintsIf you can’t be bothered to: be creative strive for originality even within

established norms or constraints look beyond your initial idea actually enjoy and actively want to do

the above

Then get used to the phrase “Would you like fries with that?”

Deliver Work On Time

Develop a habit of delivering work on time.

In the game industry, when work is late, people don’t get paid.

Pssst....Sometimes developers make false internal deadlines to avoid calamity such as missed milestone payments. Maybe you could do the same if graduation is at stake?

School Is Your Job

Yes, these are important: Part-time work Family Friends Fun

But don’t neglect your school work!

PROFESSIONALISM

All Business is Communication

Good Communication

Precise Clear Brief

Written CommunicationInformal Communication

Its cool to werk in gamez.u get too do anything u want & stuff

Formal Communication

It’s cool to work in games. You get to do anything you want and stuff.

Written Communication Capitalize the beginning of sentences,

names, game titles, and the word “I” Use proper spelling and punctuation Put a space between punctuation mark

ending a sentence and the start of the next sentence

Don’t use “u” for “you”, or “&” for “and” Don’t confuse “its” and “it’s”

Attention to detial

It matters.

First Rule of Success: Show Up

DON’T BE TARDYBut if you know you will be late, EMAIL ME!

DON’T BE ABSENTBut if you know you will be gone, EMAIL ME!

“All I want to do is just pass this class”

Classes are not kidney stones.

If you think about them in these terms, maybe you’re on the wrong career path?

Impressions

Your colleagues and faculty will most likely be your doorway into the industry.

How do you want them to think of you?

ZERO HERO

The Golden Rule

DESCRIBING YOUR GAME

What Is This Game?“A puzzle game where several different types of colored blocks continuously fall from above and you must arrange them to make horizontal rows of blocks. Completing any row causes those blocks to move downwards. The blocks above gradually fall faster and the game is over when the screen fills up and blocks can no longer fall from the top.”

A Shorter Description

“Race against the clock to match and arrange vertically falling colored blocks before they stack too high and fill the screen!”

What Are The Ways To Describe A Game?

Describe by Core Game Mechanic

Game Action PurposeTetris Rotate pieces to remove linesCandy Crush Match 3 pieces to destroy themChess Position pieces to capture opponent’s piecesSuper Smash Bros Attack to knock opponent backDoom Run and shoot to kill enemiesWorld of Warcraft Kill to earn experience

Describe by Genre

Describe by Genre Action

Ball and Paddle Beat’em Up Fighting Game Maze Game Pinball Game Platform Game Shooter

○ First Person Shooter○ MMO FPS○ Light Gun Shooter○ Shoot ‘Em Up○ Tactical Shooter○ Rail Shooter○ Third Person Shooter

Action-Adventure Stealth Game Survival Horror

Adventure Real-Time 3D Adventure Text Adventure Graphic Adventure Visual Novel

Role-Playing Western/Japanese RPGs Fantasy RPGs Sandbox RPGs Action RPGs MMORPGs Rogue RPGs Tactical RPGS

Simulation Construction/Management Life Vehicle

Strategy 4X Game Artillery Game Real-time Strategy Real-time Tactics Tower Defense Turn-based Strategy Turn-based Tactics Wargame

Other Casual Game Music Game Party Game Programming Game Puzzle Game Sprots Game Trivia Game Board Game

Describe in Other Terms Story-driven Run-and-gun Brain-teaser Hack n slash Sandbox God game

Describe by Theme

Location or Time Period Story or Film Character

Describe by Play Value

Fantasy vs Reality Casual vs Hardcore Slow-Paced vs Fast-Paced Build vs Destroy Friendly vs Threatening

Describe by Target Players

Demographics Age Gender Favorite Genre Skill Level Play Session Length Income

Warning!

It is dangerous to enter a market where gamers are monogamous with their game of choice!

It's far safer to woo those gamers who love numerous games.

Describe by Differentiation

Unique Selling Proposition (USP): Answers the question, “What makes this game so special?”

What Makes A Game Special?

Unique Selling Proposition Different Compelling No Hyperbole No Empty Words

Unique Selling Proposition

Battlefield Huge open environments Large scale battles Vehicular combat

Modern Warfare Player customization and unique loadouts Leveling up and unlocking new gear

What Are These Games’ USP’s?

Elevator Pitch

Elevator Pitch Structure for Games

Game Title is a game genre set in theme for target player. It features core game mechanics that bring play value. Unlike competition, this game unique differentiation.

Game TitleGame GenreThemeTarget PlayerCore Game MechanicsPlay ValueCompetitionUnique Differentiation

Example PitchSomehow it always falls to Mustachio to rally his friends for their many adventures. Run and jump through a side-scrolling world made of and inhabited by blocks. With mustaches. A world full of action, puzzles and arbitrary danger that Mustachio faces boldly with his mustache-fueled power to make block duplicates of himself. What? Cloning AND mustaches?! You betcha!

Game TitleGame GenreThemeTarget PlayerCore Game MechanicsPlay ValueCompetitionUnique Differentiation

Positioning Statement

Positioning: How your product compares to or differs from other products in your target market: it’s “position” on the landscape and in the consumer’s mind.

Positioning Statement: A concise, specific wording used to describe a product’s positioning.

Positioning Statement TemplateFor [Target Market], [Brand] is [Point of Differentiation] among all [Frame of Reference] because [Reason to Believe].

Tetris is an exciting Russian-themed tile-matching game for puzzle game players combining fast action and strategic thinking with a colorful, Russian aesthetic.

Tips For A Good Positioning Statement Simple but memorable Clearly differentiates from competitors Credible Ownable Defines marketing decisions Allows growth

Tagline

Taglines are punchy, compelling one-liners that capture interest and help with selling a game.

“From Russia With Fun”

Taglines With Huge Pricetags To Develop

Simple 3-Step Tagline Process

1. Describe your game in a few sentences2. Trim it down3. Trim it down again

Memory Test

What does Electronic Arts call a positioning statement and tagline?

Hooks

Having a “good game” is not enough!

It needs some type of hook!

A hook is a compellingfeature or offer that thePotential customer cannotSay “no” to.

Reality Check

People don’t like “revolutionary”!

They say they do, but notReally.

People want security.

Maslow Was Right!

So how do you be distinctive?

Tie It To Something People Know “It’s like Risk, but in first-person POV!” “It’s like basketball, but with spaceships!”

OR

Market your game to early adopters.

Practice RoundBreak into groups to determine your game’s product positioning. List the top 5 features of your game in descending

order Identify which of these features are important, pre-

emptive and distinctive Compare this feature list with your number one

competitive game Identify your game’s unique features over your

competitors

MARKETING MIX

The Four “P’s”

Marketers refer to the following of comprising the Marketing Mix of a campaign: Product Price Promotion Place

Let’s take a closer look at each!

Product What is the essence of the idea? What makes it unique and compelling? Who is the audience? How big is that audience? How do we make it? What will it cost to make?

Price How much will your game sell for? Is it an impulse purchase? Is it a premium-priced purchase?

Promotion

The key vehicles, tactics, and programs used to promote your game. Advertising Public Relations Social Media Word-of-mouth

Place

The places where you will sell your game. Retail stores Digital distribution

BRANDING

What is a “brand”?

A Philosophical Definition Branding is the unique identity, personality,

and characteristics identifying loyal customers.

It is the “who”, “what”, and most importantly “why” of you and your product

A Philosophical Definition It is a promise kept.

How Do These Brand Identities Differ?

Best Branding Evar!

A Practical DefinitionBranding includes all the physical and administrative components of your company and game.

Company and game name Company and game logos Messaging, slogans, taglines Advertising Website Trademarks Social Media Marketing strategy and tactics

No Brand Is Built Overnight!

Brand Building requires: Repetitive Exposure Coordinated approach across multiple

channels Time Patience

The Brand Development Process The Facts Answer Essential Questions Create Your Brand “Personality” Competitive Landscape Target Audience Differentiators Your Brand/Mission/Product Statement The Core Pitch

Let’s take a closer look at each!

The Facts The founders and their roles Where you’re located Your background and expertise

Answers To These Essential Questions WHY are you? What makes you special? Why will people like you?

Define Your Brand Personality Independent High quality Great [at what] Funny Serious Determined Engaging Challenging Best [what] Expert Inspiring Artistic

Ambitious Strategic Bold Risk Taking Confident Aggressive Accessible Dedicated Committed Craftsmanship Thoughtful World Changing

Competitive Landscape Who are the current leaders in your field? Why do you believe they have been so

successful? What games out there are closest to

yours?

Target Audience

Your customers are the heart and soul of your company. So:

Who do you want as your customers?

Be more specific than “anyone who likes games”.

Differentiators What makes your game or product

special? How does it compare to other companies?

Your Brand/Mission/Product StatementA statement, primarily for internal use only, that will become the driving force of your company.

“[My company] is committed to creating the most challenging and engaging RPGs today. Our expertise and dedication will ensure the highest quality, and our sense of humor in our company and games will remind us that we’re all in this for fun – and if we’re having fun, our players will have fun.”

The Core Pitch

Once you’ve determined all of the above, the result will be The Core Pitch (also known as your “brand bible.”)

Once implemented, your core pitch will be the inspirational and practical source for all logos, ad copy, tag lines, blogs, press releases, human resources, and presentations for funding.

Group Quest

Create a core pitch for your game.

PROTECTING YOUR BRAND

Assets For Establishing Your BrandMinimum Company Logo Game Logo Screenshots

Additional Website Facebook Page Twitter Core Pitch Presentation

How Do You Protect Your Brand Identity From Being Stolen?

CopyrightThe exclusive legal right, given to an originator or an assignee to print, publish, perform, film, or record literary, artistic, or musical material, and to authorize others to do the same.

Copyright infringement is the use of works protected by copyright law without permission, infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the copyright holder, such as the right to reproduce, distribute, display or perform the protected work, or to make derivative works.

TrademarkA symbol, word, or words legally registered or established by use as representing a company or product.

Trademark infringement is the unauthorized use of a trademark or service mark on competing or related goods and services. The success of a lawsuit to stop the infringement turns on whether the defendant's use causes a likelihood of confusion in the average consumer.

PatentA government authority or license conferring a right or title for a set period, especially the sole right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention.

Patent infringement is the act of making, using, selling, or offering to sell a patented invention, or importing into the United States a product covered by a claim of a patent without the permission of the patent owner.

Trade SecretInformation that derives independent economic value, actual or potential, from not being generally known to or readily ascertainable through appropriate means by other persons who might obtain economic value from its disclosure or use; and is the subject of efforts that are reasonable under the circumstances to maintain its secrecy.

On Trademarks, Copyright and Patents

Different Forms of Intellectual Property

Copyright Trade Secret Trademark Patents

Music Customer Mailing Lists Company Name Inventive Gameplay

Story Publisher Contacts Company Logo Inventive Game Design

Characters Middleware contacts Game Title Tech Innovations

Art In-House Development Costs Game Sub-Title Hardware Innovations

Box Design In-House Development Tools Identifiable "catch phrases"

Source Code Deal Terms

Different Forms of Intellectual Property

IP in the Game Industry Patents Trademark Trade Secret Copyright

Length 20 years Immortal Immortal 95/120 Years

Cost High Medium Medium Low

Ease of Obtaining Tough Medium Medium Easy

Use Rare Often Often Often

Registration? Yes Recommended No Recommended

Coverage Medium Narrow Large Large

Away Mission

Research taglines and reverse-engineer positioning statements for 4 games.