lafs marketing and monetization lecture 10: business and marketing plans

MARKETING PLANSLevel 10

David MullichMarketing and MonetizationThe Los Angeles Film School

Marketing Plans (Or Lack Thereof)Many game developers don’t “push the marketing button” until the day the game launches.

Don’t Treat Marketing As An Afterthought!

Take A Nod From Hollywood

Build excitement well before the game or feature goes live.

Generate Hype!

Itis imperative that you start generating hype as soon as there is something—anything—worth showing to the public.

But Not Too Soon!

The last thing you want to do is to start posting early, unpolished screenshots of your game all over the web, especially if you're still in the programmer art phase of development.

DEFINING YOUR BUSINESS MODEL

Business Models

Make a business model at the same time you are making your game design.

Business Model Explained

Customer Segments

Who are they? What are they looking for in a game?

Value Proposition

How will you satisfy the customer’s entertainment and other needs?

Channels

How will you find customers? How will you promote the product’s value to the

customer? How will you deliver the product’s value to the customer?

Customer Relations

What is the cost to attract customers?

What is the cost to convert customers?

What is the cost to retain customers?

Revenue Stream (Monetizing) What is the price of the

product? Why is the customer

paying for the product? How is the customer

paying for the product? How many paying

customers are there?

Key Resources

What resources are required to maintain the business model?

Key Activities

What activities are required to build the business?

Strategic Partners

What partners are needed to maintain the business model?

Cost Structure What are the

development costs? What are the office

costs? What are the human

resources costs?

Which Of These Involves Marketing? Key Partners Key Activities Key Resources Value

Proposition Customer

Relationships Channels Customer

Segments Cost Structure Revenue

Streams

MARKETING CALENDAR

Marketing Calendar

A tool showing what marketing events, media campaigns and merchandising efforts are happening when, where and how.

Sample Marketing CalendarTiming What Tactics/Vehicles

L-9 months Announcement Press Release (and PR through your website/blog/social media if you’ve previously built a sizeable audience). Including assets like screenshots/videos/key are can make an even stronger announcement.

L-6 months New assets reveal: concept art, screenshots, video

PR article placements and/or through your website/blog/social media

L-5 months Playable code at industry/consumer event

EventPossibly supplement with PR

Sample Marketing CalendarTiming What Tactics/Vehicles

L-4 months First look teaser video and announce release timing

PR article placements and/or through your website/blog/social media

L-3 months New assets reveal: concept art, screenshots, video

PR article placements and/or through your website/blog/social media

L-2 months Project update Blog post on your website and/or prompt for reviews to post at launch time

L-1 month Playable code to press outlets

PR prompt for preview coverage, interviews

Sample Marketing CalendarTiming What Tactics/Vehicles

L-3 weeks Post new gameplay video

PR article placements and/or through your website/blog/social media

L-2 weeks Distribute final review versions of game to press

PR prompt for reviews to post at launch time

Launch week Release launch trailer PR article placements and/or through your website/blog/social media

Sample Marketing CalendarLaunch plan specifics should vary from game to game!

This sample plan is just an illustration of: Building out a content plan and

timeline leading up to your launch Using different kinds of vehicles

at each stage leading up to release

Marketing Calendar Tips Stay flexible It is better to

recalibrate your schedule than stick to an announced date

Marketing Sins

11 Deadly Marketing Sins Developers Should Avoid

Marketing Sins1. Missing Unique Selling Proposition2. A Vague Definition of the Target Group3. No Category Research4. Missing the F2P and Premium Difference5. Launching on Many Platforms6. Not Having a Marketing Budget7. Forgetting the Cash Flow8. Rejecting Mobile Ads9. Over-Estimating the Power of the Press10. Skilling the Soft Launch11. Not Building on Foundations

Group Quest

Create a first pass of your marketing calendar.

POST-LAUNCH

Development Stages Strategy Pre-Production Prototyping Production Soft Launch Global Launch

Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

A development technique in which a new product or website is developed with sufficient features to satisfy early adopters. The final, complete set of features is only designed and developed after considering feedback from the product's initial users.

Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

Making Your First Game: Minimum Viable Product

Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

3 Awesome Minimum Viable Products

Developing A Sustaining Plan

Marketing doesn’t end when your game ships!

Do Post-Launch Promotions and Extensions!

Add On Content Promotions

Add-on content and updates to generate new interest.

Community-Driven Contest Promotion

Competitions, leaderboards, user-generated content, fan art, fan fiction.

Awards Promotion

Submit your game for awards programs and competitions.

Consider a price promotion when the finalists are announced.

Merchandise Extension

Tie-in Merchandise can work well for some games and series: Those that attract a following Those that have characters

that lend themselves to merchandise

Those that generate catchy phrases

Series

Developing follow-up games can assist you with establishing your studio, game catalog, audience, and critical mass.

Library / CatalogYour marketing plans can include initiatives for your first game promoting your second. Reduce the price of your first game

at the second’s announcement As your studio grows, create

pricing tiers across your entire catalog

Create bundles, with discounts for players who buy multiple games in your library

Student Course Evaluation

https://goo.gl/forms/ChpmPJRvKl0oBCpt2

Away Mission

Pick a video game product from today’s Game Fair.

Propose three different kinds of post-release promotions or extensions for the game to boost sales.