lafs marketing and monetization lecture 1: marketing fundamentals
TRANSCRIPT
MARKETING FUNDAMENTALS
Level 1
David MullichMarketing and MonetizationThe Los Angeles Film School
Who Am I? David Mullich
[email protected]@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 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?
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.
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.
