24 MCV 06/08/10 SOFTWARE FOCUS: BACK TO SCHOOL Top of the class
Kids soon return to school but that doesn’t mean their appetite for games and software diminishes. James Batchelor finds out how publishers are able to maintain success around the start of the new term…
THE SUMMER holidays may only be a couple of weeks in, but you can be sure that parents are already thinking about the start of the next academic year. The High Street is already awash with Back to School promotions for clothes, stationary and more – but that doesn’t mean games firms are missing out. Focus Multimedia, for one, is particularly experienced in reaping the rewards of its diverse software line-up as parents steer their kids away from joypads and towards reference books. “This is a time when parents are highly motivated towards getting the best out of their children as they prepare for the new year ahead,” says PR and marketing manager Alan Wild. “Parents themselves also show a tendency to want to learn new skills and better themselves alongside their children. As such it’s the perfect time to give both new and evergreen titles based on creativity, design, education, reference, productivity and self-improvement a prominent position at retail.” That’s not to say that traditional games firms aren’t able to tap into this market. Games serve as great incentives to encourage children to work hard, and one accessories firm is directly targeting this audience.
“As parents get into Back to School mode, our range offers real value for money gifts – alongside the usual pencil cases and school uniforms,” says BigBen Interactive’s business development manager Ann Hurley. “There are many
educational products on the market but we are offering the ‘fun’ element – such as our Marvel and Hello Kitty DS cases – as rewards for good behaviour or to get children enthused into the process of preparing for school.
“
“Aimed at young children and very much in keeping with getting the child active, our range is less about pure exercise and more about active fun.”
LESSON PLAN Obviously, the greatest beneficiaries of the Back to School rush are educational products. PC and DS titles that focus on teaching as much as they do on playing help parents get their children back into
WWW.MCVUK.COM
PLAYTIME’S OVER: Wild (far left) and Hurley (left) explain how the start of a new school year marks a shift in spending habits
the studying mindset, as well as encouraging them to learn new skills outside the standard curriculum. “Focus Multimedia continues to enjoy great performances with its own-
The Back to School period is still niche and that needs to change. It is a non-games market ripe for harvesting. Alan Wild, Focus Multimedia
label brands,” Wild explains. “Our Teaching-you range covers a wealth of educational, language learning and productivity disciplines. Music Theory and Guitar Skills are both consistent top performers, as are All-in-One Print Studio and All-in-One Photo Studio. “Reference titles are also a strong part of our offering and Encyclopaedia Britannica delivers year-on-year in this category. This highly respected brand is recognised for delivering in-depth,
reliable information and immeasurable breadth of subject matter.
“Other key performers include the ”
Select: creativity and design software, with new versions of Photo Studio, Web Design Studio and Desktop Publishing Studio due soon.” Other firms that specialise in reference software also enjoy a profitable period. The Stationary Office, for example, achieves success with its range of Driving Theory Test software – an area that Focus has also performed well in. “Every year we see a new crop of ‘summer holiday’ learner drivers preparing for greater independence and university life,” says Wild. “The Driving Test Success titles fly off the shelves at this time of year. With over 3.2 million units sold in the UK, Driving Test Success is a superb example of the potential in this market.”
THE NEXT TEST So with a definite market identified for certain products, can the Back
to School season become a key trading period for our industry?
It already forms a focal point for several other industries, and firms such as Focus and BigBen have shown there is success to be had for games. “It’s a great time for the industry to reconnect with players who may have been spending more time outside out and about,” says Hurley.
“Whilst we say Back to School, what we really mean is Back to Games, as summer begins to wane and we start the run-up to the peak of Q4. “For many of our younger players, it’s a great way to make that first connection, so it’s a very important time that we believe will become more sophisticated in years to come.” Wild adds: “The Back to School period is still niche and that has to change. We’re in an age where people are more computer-savvy than ever. “We have here a fertile non-games market that is ripe for harvesting – complete with consumer friendly pricing. Any retailer wanting to be No.1 in non-games and capitalise on the growing PC userbase could do worse than take a large slice of this freshly baked pie.”
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64