XMAS MARKETING: 11 TOP TIPS
‘Tis the season to be selling
The UK’s biggest video game creative agencies team-up to offer you 11 essential tips on getting your products to standout during the crowded Christmas period
Many gamers use Christmas to stock up on games from earlier in the year that never quite made it onto their ‘immediate buy’ list. Give your best trailers a makeover and re-seed them. If it’s a good trailer, it doesn’t matter if it’s old, gamers will watch it again.
Lau Glendinning, Managing Partner, Game Room
Do one thing and do it well, establish the key hook for your game and develop a narrative around it that can be used relevantly across all channels, don’t try and tell us everything all at once. Rachel Ward, SJS London, Client Director
Deliver the right message, to the right people in the right places. Make sure your messaging is sharp, your plans are integrated and your communications pack bang for buck. Front load your message. There’s too much noise during peak season to beat around the bush.
Lu Digweed, head of marketing, Fluid October 11th 2013
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If you want to achieve any kind of standout at Christmas time, you can’t start early enough. You’ll need to plan your activity well in advance, start teaser campaigns early to warm up the market, make sure you’ve covered all your bases and work closely with your retailers to secure the space you’ll need for maximum impact.
Suzy Barnes, Director, Studio Diva
Most promotions just push a lower price point, but publishers could try to be more creative. Last year, Game Room offered gamers a chance to win a training session with Cristiano Ronaldo. Not only did this create positive buzz around a key sales period but the content from the training session went on to receive over two million views. Lau Glendinning, Game Room
When we had our first meeting with Activision to discuss Skylanders, we wondered if we’d accidentally walked into a meeting with Hasbro. We weren’t so much sceptical as
Clockwise from top left: Lick Creative’s Jameson, Game Room’s Glendinning, Fluid’s Digweed, Studio Diva’s Barnes, Uber’s Benjamin and SJS London’s Ward
initially confused. But what a stroke of genius it turned out to be. It inspired our creativity. Sure, marketing types can’t influence what kind of games are created, but we should all be open to embracing brave new directions.
Richard Benjamin, Managing Director and Founder, Uber
For publishers that do not have budgetary flex and still wish to launch in this period they may want to focus more on leveraging social media channels and delivering content and engaging in real time conversations across these platforms where they can influence around point of purchase. Rachel Ward, SJS London
Be original. With everyone fighting for air time and stand out at Christmas it’s vital to be different, whether that’s in the media mix you choose or the message you communicate, it has to grab attention and excite people about that product. Remember gamers
are natural bloggers so get busy via social channels and get them involved with experiential events. Bev Jameson, Group Account Director, Lick Creative
The dizzying growth of digital and the increasing popularity of video- on-demand and social media offer a wealth of new opportunities for marketeers to stand out. The need for personal relationships with brands is now a given, and the games industry must follow suit. Richard Benjamin, Managing Director and Founder, Uber
Don’t forget the gifting market is not your typical gamer so you have to make their decision easy by informing this group. Bev Jameson, Lick Creative
Don’t do it! Whilst Christmas is an obvious time for sales is it worth the investment? Will your title get lost amongst the noise? Can you make your budget work better in 2014? Rachel Ward, SJS
www.mcvuk.com
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