Post by Morreion on Feb 1, 2010 7:49:00 GMT -5
Bait and Switch? Ethics & Values in Today's MMO Marketing (Ten Ton Hammer)
Good article!
The Effect of Questionable Marketing and Publishing Practices on MMO Development
Ten Ton Hammer confronted several industry insiders on MMO marketing practices that have long chafed players, sometimes using quotes from the players themselves. Has word-of-mouth made traditional PR and marketing obsolete, or worse: prone to deceit just to get games noticed? Is pre-launch hype important for a game with a potential ten-year (or even longer) lifespan, and if so, is there such a thing as too much hype? Why is marketing used to gather feedback for features that aren't necessarily "final," and what's with the "box promises" that aren't made good at launch? Through their responses, you'll find that perhaps the industry has turned a corner.
Ten Ton Hammer confronted several industry insiders on MMO marketing practices that have long chafed players, sometimes using quotes from the players themselves. Has word-of-mouth made traditional PR and marketing obsolete, or worse: prone to deceit just to get games noticed? Is pre-launch hype important for a game with a potential ten-year (or even longer) lifespan, and if so, is there such a thing as too much hype? Why is marketing used to gather feedback for features that aren't necessarily "final," and what's with the "box promises" that aren't made good at launch? Through their responses, you'll find that perhaps the industry has turned a corner.
“[Tabula Rasa Lead Designer] Paul Sage used to call it the difference between a one night stand and a long-term relationship. When marketing an MMO you have to feature those longer term attributes and features of the game. MMOs are a major investment of a player's time and they want to know that the investment will be worth it in the long term. PR's job is to keep the game in the news to attract new players (you can trust us, we keep making new content), past players (look at all the new fun you can have with your old characters - come back!), and current players (stick around for all the new stuff!).”
Grace built on that, explaining that good PR is a two-way street.: “Marketing can be many things, but I think that the best thing is if it is a communication tool between the public and the development team. We want to communicate what the game is to make sure that people have the correct impression of the game. We want to drive the core values in such a way to build excitement. However, we also want to listen to the feedback and responses to those messages to see if maybe we are missing something. People know what they like and respond strongly to what they see. As we show the game and talk to people, their comments feed back into the process”
Grace built on that, explaining that good PR is a two-way street.: “Marketing can be many things, but I think that the best thing is if it is a communication tool between the public and the development team. We want to communicate what the game is to make sure that people have the correct impression of the game. We want to drive the core values in such a way to build excitement. However, we also want to listen to the feedback and responses to those messages to see if maybe we are missing something. People know what they like and respond strongly to what they see. As we show the game and talk to people, their comments feed back into the process”
Good article!
