http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9853&Itemid=59
By Kris Graft
It's only been a year since the last MI6 game marketing conference, but in such a fast-moving industry, much has evolved over the course of 12 months, and there will again be plenty of fresh material to cover when the conference kicks off this week.2007 was a year that saw US videogame sales hit $17.9 billion, up a sharp 43 percent year-over-year, according to the NPD Group. While 2007 played host to some of the best and brightest of developers' efforts, it was marketing muscle that played a large part in moving games like Halo 3, Call of Duty 4, Guitar Hero III, Super Mario Galaxy, Assassin's Creed and gaming hardware into the hands of the gaming public.
"Online marketing, achievement systems, blogging and that sort of thing has definitely risen to the top of the conversation since last year, as we try to figure out what the best, most effective means [of marketing games]," says Jill Lindeman, general manager of MI6.
"Where [game marketers are] marketing, how they're targeting their audiences and where they're buying media has changed dramatically."
With new technologies and trends emerging at a rapid pace, and with many gamers being a wary, tech-savvy group, marketers, almost by necessity, have found new, creative venues through which to market games.
For instance, online has become a major component of gaming, and services such as PlayStation Network and Xbox Live serve as not only a place to throw up some ads, but also a vehicle to offer game demos, trailers, wallpaper and other content to build up the hype train for a new product.
And the more traditional ways of marketing games have been amped up to new levels. Take the Halo 3 campaign, which saw tie-ins with brands like Mountain Dew, Doritos, Pontiac, Burger King and the Projekt Revolution Rock Tour. A dramatic TV ad campaign for Halo 3 featuring music by Chopin was worth a reported $10 million, to drive the point home. You could say that Halo 3 was going to be huge no matter what, but it's the marketing that pushed the game from huge to astronomical in terms of a revenues and mind share.
Some game marketers have called the gaming demographic a tough market to crack because it is comprised of inherently cynical people. But MI6 president Jonathan Block-Verk doesn't agree with such terminology.
Asked if gamers are a cynical bunch, Block-Verk retorts, "No, absolutely not. They're a hell of a lot more sophisticated. And they are so media-savvy and so articulate in various types of media that no, they're definitely far more sophisticated than any other type of consumer.
"... The gaming community is much more fluent in the language of marketing," he says.
Reaching out, speaking to and relating to gamers means not underestimating their intelligence when marketing, perhaps moreso than when marketing other types of products, Lindeman adds. "Every other kind of media, at least that we're involved in, is desperate for that [18-34-year-old male] demographic. It's a savvy audience. The methods, the tone of voice and the types of communication takes into consideration that your audience is smart, whereas in other types of media, that's not quite the case."
Videogames are now becoming so ingrained in popular culture that sometimes, pop culture is doing the marketing for the games industry. According to Lindeman, that's the real sign that the games market is broadening, and such expansion is only accelerating as products like the Wii and "casual" games gain popularity.
"Whether it be strategic or more happenstance brand integration--whether it be a mention on the Colbert Report or a whole segment in South Park or on the Ellen show--we're talking games appearing before mainstream audiences that are in the millions and millions," she says. "Thinking as a consumer and comparing where we were a year ago and where we are now, I'm continuously surprised as to how often gaming hits our radar when I'm not looking for it.
"Not only is it kind of cool to see the proliferation of games, but the scriptwriters for The Office or the Colbert Report realize that games are not just a niche thing, that there are a lot of people playing games. It speaks volumes for where we're headed."
Next-Gen will be covering the MI6 game marketing conference this week, which takes place April 8-9.
