Audience: making a connection

For videogame marketing to be successful, it needs to make an emotional connection with the audience.

Remember, we want videogames, we don’t need them.

Therefore emotion, narrative and passion are the essential ingredients to good marketing.

“Gamers are an emotive, passionate and loyal bunch. So tap into their emotions, tell a story, try and give your campaign a narrative and purpose.

“Marketing and feelings seem like uneasy bed-fellows but if a campaign can be delivered with an element of heart and, dare I say it, soul, then you’re already on track to capture the emotions of your target.”

Richard Benjamin (quoted in ‘The New Rules of Video Games Marketing’ by James Batchelor)

Audience and genre

One of the ways marketing can connect with an audience is by using established genres.

Gamers are attracted to familiar genres so marketing campaigns will use media language that makes the genre clear. However, the advert will also often try to show how the product offers a new twist on the genre.

AIDA

Remember AIDA when creating a marketing campaign.

A: How does it attract audience Attention?

I: How does it generate audience Interest?

D: How does it stimulate audience Desire?

A: How does it promote audience Action?

Marketing involves the 4 Ps:

Product

Price

Placing

Promotion

According to market research company EEDAR, marketing of videogames breaks down into:

Advertising (TV, billboards, print etc.)

Direct media (email, text etc.) 

Editorial (magazine reviews etc.)

Social media (YouTube, Twitter etc.)

Channel circulars (Game store mag; Amazon homepage)

Channel point-of-sale (in-store displays)

Finally, marketing materials don’t work unless they prompt audience action in some way:

Are the materials there to raise awareness of the brand?

Are the materials designed to create positive brand associations?

Are the materials working to persuade the audience to buy the product?