Star Trek

1) Pick out the five most significant aspects of the Star Trek campaign from the list above and explain why they were important in creating a buzz about the game.
March 2013-Official advert released
                  Pre-order promotional boxes arrive in stores
                  Game co-promoted TV and radio adverts
This is because it was the month where the official advert was released. The target audience could also pre-order the game in stores and the game was also co-promoted on TV and on the radio which played a big part in remembrance as the audience may have forgotten what the game had featured

2)Watch the following YouTube trailers and explain why they might appeal to an audience:

• Teaser trailer - there are various of locations used in the game, it isn't set in one place which makes the game more interesting 

• Xbox teaser trailer - it might appeal to an audience because it shows you can do multiplayer and complete missions

• Full trailer - it has the release date, the website address alongside the twitter page which engages the target audience more as they finally find a way to keep updated

• Comedy trailer with William Shatner - it could appeal to an older generation because William Shatner is a man of the older generation who is very interested in the game, so interested that the game comes to reality

3) How many views did these trailers receive in total?
107,732.. 7,883.. 4,052.. 66,124

4) Why did the Star Trek videogame publisher develop the marketing campaign over such a long time?

To build a huge buzz so people would pre-order the game. If people pre-ordered the game and made back all the budget by that, it wouldn't matter if the prices fell off after the game was released due to reviews because the money was made back

5) What other examples can you find online from the Star Trek marketing campaign? Print? Reviews? Broadcast? E-media? Do you feel the campaign as a whole was successful?

Independent case study.

Name of game: Call Of Duty: Ghosts
Release date: November 5th 2013.
Institutions behind the game (game studio/publisher): Activision

Print


What key conventions of print adverts can you find on the example you have chosen? Product name? Font? Slogan? Central image? Colour?
Product name, release date, publisher logo and a dull colour scheme.
Find three reviews for your game that were originally published in videogame magazines. Are they positive or negative about the game? Copy and paste one quote from each review.
"Yes, we have done all of this before and yes, we wish there were more new features and graphics. But Call of Duty: Ghosts is still fun, regardless." 
"Some good new multiplayer features"
"Call of Duty games has never really changed much in game play since well Call of Duty 4, it feels like the whole franchise has been through a tremendous roller coaster that doesn't seem to keep stable. "
Did your game feature on any videogame magazine front covers? Find examples and explain why a front cover feature is so successful in promoting a game to its target audience.
A front cover feature is successful in promoting a game is because the target audience don't have to search through magazines to find reviews or extra information about the game, it is obvious and bold on the front cover which will catch the audience's attention quicker and easier.


Broadcast
Did your chosen game use a TV advert to promote the game? Embed it from YouTube if it did.

Can you find any other broadcast features on the game - interviews, launch party events, video reviews, clips of the gameplay on YouTube etc. Write about how they effectively promote the game to its target audience.

This is effective as it gives the target audience and those who haven't played the game more of an insight of the game and not only what the advert shows, but there is an extended footage to share the experience and the narrative with the audience

E-media
Visit your chosen game's official website. How does it attract and maintain the interest of its target audience?
www.callofduty.com/
Does the game have a YouTube channel?
https://www.youtube.com/user/CALLOFDUTY
How many 'likes' has your chosen game's Facebook wall had?
13,541
What is your chosen game's Twitter hashtag?
#CODghost
How did the campaign use Twitter to promote the game?
Twitter was used to promote the game by using hashtags which would potentially start to trend worldwide which would create awareness. Additionally, their tweets would get retweeted/favourited which would also create awareness

Phone and tablet gaming

How much money is Candy Crush Saga estimated to make each day from its users?

£610,000 per day

How does it make this money?

People pay real money to buy add-ons, extra lives and access to higher levels

How many people are estimated to have installed Candy Crush?

500 million people have installed Candy Crush

Where do people play?
60% of UK gamers play to and from work
28% play at work or during work hours

When was the game released?

2012

When did it reach 500 million downloads?

November 2013 

Who is the typical Candy Crush gamer?Woman aged 25-45

What percentage of gamers have spent money on Candy Crush, buying in-app purchases etc.?
25% of players have spent money on Candy Crush
What percentage say they are addicted to the game?
30% say they are addicted to the game
What is your own experience of playing Candy Crush? Have you played it? 
I haven't played it simply because it doesn't seem interesting

Task 1

Rockstar Games
Background: 1998 in New York City
Owner/founder: Sam Houser and Dan Houser
Most successful games: Grand Theft Auto series
Interesting fact about the institution: They made the amount of production budget back before the game was released

EA (Electronic Arts)
Background: 1982 in California
Owner/founder: Trip Hawkins
Most successful games: FIFA
Interesting fact about the institution: They had become one of the world’s largest third-party publishers by the early 2000s

Zynga
Background: 2007 in California
Owner/founder: Mark Pincus
Most successful games: Farm-ville
Interesting fact about the institution: Their shares dropped to $2.09 in 2012

Nintendo
Background: 1889 in Japan
Owner/founder: Fusajiro Yamauchi
Most successful games: Donkey Kong
Interesting fact about the institution: Since December 31, 2013, Nintendo has sold over 669.36 million hardware units and 4.20 billion software units

Sony Computer Entertainment
Background: 1993 in Japan
Owner/founder: Andrew House
Most successful games: Little Big Planet
Interesting fact about the institution: 

Task 2

W+K Amsterdam

What do the letters stand for?
Wieden + Kennedy Amsterdam

What brands have W+K Amsterdam advertised?
Tesco, Powerade, Heineken, Nike, Coca-Cola

In your opinion, what is the most creative campaign on their website?
Heineken

What videogame campaigns have they created?
FIFA14

What additional information can you find out about the FIFA14 advertising campaign?
There is a true-to-life living avatar of Lionel Messi

Rokkan

How long has the Rokkan advertising agency been around for?
14 years

Where is Rokkan based?
New Jersey

What brands have Rokkan advertised?
Hyundai, JetBlue Airways, American Express serve

Why was Rokkan's campaign for the videogame 'Dishonored' so successful?
There was a link where it leads you to playing some of the game online on the website.

Who was the publisher for 'Dishonored'?

Bethesda softworks

FIFA14 Case Study

Print
Find a FIFA14 print advert and describe how it promotes the game.
The game is promoted by using several players kicking the ball on a pitch with bright lights and an audience which makes it look very realistic. 

What key conventions of print adverts can you find on the FIFA ad? Product name? Font? Slogan? Central image? Colour?
It has the product name, the slogan, there is a central image and additionally the developer is placed on the corner alongside the age rating. There is a lot of bright colours used too which connotes that the game is exciting and bright colours also connote adrenaline which is what the game consists of.

Find three reviews for FIFA14 that were originally published in videogame magazines. Are they positive or negative about the game? Copy and paste one quote from each review.
"Realism in football games reaches its maximum." 
"Goals feel more organic and varied here than they have in a FIFA game for years."
"It is a slower, more methodical game that can frustrate as often as it delights."

Why are magazine reviews effective in promoting the game to FIFA14's target audience?
It's important as it isn't a biased opinion, they are reviews from a variety of individuals.

In your opinion, is print or e-media more effective in reaching the FIFA14 target audience?
In my opinion, e-media is more effective in reaching the target audience because it gets the audience more involved as the e-media could feature in-game footage.
Broadcast
Watch the FIFA14 TV advert on YouTube. How the does the advert attract an audience?
It attracts an audience because it is of very successful football players alongside celebrities playing the game with a lot of excitement 

Why is Lionel Messi driving the van?
Lionel Messi is driving a van to indicate the fact that those with an average day job would also be interested in this game, it isn't only suitable for those with high quality jobs

How does the TV advert feature the FIFA14 brand? Font? Slogan? Main star?
The font of the name is the same throughout all the other FIFAs. The slogan consists of the same font as the title. 

Why is there a combination of famous footballers, celebrities and regular people in the advert?
there is a combination of people in different social classes to signify that you don't have to be at a certain level of status to play and enjoy the game, average people are interested in the game alongside successful people which also suggests that the game has a varied audience.

Watch the FIFA14 trailer on YouTube. How does it differ from the TV advert?

Why is the trailer effective in promoting the game?

E-media
Visit the FIFA14 website. How does it attract and maintain the interest of a FIFA14 fan?

How many 'likes' has the FIFA14 Facebook wall had?

Choose five of the posts on the Facebook page's wall, screengrab them and explain how they appeal to the 

FIFA14 target audience.

Find three examples of celebrity/footballer promotion on the Facebook wall and write how they promote the FIFA14 brand.

What is the FIFA14 Twitter hashtag?
#FIFA14

What is the FIFA14 Twitter account currently tweeting about? Find three recent tweets and explain why they would appeal to the FIFA14 target audience.
@EASPORTSFIFA - "Rare Gold 25K packs are available in the Store until tomorrow. #FUT" 
"Football League #TOTS will run alongside the Premier League #TOTS until Monday 6pm UK. BPL #TOTS is here until Wed 6pm UK. #FUT"
"Premier League #TOTS is currently available until Wednesday. Anyone fancy another #TOTS squad for the weekend? #FUT"
These would appeal to FIFA14 target audience as it is talking about general football. FIFA14 is a football game therefore those who enjoy the game would be interested in football, leading to the audience being interested in what is happening in general football. 

Can you find any examples of user-generated content on YouTube? This means YouTube videos of FIFA14 gameplay that players have created and uploaded themselves. Embed at least three videos on your blog.

Wii Party Case Study.

General research

When was Wii Party released on the Nintendo Wii?
08/10/2010

Which developer/institution created Wii Party?
Nd Cube and Nintendo SPD Group No.4

How many copies has the game sold since release?
7.94 million copies worldwide as of March 2012

Broadcast

What are the key conventions of a videogame TV advert? What would you expect to see in most videogame TV adverts?
Platform availability, in-game footage/gameplay, narrative, institution detail/logo, release date, price, review (quote)/ratings, branding (name of game, packaging and slogan/logo), age rating, audio (voiceover, music, in-game), people/celebrities playing the game and call to action at the end of advert.

How many of the key conventions you have listed above appear in the Wii Party TV adverts? List them with specific details from the Wii Party TV adverts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdjRhG1e4b4

What is the typical setting for Wii Party TV adverts? Why is that setting used?
The living room of a house because it is the place where families are comfortable and spend time together.

How might the setting appeal to families?

What celebrities do the adverts feature?
JLS and the Redknapps are featured.

What do you notice about the celebrities' costume and make-up?
They are dressed casually; they have the same appearance as average people.

Why do you think those particular celebrities were chosen?
Those celebrities appeal to the target population. JLS are males but attract female and male attention. Additionally, the Redknapps are a family which suggests that it is a family game and individuals of all ages will enjoy it.

What do the celebrities suggest about the Wii Party target audience?
The celebrities suggest that it is for a variety of ages and different sexes.

What else can you learn about the Wii Party target audience from the TV adverts? Suggest a demographic profile:
It is for people of all ages who are any sex. The social class doesn’t play a large role as you can play it after work or when you’re just babysitting at home as it isn’t a game which requires a lot of space and energy just a bit of enthusiasm.

What audience pleasures do the Wii Party TV adverts offer to viewers? Refer to Blumler and Katz's Uses and Gratifications theory when answering this question.
The audience could find themselves and their lifestyle reflected in the media text which would be known as personal identity according to Blumler and Katz’s theory. Additionally, their theory could still be applied as individuals could play the game for entertainment which would be known as diversion.

E-media 

Visit the Wii Party website. How does it attract and maintain the interest of a Wii Party fan?
It has a slideshow of images of in-game footage featuring the Wii characters.

What do you notice about the people in the scrolling central image featured on the website?

They are all families in their living room, they are all varied ages too (from children to grandparents).

How many times can you find the words 'friends' or 'family' used on the official website? Why do you think the website emphasises this aspect of the game?

The words family and friends are used several times to emphasise the aspect of the game, which is that it is suitable for a big crowd. 

What is the colour scheme for the website? What does this suggest about the target audience?
It has a variety of bright colours all over the website page to suggest that it's full of adrenaline.

Look at the 'Video Gallery' on the official website. What do the 'Invitation' videos suggest about the Wii Party target audience?

How many 'likes' has the Wii Party/Wii Party U Facebook wall had?

11,212 likes 

How does the Wii Party Facebook wall cross-promote other Nintendo games? Find three examples and explain why they appeal to the Wii Party target audience.

It has hyper-links which transfer you to games with similar genres to Wii Party
"Super Smash Bros. for Wii U- New Screenshots for May 5, 2014http://www.nintendolinked.com/super-smash-bros-wii-u-new-screenshots-may-5-2014/"
"Mario Kart 8 Bundle Announced- Pre-Orders Openhttp://www.nintendolinked.com/mario-kart-8-bundle-announced-pre-orders-open/"
"Club Nintendo- New Digital Game Rewards for April 2014http://www.harveylo.com/2014/04/club-nintendo-new-digital-game-rewards.html?m=1"

Wii Party does not have such a strong presence on other social networking sites. Why do you think this is?

This may be because it isn't specifically for individuals to play solo like Playstation, It is for families therefore advertising the game onto television with suitable programmes will increase the awareness.

Which platform do you think is strongest in promoting Wii Party to its target audience - broadcast, print or e-media? Why?
E-media seems to be the strongest because Wii Party is a family game and watching television is a family activity