Vgame marketingclassslides

A behind the scenes look at industry standards and trade secrets

B y J a c k D a l r y m p l e C a pA n d C u t . c o m

/v/ Game Marketing • By Jack Dalrymple 1

o  Lead Video Editor, Technical Director at WB Games’ Turbine Studio for 10 years

o  Over 265 trailers and marketing videos with over 9 million views online

o  SVP Marketing for Ape Law and Bit Fry working on Albino Lullaby and TBA

o  Founder of Cap And Cut, a Boston based trailer house and creative design studio

About Jack Dalrymple

C a p A nd C u t . c o m /v/ Game Marketing • By Jack Dalrymple

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Brand vs Marketing

What is Brand?

C a p A n d C u t . c o m /v/ Game Marketing • By Jack Dalrymple

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Brand Determines Loyalty


Brand an idea -�M e s s a g e a n d Reputation� �Marketing is big data driven - a product pitch m e a s u r e d against sales

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The brand is ultimately what determines if you will become a loyal customer or not.

The marketing may convince you to buy GTA, but it is the brand that will determine if you will buy every single game Rockstar Games will make for the rest of your life.

Marketing Vs Branding


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A move From Hope to Faith


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Under the Marketing Umbrella

What is Marketing?


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Marketing 101


Everything Leads to Sales

R&D– Focus Groups or Common Sense… � Make What People Want!

Ads – Print, Web, Content, Social

Promos – Bundles and Sales

PR – “The Story” Can Go Farther Than an Ad and Ads Can be Part of the Story

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Marketing Related to Games


Place is decided by platform and distributor:

PC • Mac • Linux SteamOS �

PS4 • Xbox • Wii Wii U • OUYA Android • iOS�Google Play �

Facebook�Humble Bumble�IndieGameStand

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4P’s of Marketing

Product – R&D and Development

Price – Depends on the Market

Promotion – Bundles and Sales

Place – How and Where You Distribute

Game Monetization Funnel


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How To Get Fans

What makes a game successful


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Press Kit Starts with Description


Press Kit

Description

Press Releases

Trailer

Screenshots

Demo

Links (website, social media, past press)

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Develop the Game’s Description

1.  Start with Word Cloud

2.  Group Similar and Consolidate

3.  Polish and Make Concise

Use This to Create One Sentence, One Paragraph and One Page Descriptions

Press Release


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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Headline Subhead

City, State – Date - Lead Paragraph w/ links

Body (game description)

Quotes

Call to Action w/link (format is http://www.)

Broilerplate with links (format is http://www.)

###

Contact

On PRLog Select this to Get Featured:

PR Distribution


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Post in Order:

1.  http://www.prlog.org

2.  http://www.gamespress.com

3.  http://www.gamerelease.net

Get Coverage – Who?


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o  YouTubers

o  Twitchers

o  Podcasts

o  Blogs

o  Press

Get Coverage – How?


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Hey! I wanted to shoot you a quick note because I loved your article on [similar game]. I'm with [Company] and we are making a [type of game] game named [Whatever]. Would you like to check out the demo? Here is a link to our Press Kit [link] and a couple articles written about us [link, link, link]. We would love a review or article from you, but even if not I would still be happy to send you the demo.

Engage With Your Fans


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Don’t just be a shill, actively participate and talk to people.�

o  YouTube Channel

o  Tumblr Blog

o  Facebook

o  Twitter

o  LinkedIn

Hashtags


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Always use: #indiegamedev #videogame Always use: @names Follow a Schedule

o  2PM WED - #IndieDevHour

o  THUR - #TBT

o  FRI - #FF

o  SAT - #ScreenshotSaturday

o  SUN - #SoundtrackSunday

Feed the Beast And Announce


Content Marketing – Content is King

Blog Posts – Developer Updates

Concept Art

Screenshots

Videos (Shows, Teasers, Trailers, Dev Diaries)

Playable Demos

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Content Creation


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All 3 Does Not Exist

Good & Fast = Not Cheap

Fast & Cheap = Not Good

Cheap & Good = Not Fast

Get Featured In Store


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10,000% Increase in Sales when Featured!

How? MAKE SOMETHING REMARKABLE

Reach out, but if the game isn’t unique and amazing it won’t matter.

Trade Shows


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o  Press

o  Exposure

o  Feedback

o  Awards

Ads… Maybe not


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Ad Return is Minimal – Focus on Social Media, Blogs, and Press

“Every AAA Indie Game has a Long-Term Slow-Burn Grass-Roots Awareness-Building Campaign” ~ Chris Hecker of Spy Party

In special cases direct advertising on blogs can open communications for getting features written by the site.

The Difference That Money Makes

What AAA Has That Indies Don’t


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Getting Funding For Development


Green Light Pitches

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Executive meetings with parent company to either g a i n c o n t i n u e d p r o j e c t funding or immediately stop development. Pitches take a significant capital investment and months of preparation.


The Org Chart

26 VP of

Marketing

PR Director

Community Managers

Marketing Director

Brand Managers

Associates/Specialists

Creative Teams (Web/

Video)

Producers

Artists

VP of Development

EP

Producers

Artists/Programmers

Who Makes What?

Ad Agency PR Agency


Create Key Art & Ads Secure Editorial (free) Coverage

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Trailer House Internal Artists

Teasers & Trailers Tweaking Agency Assets

Champion/Challenger Strategy


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100% Data Driven

System is compounded exponentially for each ad in combination with a landing page.

Round 1 Round 2 Round 3

New Champion

Challenger

Challenger

Challenger

Challenger

Challenger

Champion

Old Champion

Opinions Do Not Matter The Winner

Wins


Tracking Pixels

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Research


Larger developers have been known to market-test their games to destruction.

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Costly Large Scale Focus Groups and Biometric Playtesting F o l l o w e d b y B o t h Marketing and Game Design Changes

$$ Gets Everyone Their Own Hat


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Don’t Steal Other People’s Hats

Be Helpful when You Can

Do Your Job Well

Be Mindful of Your Place

Accept Your Roll

Choose Your Battles

Indie Vs AAA – Pros of Both

Learn a Wider Variety of Skills and Jobs

More Freedom and Less Approvals

Small Chance for a Huge Payout

Easier to Break Into

Super Hone Specific Skills of a Single Job

Talented People to Learn From

Consistent Paycheck

Looks Amazing on Resume


Indie AAA

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What is There? How has it Changed?

Video Content


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Types of Marketing videos


o Pitch Videos: 60 – 120 seconds (30 second cutdown) o Ingame Cutscenes: 15 – 30 seconds o Developer Diaries: 180 – 240 seconds o Viral Videos: 30 – 45 seconds o Teasers: 15 – 30 seconds o Trailers: 90 – 150 seconds

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The Evolution of the Trailer


Cuts Per Minute� �As time goes on t h e r e i s a consistent rise in the number of cuts per minute in trailers, due to the increase i n a u d i e n c e s ability to quickly c o n s u m e content.

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Interactive Source: http://www.wired.com/2013/06/online-trailers-cuts/

From Preproduction to Compression

Making a Game Trailer


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The Story Arc

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The Trailer Arc

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Preproduction (Before Shooting)


1.  Develop script around features/limitations 2.  Make a storyboard or a shot sheet 3.  Get tech into the game and loadfiles built 4.  Get a solid build and lock it 5.  Ingame location scouting 6.  Ingame character creation

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Production (Filming)


Setup

o  Use best graphics card

o  Fraps Settings: 30fps, Full-size

o  Game Resolution: 1920x1080, Music: Off, SFX: On

o  Test first clip and verify audio is recording and resolution is correct!!!

Shooting

o  Move smoothly when operating camera

o  Cover all shots from multiple angles

o  If using actors: “No jumping!”

o  Check shots off shot sheet

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Postproduction (Editing)


o Research sample trailers o Find placeholder or final music o Cut trailer to music o Use “FPO” slugs o Develop/buy/steal titles and logo stings o Expect to have some pickup shots o Do mographs last or inside of downtime

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Presentation is everything


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Quality is king

9 out of the top 10 YouTube videos per year are high quality & professionally produced.

Video is the Face of Your Game

The trailer or marketing video will likely be the only interaction the audience has with your game, So

show it off in it’s best light.

Shot killers


X  Clipping X  LOD’d deco X  Bad or flickering textures X  Horizontal tearing X  Bad or repeat animations X  Bad angle or composition X  Sudden camera movement changes

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Tricks For Editing


1.  Find the right music 2.  Get best shots on the timeline 3.  Open with hits and dips to black 4.  Use 3 acts with varied pacing in action 5.  Use flash frames for action transitions 6.  Exploit the rise at the climax 7.  Never resolve the story

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Finding Music 95%

Editing 5%

Edi tor ’ s H umor

Cheat when po$$ible

o  audiojungle.net o  premiumbeat.com o  musicbakery.com o  freestockmusic.com

o  videohive.net o  pond5.com o  revostock.com o  motionvfx.com


Music Titles and Logo Stings

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Compression Settings for Upload

Basic Video Settings:�Width: 1,920�Height: 1,080�Frame Rate: 29.97�Field Order: Progressive�Aspect: Square Pixels (1.0)�TV Standard: NTSC�Profile: High�Level: 5.1�Checkbox Render at Maximum Depth

Bitrate Settings:�Bitrate Encoding: VBR, 2 pass�Target Bitrate [Mbps]: 20�Maximum Bitrate [Mbps]: 35

Basic Audio Settings:�Audio Codec: AAC�Sample Rate: 48000 Hz�Channels: Stereo�Audio Quality: High

Bitrate Settings:�Bitrate [kbps]: 320

Advanced Settings:�Precedence: Bitrate


Video Audio

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Premier Export Settings�Format: H.264�Preset: HD 1080P 29.97�

Checkbox Both Export Video and Export Audio�Just Above Export Button�Checkbox Use Maximum Render Quality

Note: Make a version with Video Target Bitrate [Mbps]: 14 and Audio Bitrate [kbps]: 192 for the Press Kit.

The Press Kit, PR and Marketing

So Now What?


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Press kit checklist


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o  Screenshots – 6 to 12 screenshots of the best of the best of gameplay.

o  Video - Embedded YouTube and links to hires download.

o  Playable Demo – A must have to request press coverage.

o  Past Press Coverage - Every time someone writes a favorable blurb about your game, update your kit.

o  Game Info sheet - One page about the game and the team.

o  Fact Sheet - Links to your website, dev blog, Twitter and Facebook accounts, as well as your email address.

o  Logos and Awards – Tastefully use your logo and if you get awards add them.

o  Use presskit()

Partial Source: http://gamedev.tutsplus.com/articles/business-articles/promoting-your-indie-game-checklist/

PR and Marketing Resources


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o  Marketing Your Indie Game: http://is.gd/Rt0pxo

o  An Indie Game Developer's Marketing Checklist: http://is.gd/a6217g

o  How to Format a Press Release: http://is.gd/wAWHxM

o  How to Annoy a Games Journalist with a Press Release: http://is.gd/r361Q2

o  Free Press Release Distribution Sites: http://is.gd/AoXK8O

o  TIG Forums Topic: Press Release Distribution Services: http://is.gd/35Sx0c

o  20 Tips for Indie Game Developers Using Social Media: http://is.gd/UCjs9C

o  PixelProspector.com's The Big List of Indie Game Marketing: http://is.gd/cfd16B

o  Market Your Indie Game on a $0 Budget (Presentation): http://is.gd/C2K5oI

o  Using YouTube to Market Your Indie Game (Presentation): http://is.gd/gl3HRD

o  Developers: Stop Being Shit - Indie Game Marketing (Presentation): http://is.gd/S0EG9X

Remember: Presentation is Everything

Questions And Answers


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Date post:	16-Aug-2015
Category:	Marketing
Upload:	jack-dalrymple
View:	180 times
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