Charlie Roberts
IMG Year 2 Portfolio
Marketing Influences Research
For this research I will be looking into the marketing strategies for games that have been successful over the past few years. Additionally, once it is decided what sort of marketing piece I wish to create for this project, I plan to look further into different examples of that specific type of marketing.
Spider-Man PS4 Marketing
Some Types of marketing / advertising that was carried out for this game:
•Game teasers and trailers.
•Bus stop / shelter posters.
•Transport posters / wraps – buses / trains
•Use of in-game features with links to social media – Camera mode, and people sharing online.
Effectiveness of the different types of marketing
The main advertisement that I noticed within the UK (specifically Colchester) was the posters shown on the side of public buses, and on the bus stops / shelters.
I would say that this section of marketing for the game was successful due to the fact that I was constantly seeing posters, whether they were on the buses themselves or on the bus stops. Additionally, due to the poster itself, the advertisement was easily seen and noticed (eye catching). This meant that a variety of audiences were able to see the advertisement, such as students and adults.
Adding on to this, I think it was particularly effective, since on of the main audiences would have been students, and due to the fact that bus advertisement was used, many students would have seen the advertisement, even if they were just walking around town.
Another form of advertisement that the game made use of was a feature within the game itself. Within the game there’s a feature called photo mode, where the player can effectively pause the game and add filters to what’s currently on the screen. There are also a large number of other photo edits, such as brightness, sharpness, and even stickers. However the reason this was such a good form of advertisement was due to the fact that this feature linked with social media thanks to the connection feature of the PS4. Once a photo was taken, a screenshot could be taken and the image could be posted to social media, such as twitter. Then thanks to the use of #SpiderManPS4, twitter exploded with posts about the game, whether it was a photo from within the game, or a post about ones enjoyment of the game.
The final type of advertisement for this game that I’ll talk about is the trailers that were released. The first trailer that was released for the game (during E3 2016) was similar to that of a teaser trailer, as it showed limited gameplay, and didn’t mention any of the games plot points. The main aim of this trailer was to show what the game looked like, and to hype up the audience.
The second trailer released during PGW 2017. This trailer, unlike the first, began to show off important characters such as Mary Jane and Miles Morales. Additionally some of the games villains were shown, such as Fisk and Mister Negative. More importantly, major plot points are also established, such as the main conflict towards the end of the game (devils breath).
This trailer also gives the audience a better idea of how the games looks and would play.
The latest trailer, the 2018 extended trailer, showed the main bosses of the game, and also showed what seemed to be the main antagonist (however this is not the case within the game). This trailer also shows another plot point, being that Aunt May is one of the many people that motivates Peter. This is a vital plot point in the game, how the final section of the game is Peter fighting to try and save his Aunts life, as well as the lives of those who were affected by devils breath within the city.
Poster analysis
Trailer Analysis
Trailer 1 (2016):
•Introduces the protagonist of the game, and the new look that the character will take.
•Briefly shows some of the conflict of the game (however no bosses / major villains, just the goons or minions).
•Showcases some mechanics of the game (wall running / web swinging)
•Trailer beings by showing the world (two different types of shots, one more or a birds eyes above the city, and the other zooming in on a street), along with dialogue from the protagonist.
•Protagonist doesn’t actually state their name – most likely due to the fact that the character is pretty well know in this generation, and even the new costume is recognisable as Spider-Man.
•Trailer doesn’t show off any of the games story / plot points.
•Only major character shown is the protagonist.
•Instrumental / orchestral music played throughout the trailer (quiet to loud)
Trailer 2 (2017):
•Begins by showing a different areas within the city (shows locations)
•Dialogue / conversation between Mary Jane (one of the main characters) and Peter Parker (protagonist).
•Introduces story / plot points, such as villains and themes covered in the game (Fisk being taken down, Peter thinking he could have more of a life, as well as not having money and being evicted from his apartment).
•Peters parental figure introduced – Aunt May
•Other major character introduced (Martin Li, Miles Morales, Mayor Osborn)
•Conflict / problem stated by MJ – Devils breath
•Martin Li shown to be Mister Negative (a villain) - portrayed during what seems to be a major game event
•Brief showcase of combat mechanic
•Slow motion shots of Spider-Man
•Music throughout trailer – slow and quite at the beginning, but builds up as conflict occurs throughout trailer.
Trailer 3 / Extended trailer (2018):
•Showcases Mister Negative – attempts to portray this character as the games main villain (however, main / final villain is not shown in any of the trailers, as this is a large plot point, which occurs over the whole of the actual games story).
•Introduces villain that appear in the game – Shocker, Electro, Vulture, Scorpion, Rhino.
•Introduces another theme / plot point of the game, without linking / showing how the game actually does it – Shows how a hero can fall / fail. (shown by Spider-Man being beat by the villain one after another)
•Shows (one of) Peters source of motivation – Aunt May – Major plot point towards the end of the game (Peter attempting to prevent her death.
•Sad music as Spider-Man is being beat, with dialogue in the form of abuse being stated by villains.
•Music becomes more inspirational as Spider-Man fights back, and doesn’t give up.
•Public cheering for Spider-Man (visuals / sound)
•Audience once again led to believe that Mister Negative is main antagonist
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Marketing
Some Types of marketing / advertising that was carried out for this game:
•Posters (e.g. billboards)
•Multiple trailers
•Teasers at game conventions / events
•Use of social media
•Player base using In game features / console features to further promote on social media (e.g. uploading game screenshot / video clip to twitter)
Effectiveness of the different types of marketing
The marketing for this game, just like many others, made use of gaming events, such as E3 to reveal the teasers / trailers. Doing this was likely effective since E3 is one of the largest gaming expos / events, meaning many people (most of which being the games audience) would learn that this game is in production. Additionally, these trailers are also posted online, which means that they can be viewed by an even larger audience, and get shared around on social media, which leads to an even larger audience.
Another marketing strategy was the use of posters (e.g. transport, and on billboards). A poster is a rather stereotypical type of marketing / advertising, but also rather effective. Posters can be resized to fit in various locations, whether it’s on a bus stop, or on a bus, or even on a billboard or across a wall.
When looking into on of the advertisement posters for this game, I found that many features were similar to other game posters.
The poster showed the protagonist looking down at the land of Hyrule, or more specifically, Hyrule castle, where calamity Ganon is. This immediately shows the conflict that drives the games story, as it indicates what the main objective is. However since the castle is in the distance, it’s not noticeable at a glance. Additionally, the poster doesn’t give too much away, since it doesn’t show the antagonist. This was effective since normally in Zelda games the antagonist is Ganondorf (or a version of him), but by not showing us, the audience would want to find out if it is Ganondorf, and whether he has a new form (which he does).
Going back to the poster itself, it makes use of colours that are often seen in the game, which would also be thought as of colours that suit a fantasy theme, which is effective, because it successfully portrays the games theme, meaning the audience could tell without having to search it up (that’s if they have never head of the Zelda franchise).
The poster also advertises the console, by showing the game case cover along with the new (at the time) console. This was effective since, at the time, the Nintendo Switch was relatively new, meaning that by advertising the game, they were also able to advertise their console.
Additionally, the companies social media is shown, meaning people know of it and can follow, meaning they’ll be able to see new products by the company, and further news about their games.
Once the game released, a lot of advertisement for the game still occurred. However this was due to the fact that the players were sharing their experience online. Due the fact that screenshots can be taken on the Nintendo Switch, as well as 30 second video clips, used along with the social media compatibility, people could share photos or clips. These clips would be re-posted meaning more and more people would see gameplay. This is what m managed to persuade me to buy the game, as when it released I didn’t own the console to play it, but after seeing people thoughts online, as well as in game screenshots, I had an urge to play the game, which goes to show that the use of social media is effective.
Trailer analysis
Trailer 1 (2014):
•Game world is shown
•New type of enemy is introduced
•Music becomes more frantic as enemy chases protagonist
•Combat mechanic shown (Use of a bow / varying types of arrows) / new equipment shown (blue tunic / ancient arrow)
•Ends with a close up of the protagonist
(maybe to show of the new look of Link to the audience - this caused many discussions as to whether the protagonist was actually Link or not).
Trailer 2 / Official trailer (2016):
•Dialogue from Zelda (However without knowing her voice you wouldn’t know it’s her)
•Multiple different areas / regions are shown
•Some monsters / animals are shown roaming around
•Protagonist Introduced (name is stated by voice / Zelda)
•New mechanics introduced / showcased
(e.g. Horse taming, climbing, environmental interaction, swimming, hunting, runes / Sheikah slate
•Main conflict briefly shown
•Combat mechanics shown (e.g. Flurry Rush, parry, and the other types of special attacks)
•Mini boss (Stone Talus) shown
•Puzzle / shrine shown (exterior)
•New enemy (Guardian) shown in more detail / focus
•Zoom in on the damaged Master Sword in its pedestal – light shining down
•Ends with the games title shown over a shot of the games environment
Trailer 3 / Accolades trailer (2018):
•Introduces console
•Shows horse riding mechanic
•Makes use of the positive reviews by showing them through out whole trailer
•Introduces / shows more mini bosses
•Further shows the types of combat and environment that the game has to offer
•Ends with game title, console, and age rating being announced.
Important features that could be used in a trailer of my own
Important features / areas to include in a trailer of my own
If I were to create a trailer for this project, one main areas that would need to be thought about would be the music. This is because the music can be used to help portray what's happening in the trailer. However, this also means that if the music doesn't suit what's being shown on screen, the opposite effect could occur, where the meaning of what's being shown isn't portrayed / understood by the audience.
I would also need to think about what sections of gameplay I would show on the trailer. Much like all the trailer I've currently looked at, I would need to find a way to pique the interest of the audience, without giving away too much of the games story / plot points, since if too much is shown in the trailer, the gameplay experience becomes less surprising and therefore more boring.
Similarities Between Marketing
For the marketing of the two games I’ve looked into, I have been able to see that both campaigns made use of similar strategies marketing. This isn’t to say that they both used exactly the same, no more or no less, but from what I’ve been able to find / have seen (and can remember seeing).
Both made use of posters that were shown in places which would be seen by a large number of people, such as towns / cities, or on the transport of towns and cities.
Both also made use of teasers and trailers, and showing them at gaming events, such as E3. Additionally, both games were first announced a few years prior to their release. Spider-Man being announced 2 years prior to it’s release, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild being announced 3 years before (although it was originally stated to be released a year after in 2015).
Thanks to the early announcements, there was time for the games to be further developed, and also additionally advertised. Also, the trailers themselves being shown at game events is an effective strategy, since most of the time the section of the event showing the trailers is live streamed online, which allows a massive audience to learn of the games presence.
It could be argued that both of these strategies helped the games get the awards / nominations that they ended up receiving. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild ended up winning the Game of the Year Award 2017, and Spider-Man PS4 ended up being nominated for this exact award the following year. After playing both games myself, I can say that they are deserving for the awards / nominations that they received, but I’d also say that both marketing campaigns helped in the popularity of the games. Maybe this goes to show that the marketing strategies used for these two games are the best / extremely effective methods to advertise a game.
Types of Marketing
The marketing strategies looked at above were effective, but they were just a few strategies that are used when advertising / promoting a product
Marketing strategies (workshop lesson):
There are many different types of marketing that can be carried out for different types of new media products. These different types of marketing / advertisement differ in effectiveness, but also have a range of different uses.
Creating posters
Creating high resolution art
Postcards
Business cards
Packaging
Taking in game screenshots
Shooting behind the scenes footage
Making / sharing gameplay videos
Creating trailers
Digital advertising
Running the games social media campaign
Networking with industry professionals
Books / magazines
Low-fi promo videos
Guerrilla marketing
Merchandise:
Toys
Badges
Stickers
Fly posters
The game I intend to try and create a marketing strategy piece for is the game ‘League of Legends’.
Most of the marketing that is produced currently for this game are video teasers / trailers when new characters or purchasable skins (changes the characters visuals) are being added to the game, or limited time events are being held.
However, I do not feel that I will have enough time to make a trailer, even if it’s for a character that already exists in the game, as I lack the knowledge and time.
Because of this I feel that I will be a good idea to create a poster. Currently I lack the knowledge of how I would create one, but hopefully throughout this project I will gain a better understanding of software such as Photoshop, which will allow me to produce a poster of an acceptable quality.
The next problem is what the poster will be advertising. Within the game, the main areas that make the company money would be the purchasable items from the store, meaning those are the things that would want to be advertised. I feel as the best things to advertise / promote would be a specific champion, or skin / skin line.
My two current ideas are as follows:
1. Create a poster for a specific champion / character that shows the base skin for the champion, as well as the different skins available. Additionally the poster would show the character name and their title. (E.g. Veigar, The Tiny Master of Evil or Tahm Kench, The River King)
​
2. Create a poster for a specific skin line / theme. The poster would show the splash arts or in-game visuals for the skins of one theme, with the aim of promoting the event that they were released for. (e.g. Project theme, high noon theme, blood moon theme).
3. Gameplay trailer for either League of Legends or another game of my choice. This trailer will most likely focus on showing the gameplay itself, rather than cinematic (although if the game does have cinematics / cut scenes it would be effective to use them).
Photoshop Tutorials
When designing the concepts for my posters for the experimentation section of my blog, I realised that I would need to learn a number of features that were new to me. To overcome this , I used a number of YouTube tutorials to learn how to make use of certain features.
They videos looked at throughout the project will be linked below:
Basics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAmSB5MQxOo
Shadows: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sy-fZTtgpfQ&t=55s
Changing colour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9fwiNyDHLI
Pen tool: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zB34o2t1nso&t=636s
This research ended up being rather useful, as before carrying out this project I didn't even know where to start when doing something on Photoshop, where as now I can at least carry out basic tasks.