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Hey Mr. Game Dev/Publisher what’s your Fortnite, Roblox, and Minecraft strategy? The traditional view of video games as discrete, standalone products is rapidly evolving. Games like Fortnite, Roblox, and Minecraft have transcended their initial identities as mere games and have emerged as comprehensive platforms. These platforms not only serve as entertainment hubs but also as social ecosystems, content creation tools, and commercial marketplaces. This shift necessitates a reevaluation of how these entities are perceived and integrated into broader gaming and business strategies. Are you considering how to launch a Roblox SKU along with your PC and Console SKUs? Maybe you should. Look, our industry is suffering. Massive layoffs, slowing of console sales, declining global revenue and a reduction in time spent have led to a realization that COVID growth was not sustainable.&nbsp; As game companies look for a rebound and how to get more from less, I posit that there lies an opportunity within these ecosystems. Of the 3.3 billion gamers on Earth a full 11% of them play Roblox each month: 354M MAU. Fortnite has over 125M MAU and Minecraft a whopping 172M MAU. The majority of these players are Gen Z and Gen Alpha and most of them don’t play anything else! YET! Not only do the youth of today begin their gaming journey almost exclusively in these platforms they are forming opinions of brands there as well. Why should building a brand in these platforms be only reserved for soft drinks, shoes and movies? Why not other game IP? I’ll admit that some of you game companies are already figuring this out! Congratulations SEGA with your massive Roblox Sonic game that has near 1 Billion lifetime plays. But far too many others are missing a big opportunity to set the hook early with these young players who are forming their opinions on game IP. Rather than looking at these platforms as competition start looking at them as opportunities. Multi-platform should include more than console, PC and mobile. As these young people mature and their tastes broaden, if they grew up playing a version of your game in Fortnite then when they get their own disposable income and want a more robust game experience will they have a fondness for your IP already established?

What's your UGC strategy?

Starting this summer, beauty enthusiasts can now order select e.l.f. products through the e.l.f. UP! virtual kiosk in Roblox, thanks to a new partnership with Walmart. Back in April Walmart and Roblox announced a partnership with “Walmart Discovered” Roblox game, where players can buy real world items. This is the next step, incorporating Walmart e-commerce in other Roblox games. 🛍 What’s New? Through in-game virtual kiosks in the Tycoon game, players can purchase virtual items that also have a physical real-world product that will be shipped to their home via Walmart. To start, players can buy: Squeeze Me Lip Balm &nbsp;(Virtual Twin: Squeeze Me Grape Hairstyle)Glow Reviver Lip Oils (Virtual Twin: Lip Oil Wings)Suntouchable Whoa Glow SPF 30 &nbsp;(Virtual Twin: Beach Bandau) I’m super bullish on creator platforms becoming shopping destinations. Roblox, Fortnite, Minecraft and eventually GTA VI will have built in massive audiences that spend huge amounts of time in their ecosystems. These platforms are the social media of today for young people and adding ecommerce is a natural next step.

e.l.f. Cosmetics Innovates with Real-World Commerce on Roblox!

&nbsp;You just gotta “Set the Anchor”, know the ZOPA and have a BATNA. &nbsp;Got it? &nbsp;lol I started negotiating contacts and deals in the games business when I joined the ad agency Ayzenberg in 2006. At first I kinda thought agencies just charged as much as they could. While that might be true, the good ones know how to close at a high rate. Later when I ran marketing and publishing teams negotiating on the other side, I used this knowledge to my advantage. So the people I learned from were really good at these things: Setting the “Anchor”Significant research including the work of Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman prove that being first with a numeric “anchor” psychologically sets the zone of play. Their research shows that the final agreement often gravitates towards the first offer, making it a critical tool in shaping the negotiation in your favor. But the art to this science is knowing what that “anchor” number should be.&nbsp; Understanding and Leveraging “ZOPA”The Zone of Potential Agreement (ZOPA) is a critical concept in negotiations. It represents the range within which an agreement can be reached, considering both parties' interests and limits. A thorough understanding of ZOPA allows you to steer the negotiation towards a mutually acceptable outcome. So that initial “anchor” should probably be at the top end of the “ZOPA”. Working to create a reasonable but advantageous “ZOPA” is really where the hard work is. You need to research what competitors would offer for the same services or products, know what your acceptable limits are on the bottom end and build a compelling and persuasive justification and pitch. So what do you do if it all seems to be falling apart? The Safety Net of “BATNA”In any negotiation, it’s crucial to have a strong Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement “BATNA”. Your “BATNA” is your fallback plan if negotiations fail, providing a safety net that empowers you to walk away from unfavorable terms. Usually, your BANTNA will be an alternative to the basic framework of the deal. If there is resistance to the price then the BANTNA mostly likely will be designed to reduce scope and thus lower the acceptable “ZOPA” for a new deal. I have used these techniques to land multi-million dollar ad campaigns as an agency executive, hire a agency at the rate I want as a client and strike mutually beneficial deals with first parties on publishing and co-marketing promotions. By strategically making the first offer to set the anchor, understanding and leveraging ZOPA, and having a robust BATNA, you can navigate negotiations effectively and secure the best possible terms for your game.&nbsp;

Gaming Negotiations are not as hard as you might think!

There I said it. At a minimum being a core gamer makes marketing to core gamers so much more intuitive and effective. &nbsp;I have worked at companies with unbelievable classically trained, Ivy League educated, CPG experienced marketers and have found I can build more effective, better targeted and more resonant marketing campaigns, strategies and tactics faster and more cost effectively than they can. Here are the reasons why I think this is true: &nbsp; 1. Understanding the AudienceAs a core player I inherently understand what appeals to other core gamers. This insight allows me to craft messages that resonate on a personal level, tapping into the emotions, motivations, and preferences of the community. Gamers are immersed in a unique culture with its own language, trends, and values. Being a part of this culture enables me to authentically engage with the audience, avoiding missteps that could alienate people in the community. 2. Product KnowledgeA thorough understanding of gameplay mechanics and features is essential for highlighting a game's strengths. Since I play the games I market I can effectively communicate the unique selling points, and talk about them as benefits that resonate on a deeper level. 3. Credibility and TrustCore gamers can quickly detect insincerity. A marketer who is genuinely part of the gaming community is more likely to be trusted and respected, leading to more effective and credible marketing campaigns. Also, being an active gamer allows me to participate in forums, social media groups, and with the development team. This engagement helps me build relationships and trust with players and devs. 4. Strategic InsightSince I play my games I can identify and capitalize on trends, creating timely and relevant marketing strategies. And I have an understanding of competitor games from a player's perspective which allows me to perform more nuanced competitor analysis. This insight can inform strategic decisions about positioning, messaging, and feature development. 5. Speed to marketSince I am so in tune with our players I can rely more on my gut about what will work and not work in marketing. This reduces the need for testing and research (it does not eliminate it) and makes it so my marketing teams can be faster to players with marketing content that resonates with them. Look I’m not saying that a classily trained CPG marketer can’t succeed as a video game marketer, I have worked with some awesome non-gamer marketers who have been great. I’m just saying they will face a stiff head wind. Instincts and native community sensibility go a long way with passionate fans. As our industry has become so data driven and commercial focused, I think the companies who still value “gamer sensibility” in their marketing hires will ultimately build deeper, stronger bonds with their players.&nbsp;

it's essential to be a gamer to be a great video game marketer (at least for core games)

What does a Product Manager on a live game really do?&nbsp; When I got started in games as a Jr. marketer there was a clear delineation and separation between marketing and development. Games took years to make, and development teams rarely talked with marketing while making them. Then as they neared completion, the development team effectively threw them over the proverbial wall and Marketing launched them. Then games went online and started to be run as services and the above process didn’t work anymore. Enter – THE SHOW RUNNER aka Product Manager. PM’s are a relatively new role and prior to their existence the work they now do was split up among marketers, producers, sales teams, analysts, finance folks and designers. Running services necessitated someone to be the orchestrator of the service. A good friend used to say that we were running a show and that PM’s were the show runners. So what do they do? At its core, the Product Manager is the strategist and guardian of a game's vision. Their responsibilities can be broadly categorized into several key areas that morph and change as the product lifecycle moves from one phase to another. Early on in development they are there to channel the voice of the consumer. Defining the market and how your game will fit. They use consumer research and testing to provide evidence and guide &nbsp;product strategy and design. Working very closely with developers and researchers they are providing the development team with the voice of the eventual player. At launch the PM works very closely with Marketing to maximize the initial cohort of players and efficiently deploy marketing acquisition spends. They are leveraging their analysts to monitor performance and optimize efficiency providing intel and data to the marketing divisions on how best to adjust spend. Once the live game is past launch the real work begins. During the early growth and retention phases the PM is tasked with expanding reach, finding new audiences and working with the live ops team to optimize the in game experience. Test and learn is an iterative process usually led by great PM’s. It is during this time that I believe the good PM’s are left behind by the great ones! The PM’s that I have worked with that are great at RUNNING THE SHOW are equally left and right brained. Constantly theorizing, testing, optimizing and doing it again. It’s a very “Scientific Method” process.&nbsp; Finally, as a live game ultimately starts declining the great PM’s look to secure the core. Tasked with reducing churn and maximizing profit, during this phase the PM’s recognize that some of the decisions they make may be detrimental to new users but as a consequence will solidify the core base. Great SHOW RUNNERS are a unique breed. They are equally creative and analytical. They must be world class communicators and relentlessly data obsessed. Like any good SHOW RUNNER they need to be deeply in tune with their customer and what delights them.&nbsp;

RUNNING THE SHOW!

What are the differences between Marketing Goals, Strategies, and Tactics when launching a game More often than not I have seen marketers on game teams confuse these three interdependent steps when putting together their marketing plan. Understanding the differences between these elements and how they interconnect is essential for any game launch or Go-to-Market plan. Let me try and clarify and show how they are all different but work together. Marketing GoalsDefinition: Marketing goals are the measurable, primary outcomes you aim to achieve. These are usually long-term targets that align with the overall business objectives. If at all possible, your goals should be quantifiable. Example Goal: Our goal is to drive 10 million new users into the game in the next six months.Marketing StrategiesDefinition: Marketing strategies are the plans for how you will achieve your goal. Strategies will lay out a set of choices your marketing team can take to build tactics from. The strategy is the “How” your team will achieve its goals. Usually these strategies are informed by some input like research or data.&nbsp; Example Strategy: Based on consumer research, we will execute a brand re-fresh in order to appeal to a new target audience set.Marketing Tactics:Definition: Marketing tactics are the “what” your team will do execute against your strategy in order to achieve your goals. These are specific actions, spends, and executions the team creates and are guided by a strategy. Example Tactics: Re-design our website Create a new CG trailer Create a new key art and logo design Launch an new user UA campaignGoals Guide Strategies: Your marketing goals provide a direction for your strategies. For instance, if your goal is to boost pre-orders, you might choose a strategy focusing on influencer marketing, knowing that influencers can drive significant pre-order traffic. Strategies Shape Tactics: Once strategies are defined, they determine the specific tactics you'll employ. If your strategy involves content marketing, your tactics will include creating and distributing various types of content that highlight the game. Tactics Achieve Goals: The effectiveness of your tactics ultimately determines whether you achieve your marketing goals. Well-executed tactics ensure that your strategies are successful, thereby meeting or exceeding your set goals. Goals set the destination, strategies chart the course, and tactics take you there. This basic structure is often overlooked and many young marketers jump quickly to tactics. As a forcing function in team meetings and brainstorms I spend several hours just using our goals to come up with strategies and purposefully eliminate any tactical ideation.&nbsp;

Steve Fowler Consulting

Blog

What's your UGC strategy?

e.l.f. Cosmetics Innovates with Real-World Commerce on Ro...

Gaming Negotiations are not as hard as you might think!

it's essential to be a gamer to be a great video game mar...

RUNNING THE SHOW!

Marketing Goals, Strategies, and Tactics