The results of the poll are quite clear, most people start playing because their friends convinced them. And the same goes for me.
I remember it well, a friend of mine wanted to start playing the game so he tells his father (my godfather) to buy it for my birthday and also a copy for himself. This is three years ago now I believe and I'm still playing, although I have taken several big breaks in the meanwhile (one being 6 months).
I can deduct from this that Blizzard seems to be taking the right approach by focusing on existing users with their commercials. It is the existing users they want to keep playing, which means a steady income. It's also the existing players bringing in fresh blood.
Enough about me and my therories, how did you start playing?
Wednesday, 10 December 2008
Tuesday, 9 December 2008
World of Warcraft vs new media
Nearly everyone that plays World of Warcraft knows YouTube is filled with movies about every single part of the game. Whether it's a tutorial to help people improve their gaming experience or simply a way of manifesting one's prowess, you'll be able to find at least a dozen of any concept you can think of.
This is another prime example of clever marketing on Blizzard’s part. Of course I’m not suggesting they make all of those movies themselves, that’d be insane. But they are already doing “Marketing” by merely not sueing everyone who does so, people are in fact breaking several laws using Blizzard’s graphics and often names of characters created in Warcraft lore. Blizzard takes it a step further though and holds contests for people to make their own movies, fan art or anything else WoW-related they can think of, the awards go from mere acknowledgement to in-game items to cash prizes.
So they get free “advertisements” for their game all over the net usually without even lifting a finger. They then, clever as they are, take a step further by using YouTube to launch new commercials like the new ones in German and Spanish. It saves them web space and bandwidth and more people will notice them.
Other uses of “new media” by Blizzard are live streams of events like tournaments hosted by MLG and Blizzard events, the World Wide Invitational and Blizzcon come to mind.
World of Warcraft also played a central role in a South Park episode, which has become quite famous. You can watch it below.
This is another prime example of clever marketing on Blizzard’s part. Of course I’m not suggesting they make all of those movies themselves, that’d be insane. But they are already doing “Marketing” by merely not sueing everyone who does so, people are in fact breaking several laws using Blizzard’s graphics and often names of characters created in Warcraft lore. Blizzard takes it a step further though and holds contests for people to make their own movies, fan art or anything else WoW-related they can think of, the awards go from mere acknowledgement to in-game items to cash prizes.
So they get free “advertisements” for their game all over the net usually without even lifting a finger. They then, clever as they are, take a step further by using YouTube to launch new commercials like the new ones in German and Spanish. It saves them web space and bandwidth and more people will notice them.
Other uses of “new media” by Blizzard are live streams of events like tournaments hosted by MLG and Blizzard events, the World Wide Invitational and Blizzcon come to mind.
World of Warcraft also played a central role in a South Park episode, which has become quite famous. You can watch it below.
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Tuesday, 2 December 2008
Recruit a Friend
Recruit a friend
Recruit a friend is a relatively new marketing tactic of Blizzard, the makers of the most successful online game World of Warcraft. It’s a very interesting, yet easy system. A person just has to convince one other person to create an account and pay for extra playing time and the first person gets several benefits.
First of all they get a special Zhevra mount, this is just a small item they receive in-game which gives no benefit other than bragging rights.
They also get an easier way to level up new characters for both them and the people they recruited. This doesn’t only motivate both of them, but also makes the game as a whole more enjoyable and accessible, which in turn creates loyalty.
And lastly they get one free month playtime; this is the only part of the entire campaign that actually has a cost attached to it. At least at first sight it looks that way, but seeing as people have to pay more to get the benefits of this campaign it’s still a clear profit.
In conclusion, this campaign is just perfect in every way. All advertising is done on their own sites, so no extra costs. And most benefits are in the game, meaning they only cost an insignificant amount of programming time.
Recruit a friend is a relatively new marketing tactic of Blizzard, the makers of the most successful online game World of Warcraft. It’s a very interesting, yet easy system. A person just has to convince one other person to create an account and pay for extra playing time and the first person gets several benefits.
First of all they get a special Zhevra mount, this is just a small item they receive in-game which gives no benefit other than bragging rights.
They also get an easier way to level up new characters for both them and the people they recruited. This doesn’t only motivate both of them, but also makes the game as a whole more enjoyable and accessible, which in turn creates loyalty.
And lastly they get one free month playtime; this is the only part of the entire campaign that actually has a cost attached to it. At least at first sight it looks that way, but seeing as people have to pay more to get the benefits of this campaign it’s still a clear profit.
In conclusion, this campaign is just perfect in every way. All advertising is done on their own sites, so no extra costs. And most benefits are in the game, meaning they only cost an insignificant amount of programming time.
Monday, 1 December 2008
WoW commercial: Ozzy is in da house
All aboard!
After using several other celebrities to promote their game, Blizzard ended up using Ozzy to market their new expansion. The commercial does show a new trend compared to the “old ones”, it's clearly directed at people with more knowledge of the game and its universe. This implies that Ozzy is supposed to convince people to come back to the game after retiring and recruit new players among those that have experience with other Blizzard-games.
Another commercial that came out at the same time as Ozzy’s is the one below featuring Steve Van Sandt, one of the Sopranos. This one doesn’t even have to imply but clearly states its purpose, to convince former players to return.
It’s just a question whether this type of commercial is the right way to go or not; they cost a lot of money for broadcast time and royalties, they also only reach a limited group of people.
It’s no secret using other people’s fame to promote your product works, but usually it is one celebrity that becomes the face of a company or a brand.
One thing is for sure, World of Warcraft is successful. Whether it’s because of a superior game, better marketing or by another factor is anyone’s guess though.
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