Tag Archive for: Video Game Marketing

THE ART OF THE SCREENSHOT II: Stir Emotions & Convey Attitude

…our job as PR and Marketers is to create an
emotional connection with our target audience…”

Before we get into the details of my advice for acquiring and distributing great and effective screens successfully, I want to take a step back to take another look at the BIG PICTURE.

Previously, in Part I, I suggested that screen shots should be more than just literal representations of what a game looks like; it is PR’s responsibility to ensure they are memorable.

In this edition, we’ll cover the importance of injecting attitude instead of action and showing the fun of a game rather than the activity of playing.

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PR_Flak’s Postmortem on MavPR’s First Swag

Over on PR_Flak’s Flak Attak, I look back at the process and fun of creating MavPR’s first item of swag — the [Skullcap of BUZZ] winter beanie.  From failed designs to some rules that YOU should should use for determining whether to proceed with spending money on creating swag for a game, it’s a fun and informative read.

A SNIP:

“Swag can be really great and impactful, but swag can also be a colossal waste of cash — cash that could otherwise be budgeted towards PR activities that have a chance of producing tangible results.

You don’t NEED swag, folks.  You DO need product tours.  I really hate to see PR or marketing create swag just to fulfill a bullet point from a PPT in the hopes of generating “coverage.”  There won’t be coverage from your swag, people.  No one is going to do a cover story on your custom-molded USB key, OK?  Get over it.”

Head on over and check it out!  And don’t waste money on swag that doesn’t work!

– PR_Flak

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MavPR Blogging: Why Traditional Agency Structure Fails

Over on PR_Flak’s Flak Attak, Matt takes the PR industry to task about the traditional structure of agencies and the reliance on junior staff members for execution.

As you can see on our front page, MavPR’s philosophy has always been “…only the most veteran professionals provide superior PR work.” This commitment to senior level expertise means we avoid the failures inherent with delegating primary execution of activities to inexperienced staff members.

Unfortunately for a lot of game companies that hire external PR, most PR agencies don’t follow the same belief system – it’s too expensive for them to do so.  Not so for MavPR.

Below are some excerpts; for the entire blog, head over here now.

  • “Traditional PR agency structure is designed to be most cost-effective when the most inexperienced people do the most work.  The more hours an AAE puts in on your game versus a VP, the more profitable it is to the agency.  Take a moment and do the math on what that means for your game.”
  • “So if you’re a typical game publisher or developer with a game that needs promoting, you will most likely enter a new biz pitch with a traditional video game PR agency.  They will arrive flush with seemingly impressive people, including the [president] and [vice presidents]; a remote office (probably in NY, LA or SF) on speaker phone; and an [account director] who sports a furrowed brow and is nodding his head – in understanding – while furiously taking notes as you speak…
  • …But the hard truth is, this army of “senior” PR people will be the ones to lock down your business, but they will NOT be the ones working on your game.  The kid back at the office making copies of the pitch PPT is getting ready to make phone calls on your behalf.”

Maybe it’s time for YOU to try something new?

– PR_Flak

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The New Economy and Emerging Business Models

Yes, I could have made that headline more appealing, but I’m not trying to hook new readers here, right?

We’re really excited that the “mainstream” is starting to pick up on the business trend that started emerging last year — namely that companies are looking for innovative ways to cut costs while improving results and freelancers and “micro-boutiques” are emerging as the answer.

Luckily for us – we’re right in the middle of it!  Maverick PR’s philosophy is and has always been “Less Overhead, More In The Head” — meaning that we can deliver better results for less money due to our innovative business model and years of experience. Read more

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Maverick, Matt Hazard & Gamespot

Our shenanigans for D3’s upcoming shooter Eat Lead: The Adventures of Matt Hazard were exposed earlier this Fall by the fine folks over at Gamespot.

Once outed we fessed up and waxed poetic about the trials and tribulations of video game marketing in the “Gaming Age.”  Read the interview with Matt, myself and our fine D3 compatriot Sam Guilloud over at Gamespot: Q&A: Making up Matt Hazard.

-Grok

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