Social Game Marketing: a burgeoning marketing upstart

(published in the November issue of "Successful marketing": "Big brands love Social Games", written in September)

At the moment, there are not only social networks but also social games. From the fast-food brand McDonald's to software giant Microsoft, from auto manufacturer Honda to chain convenience store 7-11, the world's major brands have been eyeing it, coveted the growing territory of the marketing fertile ground. Social games have both network games and social network characteristics, not only has the enterprise coveted the huge user base, but also because of its novelty and fun to reduce consumer resistance, promote the interaction between the brand and users, shaping memorable consumption experience, the formation of word-of-mouth transmission effect, thus containing huge business opportunities. EMarketer, the US market research agency, expects social gaming advertising spending to rise 20% this year to $220 million trillion.

Big brands are entering social games

In October, McDonald's announced a partnership with social game developer Zynga's farm game Farmville to create a unique McDonald's farm. By participating in the game, the user receives a reward called "FarmVille McCafe consumable". With this reward, players can speed up the game and get a McDonald's balloon prop to dress up their own farm. Through this collaboration, McDonald's will get more exposure, because according to inside receptacle data, Farmville single month number of players up to 60 million, is the most popular Zynga game.

Similar attempts in Zynga have not been the first time. As early as March, Microsoft has cooperated with Farmville to launch a brand promotion campaign to face Facebook users. Microsoft promises to be given a "farm currency" for Farmville games as long as it becomes a fan of the Bing homepage on Facebook. The event quickly attracted a large number of users, and more than 425,000 new fans were added to the Bing homepage on Facebook within one day, and 70% of them visited the Bing search page within the next month.

In the ensuing May, Zynga worked with Japan's facilitation chain 7-11 for a 6-week period to extend social-game marketing to the offline. 7-11 in its 7,000 stores, a total of 30 balances are printed with Zynga's games such as happy farms, gangster wars and virtual world brand logos, including beverages, bottled water, ice cream, and the use of convenience store physical channels to promote the Zynga brand to more real people. Consumers simply enter the discount code on the package into Zynga's social game to get a limited edition of 7-11 virtual giveaways, which in turn makes 7-11 more successful.

Facebook, the world's largest social networking site, is also a platform for many social gaming applications. In August, Honda, in collaboration with Facebook's social game car town, launched a two-month advertising campaign with an interactive bulletin board to promote its CR-style car. In addition to the movie list Cr charming figure, the system provides players customized services, let everyone play creative space, build and collect their beloved car money. According to Honda, social gaming is even more effective than the ads displayed on Facebook. The car town game has been officially opened to date, but only one months, has captured the world's 2 million players. No wonder Steve Center, vice president of advertising at Honda, said: "You can drive 200,000 people through a billboard every day on the Los Angeles Freeway, but you can't have as many people as you choose car town." ”

The use of social games for brand promotion is not only enterprises, but also sports organizations. The American professional football team, the New York Jet, recently released a Facebook game--ultimate Fan with game developer Arkadium. Through this game, rugby fans can predict the score and also have a virtual car park picnic with other fans. For the team, in addition to attracting more fans, it is also expected to benefit from the implantation of sponsorship ads and the sale of virtual goods. "We don't want to just repeat the creation of outdated content and want to do something special, so social networking is an important area for us," he said. "said Matt Higgins, executive vice president of business operations.

At home, companies are also beginning to try to enter the happy Farm, Renren, QQ space and other social networks. July, Haier with the help of Renren hot 3D Flash Game "Everyone restaurant" for its frost-free three refrigerators to carry out a successful social game marketing campaign. In just one week, the user has produced 2 million "Haier frost-free ice Fruit drink", "Haier no frost three refrigerators" accumulated more than 20 million exposure rate, so as to complete the new product promotion and brand promotion.

In addition to working with famous social gaming platforms, some brands have even chosen to build their own gaming platforms. In its Juice brand "Yue Live" implanted happy net achieved great success, Cofco Group advocated the sweetness of social game marketing, at the beginning of the first independent development of the first network interactive game-"Cofco production team", transmission of its "whole industry chain" brand positioning. Players can choose rice, corn, grapes, wheat, cocoa any one of the crops from the seed cultivation, after planting, warehousing, transportation and other links, the final production of rice, corn oil and other terminal products. Players in addition to their own play, you can invite colleagues to participate in, accept the invitation and can complete the whole game link of the more people, the prize will be more generous.

Five major marketing values of social gaming

There is no doubt that social gaming is rapidly growing into a fertile territory for marketing. It is not just a fun online game, but also a social networking site for interactive interaction between the two, the former attracts individuals, the latter shapes the community. Compared with a single online game, the social games that grow up among the hottest social networks have a user base that they can't reach, and with a single social network, it has a lot of fresh and exciting fun and is the most important pastime for people to make friends. Its marketing value, can be summed up in the following points:

First, the large user base. Can be targeted to more real customers and potential customers, is the major brands choose social games when the biggest consideration. This is especially true when media users are aligned with their target groups. According to a survey by Nielsen, nearly one-fourth of American internet users spend time online on social networking sites and blogs, and online gaming is the second most popular online activity after social networking. The Lightspeed Company's American social gaming market report also shows that 53% of Facebook users over 18 have played social games, with 19% admitting they are addicted to the games. That number is certainly huge, as Facebook's users have reached a record 500 million in July, equivalent to 8% of the world's population.

Second, reduce user resistance. Different from Google AdSense that traditional CPM, CPC, etc. by clicks or browse number of the form of pay, will be fully integrated into the content of the network of online games embedded marketing, can reduce the psychology of consumers, more easily to obtain consumer recognition and goodwill, Unknowingly spread the influence of the brand, its effect is naturally better than the traditional form of advertising. According to a April Millward Brown survey of Chinese social networking site users, 74% of netizens don't mind seeing "branded virtual gifts" ads, even traditional banner ads can be accepted by 67% of respondents. 73% of social-networking users even say they can accept or at least tolerate more ads in exchange for a variety of free services on social networking sites.

Third, stimulate participation enthusiasm. By setting up the interactive link in the activity and fully mobilizing the enthusiasm of the consumers, it is always the usual marketing strategy of the enterprise. In contrast, the novelty of social gaming is clearly better. According to a Lightspeed company survey, 39% of users were involved in the market in exchange for rewards in the game, and 26% per cent said they preferred to buy products that were implanted in community games. The survey also reflects the findings that 77% of Chinese social-networking users believe that the brands appearing on social networking sites are more attractive and 55% of users have searched or browsed the brand's web site after they saw the brand on social networking sites, 37% Social networking site users focus on the company or brand on social networking sites.

Four, create a unique experience. Compared with the one-way communication mode of traditional media such as television and newspapers and magazines, social games provide the brand with the opportunity and platform to interact with users in a two-way way, so that users can get the unforgettable experience of real immersive. Even on Facebook, the interactive model of hands-on experience is not as simple as a single display ad. With the help of interactive network games, the Enterprise can guide and strengthen the real experience and enhance the brand cognition through the virtual experience gained by customers in the gardening games. With the increasingly homogenization of services, providing a unique consumer experience, the implementation of experiential marketing, has become a brand differentiation strategy for enterprises to implement another new point of appeal.

Five, the formation of word-of-mouth communication. Brand advertising in social games can also play the role of social networking and interactivity, forming word-of-mouth Communication, thus expanding the scope of audience impact. Like leaving the air as the medium light will no longer exist, viral marketing must have a network platform that enables the target communities to communicate with each other quickly, providing the conditions for the replication and rapid spread of the virus. Social games are such platforms. Stimulating the fun of the game will be among friends to recommend each other, implanted in which the brand will also be frequently mentioned, especially the brand branded virtual gifts, but also to compete for competition. Lightspeed's survey shows that 55% of users have more than 10 friends in the game, 59% have invited friends to play together, 15% have invited strangers to play games, and more than 1/3 of social gaming users said the first time they started playing games because they were invited by friends.

But while social gaming can help companies improve their brands and sales in new ways, it's more challenging than traditional advertising models, and planning an influential social-game marketing is far more complicated than hosting an advertising campaign. First, in the brand, it is ultimately a marketing tool, but in the marketing audience, it is a game. Or it must be a successful game first, and then it will become a successful marketing campaign. A successful game is not easy, or even more than a successful marketing campaign, even if the financial resources are sufficient. Second, online games are only means, the ultimate goal is still more and better sell their products. The promotion of brand awareness, and then bring tangible benefits, is really a success. Third, social games are not for all brands. Different brands should also be based on their own positioning, choose their target groups coincide with the brand image commensurate with the cooperation object. The survey shows that online shopping sites, technology companies and FMCG are more closely watched by Chinese social users. Its four, the popular game is always only popular, the passage of things will not give us the same curiosity and fresh, it is difficult to continue to glory. This is especially bad for the brand of the platform, but also for those who choose to cooperate with the famous social game platform to put forward a higher demand, because the popular game is always competing for competition, not only rare opportunities, the cost will also rise.

Today's whispers Depart

Alas, this "Today's Whispers" column is nearly reduced to a monthly summary, according to the update progress. See again to the end of the year, the goals set at the beginning of the early years have not been achieved, if no longer efforts, I am afraid sooner or later will be a time to be a sigh of the situation. All right, let's go. Updated from today.

October, go home a week, travel for a week, the rest is nothing. The hand of the manuscripts dragged on, unexpectedly as to have to give up. Can not help but wonder whether it is really nothing to watch, or have begun to become numb? The latter is obviously much more likely. This is also the reason for the recent depression. Remember not long ago, still so passionate, no matter what a marketing irrelevant thing, can read out a lot of different thinking. Resuming blog updates, collecting fresh information daily, may be more touching, not necessarily.

Some people will say, want to write and write, do not want to write then do not write, why are you here? Although the reason is so, but in me, but always can not do this chic. After work, always want to read some more, think more, for younger, more promotion, for old age less remorse. may not bring what fame and superior, at least the things that they want to do, not to mention the love and support of many friends. Only blame oneself ability not enough, daily struggling, the result is always passable, cannot get the wish.

Try harder and try harder.

Source: http://www.marketing-life.cn/?p=3283