Marketing, Word-of-Mouth, and other buzzwords

[DevP]

I've seen some mention of "viral ads", "word-of-mouth" and other such things in relation to our industry, so I thought I'd way in. I have the pleasure of working at BzzAgent; I'm a web developer, not a marketer, but in the process of working here I picked up some thoughts.

An aside about why "marketing" matters: many of us associate marketing with crassly just trying to move product, whereas most of us aren't in it "for the cash". True, but game design is meaningless without actual play, and actual play requires getting the good word out there though smart marketing.

I'm going divide up three kinds of "word-of-mouth" marketing into three kinds: Viral Ads, Buzz and Word-of-Mouth, although this is more of a spectrum that a taxonomy. This is following heavily from our CEO's useful ChangeThis Manifesto (PDF). I recommend giving it a quick read.

Viral Ads: Very similar to normal advertising, except in its design to be passed along between the recipients (i.e. virally) because it's really easy to pass along, and instantly attracting. This might be viral way of people sharing opinions, or it just might be a normal ad in a new medium, with perhaps more shocking content. The standard example is Burger King's "Subservient Chicken", where you could email your friends a link to this site where you gave commands to a guy in a chicken suit. (Darker example: the VW ad where a suicide bomber is foiled by a well-built VW car. The video was passed along heavily, and incited much commentary adn especially outrage.)

A well-done viral ad can be good for folks in our industry, since we don't have the capital (or the best channels) for normal, steady advertising. Using the social networks of gamers to pass along a marketing can work better, if done right.

This has been tried so far with Evil Hat licensing FATE for the Dresden Files RPG. They even had a viral LJ ad for it!

drivingblind and anacrusis are writing The Dresden Files RPG and could use your help filling out a survey for the game. Check out the site, and fill out the survey!

LiveJournal is a great medium for spreading memes around, and I'm glad Evil Hat took the plunge in trying this. (I'd love to hear how well the ad performed.)

However, IMHO this ad was still missing something, in that it was a straight-form ad, without some kind of extra gimmick or draw to reward people, or rather, to get people spontaneously re-posting your message. (Think of all those quizes that show up on LiveJournal. There's instant appeal there. Is there a way you can replicate that?)

Let me introduce this other term from marketing. I hate to quote seth goding, but... Purple Cow. It's basically his term for some neat and unique boon you can offer to people checking our your product. The link is to a free PDF where he outlines 99 examples of this. The doc does occaisionally become "Seth Godin's favorite links!" but it's worth a quick read in order to start thinking about what else you can offer. (I'll try not to quote Seth Godin again.)

Buzz: The example in Manifesto is Richard Branson (of Virgin) jumping naked from a tall building, or at least faking it. Yeah, that's buzz. This is more PR mixed with advertising: creating a huge splash that people react to. So remember at Gen Con when Game Designer X staged a steel cage match with Vincent Baker and attacked him with a rubber nightstick to promote his Jailtime RPG? Or that time Willows staged an incident where he arrvied in tin-foil armor at the Wicked Dead booth and cut their table in half?

Those didn't actually happen, but they would have created a huge and disruptive "buzz", which you can redirect towards your actual game. "WTF was that? Oh, it's the designer of That New Game. I wonder what's the deal with that..." Of course, "buzz" doesn't have to be about PR stunts. Ideally, it can relate directly to some feature of your actual product.

I actually remember the TROS guys going around with the different attack zones marked on their body. That's crazy, and yeah, that's good buzz generation, because (1) grabs "wtf?" style attention, and (2) refers to a cool aspect of the TROS product. I don't recall if they went around boffer-fighting in that way, but they could have. You might also say that the Dead Inside ad I mentioned earlier was on the borderline between being a normal ad and a buzz-generating ad due to its coolness.

Word-of-Mouth: They say this is the ideal thing, because it seriously is. This is what happens when you have the different end-users / consumer / audience members talking to each other. As you can imagine, people sharing messages with each other is always more credible than some 3rd-party ad telling you stuff. My own company (BzzAgent) is ideally trying to seed people to get folks started talking on it - but again, in a spontaneous way, since people are damn good at outing pure shills.

Be very wary of the line between incentivizing your fans and encouraging shilling! It's terrible PR, and terribly dishonest to boot. There have already been some keruffles on RPG.net about alleged shilling. The best defenses here are honesty and transparency. If you're rewarding your fans, and they speak up, make sure they're okay with mentioning that they've been rewarded. Example: when I write reviews, I always want to mention if I've been given a free copy, and what personal relationship I have with the authors.

Some theorie suggest that there are people called influencers that you want to get ahold of - that there are a few people who always adopt the new stuff first, and who are the main vectors for getting a new game or product used on a greater scale. This is obvious about larger people in the RPG community - like Ken HIte praising your game - but it's also about spotting out the more influential folks out of, say, a crowd at GenCon, and making sure that you're selling to them, since once they're influenced, they'll best influence the folks around them. To be honest, I don't really buy the "influencer elite" theory much, and rather would focus on influencing at a broader scale...

...which brings us to the super-important term: Brand Evangelist[/i]. A brand evangelist is someone who enjoys your product, has purchased it, supports your work, gives criticism when it's necessary, is knowledgable to ask questions and pimp the product on open communities, and to continue creating new discussions that keep people excited about your game/product. (Cross-reference this with the "new kind of fan/contributor" as mentioned in the "Indiestry" thread.) Scoring some "brand evangelists" tag is necessary to get your game played.

Honestly, that concept ("evangelist") shouldn't be alien to us at all! In many cases, the one who buys the game is the one who will have to GM it (so they need that expertise AND the motivation to prepare for it) and will need to truly pitch it to their own group to get played. Anyone who buys a copy of our game is probably signing up to be, to some degree, an evangelist for that game, because they will have to get their friends to sign on to using it in their play. If they can't do that - or moreover, if your product doesn't have the easily sellable hooks to pitch and the ability to maintain the evangelist's excitement throughout - then the product has failed them.

Meanwhile, our social networks and game-related forums are all filled with people who are (to varying degrees of proficiency) evangelizing for their brand of game, trying to share their own excitement with others. Keep in mind also that evangelizing can go bad. (Think of MS/Free-Software flamewars and zealots on both sides, or wide-spread derision of those fixated on Their Favorite Game, or the nadirs of the d20/anti-d20/anti-indie/d02 debates.)

So. Examples!

Dogs in the Vineyard: It certainly is a hard sell from the point of view of trying to pitch it, and I think Vincent has said that he accept that: if you don't "get" the appeal of these hardened Western protagonists, then you just might not be sellable for this. However, the focus and richness of DiTV - as well as its really exciting system, and aspects like town generation that always leave things ripe with possibility - help make those who can get into the game really excited about it.

octaNe: Really easy to create one-line pitches on the fly, such as: "Psychotronic post-modern apoclyptic adventure, with worm surfers and ninja monkeys and talking cars and Elvis!" If there's a gamer alive who doesn't respond positively to that... well, they're in the minority. Also - I've always loved this - the tone throughout is intense, infusing into with Jared's raw energy and the Color of setting. The game made me thing "wow, this is cool, and when I talk about this, I'll seem cool too".

I say that, especially when we promote inherently social products as RPGs, we'll get a lot of benefit from promoting in a way that helps along the word-of-mouth and gets gamers talking about your new thing. Helping seed along some people to envangelize about your product can only help. And make it easy for those proto-GMs (or whoever is introducing the game to a group) to pitch this new game to their crew.

...

Are there any parts here I could clarify? Or better yet, other further thoughts on applying this sort of thing to our own games?

[Ben Lehman]

Thanks a bunch for posting this!  It's really useful stuff (Hey, check it out, that's me and Calder up there in the Riddle of Steel section.  And, yes, boffer weapons were involved, until we figured out it was illegal.)

yrs--
--Ben

[matthijs]

This is great stuff. Thanks! (The Purple Cow pdf isn't free, though, as far as I can see...)

[Luke]

Excellent essay, Dev.

I'd rethink the Influencers vs Brand Evangelists section. I don't really see the difference between the two (aside from their names).

-L

[DevP]

re: Purple Cows -- I swear this was free earlier today. Alas. Well, feel free to look for a copy at your library or such.

I'd rethink the Influencers vs Brand Evangelists section. I don't really see the difference between the two (aside from their names).

Glad you liked the essay! Part of this was to possibly get some vocabulary down so that we can better talk about application. (The definitions there aren't necesarily global, but I think they're good ones.)

So, there's this book, The Influentials, where the subtitle pretty much sums up the argument: "One American in Ten Tells the Other Nine How to Vote, Where to Eat, and What to Buy". A company called Tremor has the model of trying to find these Influentials and spread out new buzz through them. So, it's like finding random people in the populace with Innate Marketing Prowess. However, I find this really elitist and un-fun.

Our company, BzzAgent, has a model of just letting in anyone interested opt-in to join the word-of-mouth seeding (although once they've joined, they may be selected for some campaigns over others due to their demographics, and that itself is a controvertial point). So that would be more like Anvilwerks having an open-invitiation list for gamers who want to first hear about Clinton's newest games, will be the first one to pass it to their friends, etc.

Brand evangelist describes a kind of role - a super-fan amateur-expert advocate person - that fits into either of these models. Perhaps only those Influentials can be your brand evangelists. Perhaps anyone can, and you want to help most anyone spread the good word of your new games.

The difference between evangelist and influencer is that an influencer may simply say "yeah, I heard about Game X, anyway..." and merely by its mention they encourage lots of people to get into it, while an evangelist will more actively promote Game X and go to the mat for it. Of course, someone can be both.

[DevP]

Thought-provoking followup question: think of a game you like (maybe your own). How can you make it easier for people to promote it to their friends and get it played? Do you want to alter the text, or are there other activities you can think of?

[Valamir]

I think there is a difference between Influencers and Brand Evangelists actually.  In fact, I immediately jumped to Ken Hite as I read the definition of Influencer even before I got to where he was an example.

I think the difference is that an influencer is someone who has a following and people go to them to find out whats cool.  An evangelist likely doesn't have a following but they're out there name dropping your game into various discussions and live journals and the like.  The best evangelists are those who actually have a reputation for being worthy contributors to a site so that when they name drop they're taken seriously and not dismissed as shills.

A key influencer might be someone who's developed a Live Journal with a following, or a discussion web site like the Forge.  Or someone like Shannon Appelcline or Tom Vassal who have a reputation for giving solid board game reviews.  I always seek out review with their names attached even though I rarely see them actually evangelizing.

A subtle difference perhaps but I think the distinction is there.


I can say for certain that while I can track spikes in sales to the actions of an Influencer (a Ken Hite or Ron Edwards review for instance) that Evangelists have driven the bulk of Uni sales.

[jdagna]

I think there is a difference between Influencers and Brand Evangelists actually.  In fact, I immediately jumped to Ken Hite as I read the definition of Influencer even before I got to where he was an example.

I think the difference is that an influencer is someone who has a following and people go to them to find out whats cool.  An evangelist likely doesn't have a following but they're out there name dropping your game into various discussions and live journals and the like.  The best evangelists are those who actually have a reputation for being worthy contributors to a site so that when they name drop they're taken seriously and not dismissed as shills

I totally agree with you, but I think there's one other factor that generally separates influencers from evangelists... and that's exclusivity in products.

In my experience (both in marketing and in the usage of those two terms), evangelists almost always pick one single product and push it to the exclusion of all others.  For example, my friend would rather die of dehydration than drink anything other than Coke.  I know people who do a lot of demos and sales for SJG who think GURPS is the be-all, end-all of gaming and that GURPS can do anything your system can do, only better.  There are certain game reviewers who manage to compare everything they review to their favorite game.  If evangelists support multiple products, they're probably not competitors of each other - someone might support an RPG and a CCG, for example, but probably not two RPGs.  They base their pitch on emotion, even when they use logic to persuade others.

The influencer is usually a little more detached or, possibly, unbiased - their pitch is usually more like "If you want to get A, then B will probably work for you, but if you want X, try Y instead."  Instead of one game to rule them all, an influencer might have to name five they couldn't live without.  People trust an influencer's recommendations based on reputation more than anything else.  It's why one person might like one movie critic's opinions more than another.  I've heard both food and music critics claim that they can spot a good product regardless of whether they actually like it themselves.

Perhaps these definitions have already been modified to eliminate the elitist distinction - you can be a well-known influencer or a well-known evangelist.  This definition just looks at your style - do you emotionally latch onto particular products or are you just passing along your opinions and expertise on a wider variety?  Certainly, even someone as well known as Ken Hite would lose most of his credibility if he turned into a raving D20 fanboy tomorrow.

One reason I like this distinction is that I've known some excellent influencers in my life who had very small followings.  If my friend (the Coke one) liked a movie, I knew that I'd hate it (and vice versa, so he actually influenced me in the opposite sense you'd expect).  Another friend was very active in the local RPG store and had about ten people who'd buy just about anything he recommended.  Both of them had very small audiences, but were good influencers.

[Luke]

Excellent points Ralph and Justin. I'm convinced.

Dev,
The best model I've found for spreading the word of my game is the "the guy" model. "The guy who wrote it is really cool" actually sells games. And, if you are actually a "cool" personality, I've found that folks are more likely to go out on a limb and try and sell the game to their friends. They call that "cult of personality," right? It works in person and via electronic correspondence

But the thing I'd like to focus more on is digestable and regurgitable (to carry the metaphor) demo chunks. Small pieces of the game that gamers and easily ingest and take back to the nest to feed the other gamerlings with. Combat demos, cool character sheets, and controversial game mechanics are at the top of my list.

Ron often wins the controversial game mechanics category with "the baby in your womb is a demon!" gag. But I want something people can download or pickup, return to their group with and enjoy some actual play via. I figure this will generate good word of mouth buzz -- "the game is cool, and it's easy to pick up" or something.

I don't know what that thing is yet. So I'm all ears, Mr Marketing Terminology.

-L

PS: If we want to veer slightly into branding: Logos, trademarks and catch phrases. I hate to say it, but they are vital to separating your ideas from the dross.

[DevP]

But the thing I'd like to focus more on is digestable and regurgitable (to carry the metaphor) demo chunks. Small pieces of the game that gamers and easily ingest and take back to the nest to feed the other gamerlings with. Combat demos, cool character sheets, and controversial game mechanics are at the top of my list.

I think you already have something there with scripted combat. The scripting sheets are themselves a take-home widget and a controvertial mechanic. Add a way that folk can just play out the scripting (alongside a supersimple system perhaps) and you've got something great for them to show up and start up a rapport about the game.

Also, the "guy" appraoch seems like a very effective one. I've been surprised at how much gamers (including myself) will tend to pick a designer and make her their "home team" of sorts, being the first to buy and talk up their work. Frex, witness how many people follow the personal journals of Mike Mearls' / Jason Blair / etc. without knowing them well. (You're an excellent example of being the guy.)

PS: If we want to veer slightly into branding: Logos, trademarks and catch phrases. I hate to say it, but they are vital to separating your ideas from the dross.

Absolutely! But I think that'd be better as its own thread.

[DevP]

A *problem* we have with creating easily redistributed chunks of game is that our products are often inherently time-consuming. In a worst case scenario, we have  thick books which require reading and solid comprehension by the GM-figure, and then furthermore teaching, schedule-coordination and time commitment with the other participants, simply to try something new! By default, there's a lot of reasons for gamers to be somewhat conservative in their tastes.

It's a hard puzzle to squish a full game into a bite-size slice, but there are a few ways. A minigame (like the scripting suggestion) is one; a good example of play, that shows you the IC/OOC sides of the game, is another.

Some have criticized too much focus on art and in-book fiction (I'm thinking of Exalted), but these are also pretty good, in theory, at getting some flavor across quickly (I didn't mind the fiction pieces, and the gorgeous cover of the Abyssals book drew lots if interested questions).

[Solly Brown]

A *problem* we have with creating easily redistributed chunks of game is that our products are often inherently time-consuming. In a worst case scenario, we have thick books which require reading and solid comprehension by the GM-figure, and then furthermore teaching, schedule-coordination and time commitment with the other participants, simply to try something new! By default, there's a lot of reasons for gamers to be somewhat conservative in their tastes.

Exactly, Dog Town had a review recently by a person who clearly by the amount of other games he was also reviewing at the time didn't have the opportunity to give it adequate consideration. Games are time consuming you must want to get involved in them. Generally as consumers we want to make the effort to get to know them. Crunchy systems especially can't be glanced at.  


Jonathan Ridd
Cold Blooded Games
Dog Town: Pure Punk Role playing

[Domhnall]

On a long drive this weekend I was considering a small book to be published in stores.  The spirit of the book and title would be "You love fantasy/sci-fi/vamp fiction (and so on), so why aren't you role playing?"  
Then I realized the same problem exists for this book as the RPGs--Who besides existing RPers are going to pick up this book?  Is it possible to "convert" the non-RPer without the personal contact?  Would any text on getting the non-RPer to try it be touched by them?

[philreed]

On a long drive this weekend I was considering a small book to be published in stores.  The spirit of the book and title would be "You love fantasy/sci-fi/vamp fiction (and so on), so why aren't you role playing?"  
Then I realized the same problem exists for this book as the RPGs--Who besides existing RPers are going to pick up this book?  Is it possible to "convert" the non-RPer without the personal contact?  Would any text on getting the non-RPer to try it be touched by them?

I think the trick would be to not use roleplaying in the title. Something like "Immerse Yourself Deeper into the Goth Scene" would probably be a title more likely to grab non-RPG customers.

[Domhnall]

I think the trick would be to not use roleplaying in the title. Something like "Immerse Yourself Deeper into the Goth Scene" would probably be a title more likely to grab non-RPG customers.

Sounds good.  Thanks.