LAFS Marketing and Monetization Lecture 5: Marketing Materials
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MARKETING MATERIALS Level 5 David Mullich Marketing and Monetization The Los Angeles Film School
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Transcript of LAFS Marketing and Monetization Lecture 5: Marketing Materials
MARKETING MATERIALSLevel 5
David MullichMarketing and MonetizationThe Los Angeles Film School
What Are Assets?
Assets
Content used for presenting the product to influencers through marketing materials; refers specifically to screenshots, videos, key art, etc.
The first assets you’ll probably create for your project will be your game name and logo.
Game Name Factors Title Length Distinctiveness URL and Social Media
Account Names Visual Presentations and
Title Treatments Potential for Misspellings
or Ridicule
Central Image Key Art: Analogous to movie
poster art for films.
Icon: Small but strong visual representing your game in online storefronts and device-based app stores.
Icon Do’s Feature a clear, succinct image that
pops and conveys an interesting key element of the game.
Keep fairly simple and direct. Focus on hero characters, where
relevant. Focus on strong brands and visual
elements. Use bright colors without being garish
Icon Don’ts Cram too much into a small
space Have too much text
Icon Resize Test
Icon Context Test
ART AND SCREENSHOTS
Concept Art Can work well early
in your promotion campaign
Consider creating some just to show game’s visual style around announcement time.
Never Publish Bad Art!
Key Art An iconic hero
image to generate excitement for your game
Can be used like a movie poster for your game
ScreenshotsScreenshots should showcase the very best your game has to offer
Capture your game's most magnificent moments, like when you are fighting a colossal boss, or solving a complex puzzle.
A broad range: different settings, characters, scenarios.
Post periodically leading up to game’s release
What Was Good About These Screenshots?
Screenshot Do’s Show representative gameplay Show variety – different levels, characters,
environments with different color palettes Compose scenes thinking about legibility,
contrast and weighting
Screenshot Don’ts Use shots your User Interface, Menus, and
Game Over screens Show the backs of characters (except 3rd-
person games) Show characters in static, uninteresting
poses Release batches that are nearly identical at
a first glance
PRINTED MATERIALS
Must-Have Print Materials Posters Business Cards CD/DVD Covers or Sleeves Instruction Booklets Poster Cards Calendars
General Considerations Weighting: Your key focus – character,
vehicle, tagline, etc. Legibility: Your game name, tagline
and key focus should come across clearly
Contrast: Most important elements should pop
Format: Design for limitations of format
Competition: Look at marketing materials for similar games
VIDEO
Video Game release announcement Trailers or gameplay video of characters,
themes, features In-game cinematics or “first 5 minutes” Interviews, behind the scenes, live streams Big, new trailer jut as game launches
What Was Good About These Trailers?
What An Effective Trailer Does
Effective videos must inform, entertain, and build an emotional connection with, the audience by developing characters, conveying plotlines or even inciting laughter or fear, much the same way that movie trailers try to do.
How Faithful Should They Be To The Game?
Fidelity To The Game: Yes or No? Some developers feel that you should only
release content that show scenes actually as they appear in the final game.
Others will take liberties, such as moving the in-game camera to increase the drama.
You need to decide your position – just be careful not to mislead players!
Trailer Do’s Show gameplay, targeting each facet of your gameplay Showcase the features that make your game special Mix up footage to show diversity Use killer music selections Synchronize visual and audio beats Clearly show game’s title, your company name, release
timing, platforms, call to action and URL Be creative, and leave players with a lasting impression
of your game Record a new trailer with each game milestone
Trailer Don’ts Leave trailer planning to the last minute! Overload it with cheesy titles Hammer users with repetitive footage Think you need to be an expert
cinematographer.
Video Blogs
A video blog (aka video log, vlog or video diary) is a blog in which the medium if video.
Game developer video blogs and behind-the-scenes episodes can be used to promote progress on your latest game.
What Was Good About These Videos?
Video Blogs Do’s Keep it 2-4 minutes long Keep audio levels consistent Match music to visuals Use royalty-free music Get your audience to participate End with a call to action Wait a day or two before posting Post a minimum of twice a month
Group QuestCreate a video blog script and storyboard for your game. Write a script for a 1-2 minute video blog. It can be
serious or funny, but it should sound professional and spoken as though you were speaking to potential customers for your game.
Create a PowerPoint of still images as your storyboard. Each PowerPoint page should look like a single frame from your video.
Present the video blog trailer to class.
YouTubeYouTube should be high on your list of priorities and it pays to plan a consistent drip feed of content that will build familiarity with your brand.
To stand out on YouTube you need original compelling content.
In terms of search, gamers rely on two resources, Google and YouTube, so the title of your video is almost as vital as the content you are promoting.
LA FilmYouTube
Page
How Gamers Use YouTube 95% of gamers watch gaming videos on
YouTube 50% of views were for videos made by
developers/publishers 1 in 3 views took place on a mobile device Peak viewing time is 6pm to 9pm 50% of views associated with a game took place
within a month of launch or immediately after launch
YouTube Do’s Build a strong, search-optimized, traffic-optimized, and
navigation-optimized YouTube channel. Build a strong library of in-game content, out-of-game
features, and viral videos. Post at key stages as you build toward launch, with the
biggest videos right around launch time. Make sure ALL video content abides by YouTube
copyright terms and conditions. Vimeo, Blip.tv and Brightcove should also be included
in your video content planning for video.
CONTENT AND YOUR CAMPAIGN
Plan Content Early On
Schedule time for creating marketing materials well in advance of launch so that you get cost-effective, high-quality pieces.
During Development Create screenshots and trailers frequently, and
let all the news sites know it when you do it. Consider working with both in-house artists and
external creative firms to make a steady pipeline of static and video content for all your marketing channels.
Once you have a diverse array of content, test them rigorously to see which ones best achieve your marketing goals.
Updating Materials
Once your game releases, update your marketing materials.
Add review quotes, awards, Metacritic scores, game updates, and so on.
Away MissionCreate the following marketing materials and upload as a single PDF or PowerPoint:
A game icon at sizes: 128x128 64x64 32x32
A game poster with Key art as its central image Game title Game slogan
3 screenshots
