What is a a multi media conglomerate? TripleA case study (Halo 4), some guerilla indie case studies. lol! Practice question

1. Mainstream Triple A versus independent (indie) companies
Lesson 3

2. What are
Media Conglomerates?

3. Media Conglomerates
a company that owns large numbers of companies
in various mass media such as:
• Television
• Radio
• Publishing (magazines/newspapers)
• Film production
• Internet.
How many can you name?

4. Biggest Multimedia conglomerates

5. https://www.webpagefx.com/data/the-6-companies-that-own-almost-all-media/

7. The main videogame institutions
Predominantly arcades
INDEPENDENTS

8. The Halo 4 campaign:
Triple A CASESTUDY
1. Note down the types of media platforms used in
this campaign
2. Summarise the campaign on a timeline.
3. How long before launch day does the campaign
start?

9. Case Study: Halo 4
Microsoft promoted Halo 4. Their campaign won 'Outstanding
overall marketing campaign of the year 2013.'
Big-budget campaign for a TripleA blockbuster game.
First Person Shooter played only on Microsoft's X-box console.
Halo 4 is one of the biggest selling in the world.
It made over $300 million in its first week.
Over 1 million people played it in the first week.

10. Halo 4: the campaign
June 2011: the game is announced at E3, with a moving
image trailer: Awakening.
The trailer is short-listed for 'visual effects' awards,
generating more publicity.
The trailer is produced by Hollywood director David
Fincher (Fight Club, Benjamin Button, The Social
Network).

11. Halo 4: the campaign (1)
January 2012: various companies
announce production of Halo action figures and toys.
February 2012 onwards: header and
background ads are placed on popular
gamers' sites across the internet.

12. Halo 4: the campaign (2)
April 2012: A web-series, called 'Forward Unto Dawn' is
announced. There will be five 15 minute live-action short
films released in the weeks leading up to the launch of the
game. It is hosted on the dedicated Halo 4 website: Halo
Waypoint.

13. Halo Waypoint

14. Halo 4: the campaign (2)
May 2012: an online game to piece together the box art is
announced. Watch the video on this page.
http://www.digitalbuzzblog.com/halo-4-art-reveal-campaign/
•September 2012: pre-order sales open on the Halo website
and other sites.

15. Halo 4: the campaign (3)
September 2012: point-of-sale display material is released to
shops, including the award-winning Halo countdown unit (can be
seen in the launch party video)

16. Halo 4: the campaign (3)
September - December 2012: tie-in with pepsi - buy Pepsi or
Mountain Dew for the chance to win a copy of the game and
other Halo items. There are also tie-ins with Pizza Hut and other
companies.

17. Halo 4: the campaign (3)
October 2012:
The official launch trailer 'Scanned' is premiered on a popular
American talk show.

18. Halo 4: the campaign (4)
October 2012: a week later the official gameplay trailer is
released.
October 31st 2012: the principality of Liechtenstein is
transformed into a Halo live action experience for fans
and members of the press. The castle is transformed into
a military fortification, they build a United Nations Space
Camp and there is a 2 hour live-action 'battle' at a
nearby quarry. The event generates a lot of press
coverage.

20. Halo 4: the campaign (5)
November 5th 2012: a fifty foot illuminated Didact sign
is flown down the River Thames. There is a lot of press
coverage of the
Publicity Stunt

21. POS Activity (Point of sale) – in store activities

22. Halo 4: the campaign (5)
November 5- 6th 2012: ten thousand shops in forty
different countries open for the midnight release of the
game. Fans queue. Shops hold launch parties.

23. Halo 4: the campaign (5)
November 2012: a smartphone scavenger hunt using
'tap it' or NFC technology runs in Australia.
Each billboard featured an NFC tag
and a QR Code, and competitors had to be
the first to scan each poster after 1pm on
Tuesday 6 November. Microsoft promoted
the scavenger hunt Facebook to more than
300,000 fans

24. Halo 4: the campaign (6)
November 6th 2012: the game is released world wide.
November 2012: The Art of Halo 4 (book) is released.

25. Halo 4: the campaign (6)
November 9th 2012: live TV adverts show how many
people are playing Halo at the time. Players sign up to a 'roll
call of honour' on Facebook for the chance to get their face
on TV.

26. Halo 4: the campaign (6)
December 2012: the free-to-enter Halo 4 'Infinity'
tournament opens.

27. Halo 4: the campaign (7)
December 2012: The first War Game Map Pack
(expansion pack) is released.
February 2013: the second Map Pack is released.
April 2013: the third
Map Pack is released

28. Halo 4: the campaign (7)
September 2013: 'Halo 4:
The Essential Visual Guide'
(book) published.

29. The Halo 4 campaign: review
1. Note down the types of media platforms used in this
campaign
2. Summarise the campaign on a timeline.
3. How long before launch day does the campaign start?
4. When does the campaign ‘peak’?
5. What do you think were the best aspects of the
campaign?
6. Who would this campaign appeal to?

30. Low-budget campaigns

31. Case Study 2: Acclaim Entertainment
Acclaim Entertainment perfected the art of guerilla advertising
or stunt marketing in the 2000s.
They do one or two fairly low budget stunts or events, hoping
that the 'shock value' is enough for them to be reported on in
the mainstream press, and for news of the stunts to go viral on
the internet. This generates lots of free publicity for the
company and the game it is marketing.
The stunts are designed to appeal to the same demographic as
the audience for the game, so the publicity is strongest among
potential buyers.

32. Acclaim Entertainment Stunts
For Turok Evolution: Acclaim Entertainment offered $1000
to every person in the UK who would legally change their
name to Turok, and $10,000 to
new parents to name their baby Turok.
Over 300 people tried to claim the prize.

33. Acclaim Entertainment Stunts
For Shadow Man 2: Acclaim offered to pay people
who had recently lost a relative to place adverts
on their headstones. They said it might be of
particular interest to poorer families. The
campaign was withdrawn in the interests of good
taste. But they already had the publicity.

34. Acclaim Entertainment Stunts
For Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance: Acclaim said
they would use 'bloodvertising' with bus stop
posters that seeped a red blood-like substance,
leading up to release day. The campaign was
withdrawn in the interests of good taste. But they
already had the publicity.

35. Acclaim Entertainment Stunts
For Burnout 2: Acclaim offered to
pay the speeding fines for all
speeding tickets issued on launch
day. They had to withdraw the offer
after complaints by the police that it
would encourage speeding.
But they already had the
publicity.

36. Case Study 3: Angry Birds
In 2003, three college-leavers in Finland started a small company
called Rovio.
They released an app called Angry Birds in 2009. It became a
huge hit.
The marketing has moved from low-budget to higher budget as
the game has become more successful and profitable.

37. Angry Birds
Initial marketing was cheap and low-key.
On release in each country, they promoted
the game through Gaming forums on the
internet, and through comments and reviews
in Gaming magazines.
They used a Twitter feed, set up a Facebook
page and used other social marketing to
communicate with fans and build a fan
community.

38. They set up a website with additional content.

39. Angry Birds
Rovio moved into merchandising (there is a whole website just
for T shirts; lunch-boxes, sweets, toys) very early, and this now
makes up over 30% of their income.
As the game became more widely known, Rovio used more
conventional techniques such as game trailers.
Rovio have also expanded the brand by licensing the game to a
theme park and a TV series (see the trailer here).

40. Angry Birds
In 2011 they partnered with 20th Century Fox to release a version
of the game called Angry Birds Rio, with characters from the film
Rio in it. These tie-ins generate good publicity for both companies:
an example of synergy. See the Angry Birds Rio trailer here.

41. Angry Birds
In 2012 the new game Angry Birds in Space was announced from
the International Space Station by a NASA astronaut doing physics
experiments
Their Space game trailer also
emphasises the physics content,
making the case for Angry Birds
to be seen as a worthwhile
educational game.

42. Video Game Industry
Similar to the film industry
Multi million
budgets
Triple A
videogames
Independent
Low budgets

43. Independent
top 10 indie video games

44. Mainstream – Triple A videogames
• Tomb Raider
• Candy Crush
• Clash of Clans
• Halo
• GTA
• FIFA
• Fable
• Bioshock: Infinite
• World of Warcraft
• Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
• COD
• Pokemon Go
• Titanfall
Top video games 2017

45. Advantages of being an independent
video game producer?
Advantages of being owned by a Multi
media conglomerate?

46. Independent versus Triple A mainstream
Key Features of Independent Video Games
• Rarely multi platform
• Commonly created and developed without a publisher (no publisher limitations)
• Often developed by small teams with a focus on one game
• Reliance on digital distribution
• Innovative funding models e.g. crowd funding
• Emphasis on creativity and innovation
• Older male demographic
• Narrative content can be risqué – higher PEGI ratings
• Low production values
• Social networking and convergence important in marketing – Web 2.0
• Self-publishing in early stages

47. Key features of Mainstream Video Games
• Developer/Publisher model
• Mass target audience
• Often multi platform including consoles
• High production values
• Significant above the line marketing e.g. trailers but also rich viral marketing
• Synergy with other media forms e.g. films, consoles and magazines
• Safe genres
• Often part of a franchise
• Multiple designers, often years in development
Independent versus Triple A mainstream

48. Are these independent video game developers or multi-media conglomerates?

49. Why do many independent videogame
producers choose to seek financial
backing or ownership from large multi-
media conglomerates?
Use examples you have studied to
support your answer.
HOMEWORK
Exam practice