As we take a look at eMarketing strategies, there is still a tendency to divide the internet into categories like social, eCommerce, games and news/entertainment. As the internet evolves, the lines between these categories will disappear. Shopping online will become more like playing a game, while reading the news.
Sites like TheClymb.com and Ideeli.com are already tapping into this. Help spread the word, recruit friends to these 'private sales events' with limited quantities available, all while earning bigger discounts or more exclusive access for yourself. It's almost like going to a 'Black Friday' sale with all your friends on your Facebook page, 2-3 times a week.
In 5 Triggers that make your Product Addicting, Adrian Ott explains how these fields are converging and how we can apply principles that make a game addictive to the creation of engaging internet products.
Summary:
Games - The 2nd most popular internet activity. Behind social networking, ahead of email.
Triggers - Games tap into psychological triggers, which is why we keep playing them.
5 Key Triggers (5 more P's)
Peers and Power - The desire for social status.
Personal Pursuits - Meet a goal or support a cause
'Prairie Dog' Events - Big events that make us reconsider our behavior ( a bad experience, a breakup, a birth/death)
Productivity - We want things to be faster and easier
Price - We want to pay less/get more.
How to Apply Triggers
Map Them - Decide which triggers that best apply to your product
Build Triggers, Not Features - Only add complexity that triggers behavior, don't hide the triggers behind complex rules or stories. People generally won't spend a lot of time trying to learn your game.
Test and Re-Test - Consistently monitor to ensure your product activates the triggers.
I know, I know...we all thought video games were just for killing time at work and half-hoping you didn't get caught and half-hoping you get caught and fired because you really ought to move on from your dead-end-video-game-playing-job anyways.
Turns out, in marketing, those pointless games might be your ticket to your next job.
Any more insights into how websites are turning the web into one big video game? Any favorite sites that use innovative ways to draw customers in, and keep them coming back? Do share!
And...for those who didn't do the reading......
Chapter 10 - Product
Product - A bundle of benefits that satisfy the needs of a organizations or consumers, for which they are willing to pay for.
Creating Customer Value Online -
- Customer Value = Benefits - Cost
So what creates value?
1. It encompasses the entire product experience: discovering, trying, buying, post-sale,
2. It exists ENTIRELY in the MINDS of CUSTOMERS
3. It is tied to customer expectations.
4. Value exists at all price levels.
Product Benefits
- Attributes - What it is...color, taste, style, size, speed of service
- Branding - The intangible characteristics that differentiate a product from its competitors
- Support Services - Communicate! Be reachable, to the extent customers expect
- Labeling - Be identifiable, quickly. Reinforce trust, security, speed, whatever the customer is looking for
- Packaging - Make it look good.
Enhanced Product Development
- Customer Co-Design - Product customized for the customer.
- Electronic Input - Crowd sourcing, online reviews
Product Strategy
- Discontinuous Innovation - Brand new products that the world has never seen before. The first product in a new category.
- New Product Lines - A company decides to enter an existing market.
One thing I noticed is that the professionals suggest making your game easy to understand and play. To me, this is the drawback of many of the social style games. The ease of these games make them unattractive to me as a user. On the flip-side, the more detailed social games, like W.o.W., are too in-depth. I imagine its is a thin-line to walk for the developers between games that are easily understood to the masses and games that are detailed enough to attract a needier audience.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you and the article that you posted are talking about web-based games like the social games found on Facebook. When you say "Games - The 2nd most popular internet activity", I wonder if you are talking about web-based games or online multiplayer PC games like Counter Strike, World of Warcraft, and MMO games. I assume that you are talking about the addicting web-based games. The online multiplayer PC games like the ones found on Steam (http://store.steampowered.com/) would be a good area to tap into for marketing as well because a lot of these triggers can be directly applied to games like these. I experience a couple of these triggers including Peers and Power and Personal Pursuits when playing online games such as Call of Duty MW3 and Diablo III. You can become addicted in a way to leveling up and gaining more weapons and abilities, and you do this by setting and achieving goals for yourself within the game.
ReplyDelete