Communicators in the ever-morphing world of interactive games are learning to look above and beyond the next looming game title release and toward a long-range positioning of
the game company itself. And, applicable to communicators in most vertical industries, they're finding that guerilla tactics are among the most successful ways to build the brand.
In this article, Steve Smith, editor of Electronic Gaming Business (sister publication of PR NEWS), explores the ways in which gaming PR is grabbing a piece of the growing
interest in gaming and at the same time using the Web and live events to move beyond the press and speak directly to consumers.
Tom Sarris, PR director at LucasArts, and Tina Vennegaard, SVP at Golin/Harris, say they are spending much more time now speaking directly to consumers through Web-based
communities. Helping LucasArts customers build their fan sites and establish an online community around the games "has paid a huge dividend for us," Sarris says. "Not a lot of PR
[people] take these sites seriously, but it's a way for fans to feel part of the company." For instance, Vennegaard generated a lot of advance buzz around Animal Crossing for the
GameCube by distributing a small number of pre-release copies to kids and letting them chat about the game online.
Web communities are especially good at adding longevity to a title, but they work best when publishers actively support them with valuable assets. Samantha Ryan, president of
Monolith Productions, feels user-made game mods add tremendously to a game's profile among gamers long after the initial sell-through. "But the mod community needs support and
resources - source code, Q&A - that's where it works."
These smaller sites often are also the breeding grounds of future games journalists, and nurturing them now can pay off later. Vennegaard says that Nintendo now has a high
school outreach program that supports school newspaper reviewers. "They remember who was good to them," Sarris says. And even smaller venues often get important pick-ups
elsewhere. Plugging into the online game communities of users is one of the more efficient ways smaller companies can get their titles into the flow of news and reviews that other
games journalists use for story ideas as well.
Long Ball-PR
Clarifying a unique corporate identity and differentiation from the competition is becoming increasingly important, says Vennegaard, head of the Nintendo account. Likewise, the
related vertical markets now demand more than a press release. When Nintendo releases a skate boarding title, for instance, Vennegaard now goes after that category of magazines
more aggressively. As games push into these broader media markets, she warns that it is too easy to get off target and chase the high-profile media hit even when it doesn't speak
to your relevant audience. "It's not just CNN, but often Fox is better for this key demographic."
Sarris is keen on getting video coverage, "because it's such a visual medium, and there's only so much you can do in print." Video press releases and getting footage into
venues like G4 TV and game-specific syndicated shows like "Electric Playground" are the next stage in finding public relations vehicles that show a game to best effect. Ryan adds
that on the back end, publishers' PR staff can coordinate these efforts more effectively with the developers. Some features can be front-loaded in the development calendar so that
a game's key selling points are visible earlier for effective previewing.
Junk-Free Junkets
Nothing beats a press junket for getting select media to focus on a specific product, especially if the publisher is reluctant to distribute pre-release code. Nevertheless,
both Sarris and high-profile games journalist Marc Saltzman warn against glitzy extraneous events like taking games writers up in fighter jets or for irrelevant luaus. It is too
easy for them to distract from the product push. Instead, Sarris suggests keeping junkets focused on the title involved and then complementing the game playing time with genuine
socializing, thereby building the real relationships with the journalists that pay off most in the long run.
The same holds true for the latest trend in game PR: celebrity appearances. "It's great for a hook, but if you emphasize it too much you lose the game," Sarris says. "The press
can sniff that out."
Stories, Not Games
Game journalism, especially in the general press, is not about reviews but the ways in which games fit into larger topical themes and lifestyles, so game PR has to learn to
pitch story ideas, not just more titles for review. Keep in mind that the journalist has to turn around and sell his editor on the story, so give the writer a hook he can use.
To that end, Sarris drills the many layers of game design, from music soundtracks to voice-over talent and video effects to customize pitches to various writers and pubs.
During E3 itself, LucasArts landed a major hit with a top-of-the-fold front-page story in the Los Angeles Times. According to Sarris, the piece was two years in the making and
involved educating the journalist about the complexity of game design, bringing her to the LucasArts campus several times, and learning her angles and interests.
Contacts: Samantha Ryan, 425.739.1500; Marc Saltzman, 905.787.1348, [email protected]; Tom Sarris, 415.444.8222, [email protected]; Tina Vennegaard, 213.623.4200, [email protected]
Pitching to Game Informer: Bring on the Exclusives
In the cluttered racks of electronic game magazines, Game Informer is a standout. Its nearly 1 million circulation is about double its competitor's (Electronic Gaming Monthly)
and for PR pros it's a publication that's pitch-able and has wide-reaching possibilities for your brand. Because 53% of GI subscribers own two or more gaming platforms, there is a
lot of opportunity for PR pros at software publishers to get PC, Xbox and GameCube titles in front of a targeted audience.
GI just underwent a new, lush look and feel, a highly graphical approach that made good use of the book's oversized format. Based in icy Minneapolis, where the editors admit
there is a lot of time for gaming, GI (owned by retailer GameStop, which is majority-owned by Barnes & Noble), keeps a lean 8-person staff, with editor-in-chief Andy McNamara
as the main contact person for features and executive editor Andrew Reiner as the assigned catcher of news, previews and reviews pitches.
GI likes to keep current, so lead time is generally five to six weeks before the magazine hits the street, with deadlines hitting around the 15th of the month. GI maintains a
graphics-driven approach, so front-of-book news items (6-8 pages an issue) generally require photos to get included.
McNamara says that planning time for features and especially cover stories has increased in the past year as competition for those slots becomes fierce. He recommends that game
publishers pitch major coverage at least five months before an issue's intended street date because the staff is sifting through numerous feature possibilities. McNamara notes
that cover stories need to be pitched as exclusives. The magazine has recently given exclusive cover treatment to Spiderman 2, Tony Hawk 5 and X-Men Legends.
The staff especially likes being involved with the development from early on. "We pride ourselves on keeping our mouths shut, so we love to get in early and get involved in the
process of the game from beginning to end," McNamara says. "Blizzard called us out of the blue and showed up with a copy of Starcraft Ghost that blew us away. That was an easy
sell."
Contacts: Andy McNamara, [email protected]; Andy Reiner, [email protected];
Rob Borm, [email protected]