Apple Might Be Pulling Plug On ‘Get A Mac’

BY

The ‘Get a Mac’ ad campaign has been well received and critically acclaimed among ad circles since launching in 2006. However, Justin Long (who plays the Mac) has told The Onion AV Club that Apple may be discontinuing the series.

“You know, I think they might be done. In fact, I heard from John [Hodgeman], I think they’re going to move on. I can’t say definitively, which is sad, because not only am I going to miss doing them, but also working with John. I’ve become very close with him, and he’s one of my dearest, greatest friends. It was so much fun to go do that job, because there’s not a lot to it for me. A lot of it is just keeping myself entertained between takes, and there s no one I’d rather do it with than John.”

This obviously is not an official confirmation, and it may just be that Apple is shifting their advertising priorities to where they’re most needed (which right now is the iPad). However, if the ‘Get a Mac’ series really is over, it’s really a shame the character and charm of Hodgeman and Long made the ads some of the most entertaining of the past decade.

iPad Marketing: Reaching Business People

BY

The iPad has quickly found a niche, and that niche may not have been well established before Apple launched their product. The reason for this may be part of the line blurring between electronics gadget and serious business product. Marketers should understand that the iPad isn’t limited to tech consumers.

“Whatever line in the sand may have still existed was swept away by the iPhone. Despite IT administrators, technical gurus, media pundits, and smartphone competitors describing the iPhone as more of a consumer toy than a business tool, the iPhone was so popular among consumers that its invasion of the business world was inevitable,” writes Tony Bradley. “What Apple understands, and is capitalizing on with the iPad and iPhone, is that not all consumers are business professionals, but all business professionals are consumers. A product targeted at business professionals has, by default, a more limited audience than a product aimed at consumers.”

“While some have scoffed that the iPad won’t replace notebook PCs, it doesn’t really have to. Apple has, in fact, created a fully-formed tablet computer business, something that offers more convenience than a standard notebook.”

“The technology landscape has evolved–the notebook is the new desktop, and the iPad is the new notebook,” continues Bradley. “More importantly, the technology model has evolved–consumers, who happen to be employees and executives, are driving technology decisions rather than IT administrators.”

Source: PC World

Feature: ngmoco Talks iPhone Marketing

BY

With games like Word Fu and Rolando, iPhone developer ngmoco is one of the leaders at the forefront of the burgeoning games business on Apple’s ubiquitous device. The success of the App Store seems to be attracting new developers every day, but ngmoco has been there from the start. As the former president of Sega of America and LucasArts (as well as serving in marketing, business and development roles at other game companies), Simon Jeffery has a unique perspective on the vast difference between the traditional video game space and the emerging digital iPhone sector. Jeffery now serves as Chief Publishing Officer at ngmoco, and the[a]listdaily recently caught up with him to discuss strategies for standing out on the busy iPhone marketplace.

[a]list: What advice would you give to any publisher just starting out on the iPhone How can they stand out on the crowded App Store?

Simon Jeffery: We are going through what is possibly the most significant transition since the beginning of gaming. It’s a profound transition, with new economies and business models, new direct customer relationship opportunities, new social dynamics, and new gaming behavior. Our advice is to look forward, look at the newly-emerging monetization models, rather than clinging to what worked in the past.

This is the smile one develops after leaving the console biz for iPhone

Discoverability is a major issue for developers, so the ability for players to bring friends into the game is a huge bonus. Of course, we’d recommend using plus+ to help with that!

[a]list: What are some of the ways you’ve managed to gain so much traction with your iPhone titles?

SJ: We’ve always kept an absolute eye on product quality. That applies for ngmoco games, and partner games within the plus+ network. We’ve learned from experimentation at the early part of the iPhone’s life, and focused on providing as little friction as possible to consumers wanting to download and try one of our games. That is why ngmoco has moved toward the Freemium model – we are pioneering the move toward Free-2-Play with AAA quality gaming experiences.

[a]list: How has the social networking platform “Plus+ Network” been received so far?

SJ: Plus+ has been an enormous success for us. With over 20 million games downloaded so far, and the eye on partner game quality never being dropped, plus+ is now moving toward being a true platform, a service – rather than a social networking platform. Indeed, we fully expect that many social networking options will be featured within the phone development ecosystem itself, which is why the future of plus+ is all about providing monetization and discoverability solutions for developers to give them a competitive performance advantage.

[a]list: How would you categorize marketing of iPhone games versus marketing in the traditional video games space Would ngmoco, for example, ever want to advertise something like Rolando on TV?

SJ: Good marketing in this ecosystem is all about a deep engagement with the actual product – figuring out how the user will react to certain stimuli in game, retaining and monetizing that user, and incentivizing them to bring friends into the experience. Traditional cookie-cutter game marketing has no relevance in this space; we are able to build a relationship directly with millions of customers.

Marketing has to work deeper with game production than before. Community beats advertising. Lastly, in a world of games as services, marketing never stops. It’s not all about launch.

[a]list: How do you anticipate the marketing strategies for iPhone games evolving as this market continues to mature?

SJ: The distinction between the best marketers and the best game producers will begin to blend. Understanding and building product resonance at mass consumer level will become a fused skillset of both roles. Marketing will become less about getting the consumer to download the game, and more about engaging the consumer to play deep into the game.

[a]list: What’s the biggest lesson learned by ngmoco so far in this growing iPhone gaming business?

SJ: To unlearn everything we ever learned before, and always stay ahead of the curve.

[a]list: What does ngmoco think of the iPad How will this new tablet device change the marketing/business approach, if at all?

SJ: The iPad is another game changer. Ngmoco and Freeverse brought 7 iPad titles to market this past weekend, and we have many more planned. The iPad will yet further socialize mobile gaming and accelerate the change from traditional console and laptop gaming toward mobile.

[a]list: Thanks Simon.

Crysis 2 Teased In Times Square

BY

Now this is some interesting marketing. Publisher EA and developer Crytek have unveiled a teaser trailer for Crysis 2 on the big screen in New York City’s Times Square. The original Crysis is known as one of those games that really pushes PC graphics, and fans are eagerly awaiting the sequel, which will be set in New York and will be the first Crytek game built on the new CryEngine 3 development engine. Check out the trailer below, courtesy of GameVideos.

{video link no longer active}

Microsoft On ‘Building A Thriller’ In Alan Wake

BY

Announced back in 2005, Remedy Entertainment’s Alan Wake has seemingly been in development forever. Now the game has gone gold, and Microsoft Game Studios needs a solid marketing attack to ensure its success. This new trailer shows off never before seen footage of the “psychological action thriller” and positions the title as “setting the bar for cinematic story-driven action.” We’re not so sure how effective the trailer really will be since the narrator sounds like he’s broadcasting a game of curling at the Olympics rather than hyping up an exciting new video game.

Sam Gets Serious

BY

The Serious Sam franchise has a loyal hardcore following of shooter fans, and this latest game, Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter, which is remade using Serious Engine 3, is a perfect example of the game’s old-school Doom-like gameplay. Croteam knows its audience well, and Majesco and Devolver Digital are helping the studio sell the game to its base with this new trailer.

{link no longer active}

 Nintendo Wii

Ad Age’s Top 20 YouTube Ads

BY

There’s no doubt that the web and video sites like YouTube have had a major impact on brand marketers’ advertising strategies. As Ad Age {link no longer active} explains, “No more are TV ads simply foisted on the public. Increasingly, brands and agencies are focusing less on what is being skipped on TV and more on creating ads people really want to watch. YouTube is a daily referendum on the world’s video, and increasingly ads are part of that mix. Not only to ads build TV-sized audiences on YouTube, these are audiences that actively seek out the content, giving brands incredible engagement with consumers.”

Ad Age was particularly impressed with Evian’s “Live Young” (the “rollerskating babies,” see below), which never appeared on TV but has been passed around and watched more than 71 million times over the past year.

Here are the top 20 spots Ad Age has selected.

THQ’s Last Airbender Exclusive To Wii, DS

BY

Movie tie-ins aren’t a sure bet, but having a solid license for your game can certainly help. THQ has the rights to M. Night Shyamalan’s upcoming movie The Last Airbender, which is based on Nickelodeon’s cartoon Avatar: The Last Airbender. When the show debuted, it was rated the best animated television series in its demographic (which seems to be 14 and under) and new episodes averaged 3.1 million viewers each. That aligns it well with the younger audience found on Wii and DS, and THQ is making the game exclusive to those platforms when it ships in June alongside the movie’s debut.

It seems that Paramount and THQ wisely also decided to leave off the “Avatar” part of the title given the confusion that might cause for the brand following James Cameron’s blockbuster film.

Read more at IndustryGamers. {link no longer active}

Universal Changes God Of War Sound-Alike Title

BY

Reports are that Relativity Media has changed the name of their mythological War of the Gods film to Immortals; Variety says that this was done to avoid confusion with a God of War movie (both will be distributed by Universal).

The God of War game series features a general plot wherein protagonist Kratos fights for revenge on the side of the Greek gods and (later) against them. Immortal‘s plot focuses on Theseus fighting with the Greek gods against the Titans to save mankind.  Immortals is set to release November 11, 2011.

Brand value can mean a lot these days, and with sand-and-sandal movies coming back in vogue, Universal doesn’t want to dilute the established God of War IP.

3D TV Ad First In Ace Metrix Listing

BY

The first set of 3D capable televisions is releasing, and that means ad campaigns jockeying for position. Reports are that Samsung has achieved the best results with their “Wonder-full” ads, beating out Sharp and LG and setting a record score with Ace Metrix with a 736 out of a possible 950 points. Ace launched in mid-2009 to analyze the creative effectiveness of TV commercials.

The Ace Metrix list placed the iPad second. Nintendo’s Wii Fit Plus notably placed sixth, while Ubisoft’s Just Dance ranked eighth. Ace co-founder JuYoung Lee commented that the high marks for both the Samsung and iPad spots “show that consumers are still intrigued by innovative new products presented with powerful creative.”

Source: Ad Week {link no longer active}