WeChat Becomes An Ad Platform

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WeChat is usually known for being a great messaging tool, whether casually talking with friends or chatting it up within certain video games. However, now it’s about to become a whole new kind of beast, one that revolves around becoming an advertising platform.

Tencent, the publisher and operator behind the social channel, said it has launched a new service across China, where companies with verified WeChat accounts can pay fees to place ads on other companies’ pages that have more than 100,000 followers. As a result, the fees will be shared between Tencent and the companies that host the ads, proving beneficial for both parties. It’s worth noting that Tencent is the world’s largest game company, so it would be logical to expect that games are going to be an important subject for this new ad platform.

How would a chat channel be able to use advertising Well, it utilizes Facebook-like profile pages, which provide opportunity for photo-sharing and other features. Companies are able to set up said pages for free in order to build followers. As a result, advertisers can take part in placing ads on said pages, and Tencent can profit even further with its WeChat service.

The ads will not be distributed as obtrusive instant messages, but rather appear at the bottom of corporate pages that are browsed, targeting viewers based in specific markets, such as gender, age, location and personal interests. From there, Tencent’s back-end system would be able to match up the right advertisers for the right customers, depending on which ones are best suited for content.

Marketing opportunities through messaging apps aren’t really a big practice right now, due to their limitation. “Most people do not want brands to interfere on such intimate turf,” said Forrester Research analyst Thomas Husson. “They prioritize interactions with family and friends and do not see the benefit of connecting with brands.”

It’ll be interesting to see how this practice plays out in the months ahead.

Source: Wall Street Journal

 

Oculus Rift Project Lets You See Yourself In The Third-Person

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A Polish technology company called Mepi has created a perspective-shifting Oculus Rift mod, which allows you to view the world from an over-the-shoulder view. Or, in other words, a third-person camera for the real world.

The device was designed for Mepi’s entry in the “Intel Make It Wearable” challenge.

The device works as so: you hook an Oculus Rift virtual reality headset up to a pair of cameras, which are mounted on a pole that stick out from the user’s backpack. The user then uses a joystick to reposition the camera to see from different angles.

Video games classified as a “third-person” genre are usually defined by a camera position placed slightly above and behind the player’s avatar. Games like Gears of War and Grand Theft Auto are examples of third-person games.

In third-person video games players can rotate the camera in order to get a better “view” of their environment. This adaptation allows players to plan where they want to move their character and how to carryout possible in-game challenges. It’s no mistake Mepi has designed its third-person camera rig to replicate this aspect of third-person games.

‘Sharknado: The Video Game’ Announced

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This has definitely become the month of the Sharknado. Ever since its debut on the SyFy Channel last year, the movie has become a cult classic, and this month is definitely seeing more Sharknado action than ever before.

The original film will be comedically ripped to shreds tonight by the Rifftrax crew in theaters, while the sequel, the aptly named Sharknado 2: The Second One, will debut on SyFy later this month. If that’s not enough, SyFy has announced a team-up with Majesco, The Asylum and Other Ocean to produce an endless runner Sharknado mobile game, which will make its debut around the same time as the sequel.

In the game, you’ll work your way through New York City streets, slicing your way through an armada of sharks while collecting coins and dodging dangerous peril that your chainsaw won’t be able to answer.

“It’s instantly accessible to anyone young or old,” said SyFy vice president Jeff Li. “I don’t care what your cultural background is, you don’t even have to follow the story. You don’t have to read the book. It’s Sharknado and you’re both excited and terrified.”

“Our one quest was to get a game out before or at the time of the second movie,” he continued. “We did not give the game developer a lot of time. Usually they want more than a year but here we said we’ve got to get a quality game out so it can ride the Sharknado 2 wave.

If the game is successful – and it’s based on Sharknado, so that seems very likely – a console release could follow with more sophistication. Majesco would be able to release the games based on that, although no official announcement has been made.

Sharknado: The Video Game doesn’t have an official price yet, but you can probably expect it to be on the cheap – just like the films’ ridiculous effects. Because, hey, it’s a Sharknado!

Source: Hollywood Reporter

Mobile Beat 2014: ‘How To Grow On Mobile’

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The Mobile Beat show, now in its seventh year, is no longer focused on convincing people that mobile is the business to be in. The incredible growth of mobile has made it clear to many businesses that a mobile strategy is critical, because that’s where the customers and audience are. Now, says VentureBeat founder and CEO Matt Marshall in his opening remarks, “We’re talking about how to grow on mobile this year.” One of the big challenges is that while there’s $137 billion spent on advertising in the USA in the last year, not much of that is spent on mobile. Targeting and effectiveness are still not what they could be, and Marshall sees plenty of room for innovation.

Google’s global head of performance media Jason Spero talked about what’s driving growth on mobile, noting that installs are easy to track — but what really matters is usually something else, like revenue or engagement. “I think we’re at the peak of apps world,” Spero said, noting that it shouldn’t matter whether users get to your products or services through an app or a web site. Both Google and Apple are working on their operating systems to make moving between web and app more seamless. How healthy is the mobile ad business Spero is incredibly optimistic: “The glass is half-full,” Spero said. “We’ve been amazed at the growth, but we think there’s a lot more ahead as attribution improves.”

Venture capitalist Tim Lee from Sequoia Capital took the stage to break down the mobile ecosystem and show where growth is still possible. “Successful companies take advantage of tectonic shifts,” Lee noted, pointing out moments in time like the launching of the App Store and how that’s catalyzed the rapid growth of companies like Supercell and King Entertainment. Lee feels there’s plenty of growth still to come in mobile, with downloads doubling over the past year while revenue is quadrupling.

Lee discussed the scope of the mobile market, noting that there are 1.5 billion addressable devices now with millions more being added monthly. Lee pointed out that 2014 saw $30 billion in app revenue, and $30 billion in advertising spent on mobile. The part that most people don’t think about, Lee said, is that $100 billion in commerce took place on mobile platforms last year, which dwarfs the other categories. There’s plenty of activity that’s initiated or mediated by mobile devices that’s not even being captured by most statistics, everything from orders placed with Starbucks to documents being placed in a Dropbox account. Mobile is increasingly woven into many aspects of our lives, and companies that still don’t understand that are risking their future.

IMage credit: VentureBeatKabam COO Andrew Wakefield (Image credit: VentureBeat)

Richard Alfonsi from Twitter joined John Lorge from Electronic Arts to talk about mobile user acquisition via Twitter. “Social is great for acquisition,” noted Lorge, citing how easy it is to target people who are following specific cars or the Need For Speed movie. Lorge talked about EA’s experiences with using Twitter as a promotion vehicle by buying promoted tweets, which you can obtain directly from Twitter or through a third party. Lorge noted that Twitter works particularly well for this in Japan, where it’s otherwise hard to reach users. Alfonsi noted that while Twitter’s promoted tweets are still in the beta period, they are working very well. “It’s still early days, but we’re seeing good responses,” said Alfonsi.

Another important topic was successful mobile user re-engagement, discussed by Adam Foroughi from AppLovin and Mike Bidgoli from Living Social. They started out by saying that over 50 percent of consumer engagement is coming from mobile devices these days, and that percentage is only going to increase. Foroughi’s goal is to make brands aware of the potential for mobile. He noted that the most competent companies are already driving 40 to 50 percent of their business through mobile, but many companies still only see 10 or 15 of their business coming from mobile despite having created an app or modified their web site for mobile use. Successful companies have invested heavily in mobile, Foroughi said, and they have redisgned their websites and user experiences from the ground up for mobile. Still, mobile user acquisition isn’t easy. “Gaming companies are buying up all the inventory,” Foroughi said.

International markets were the topic discussed by Kent Wakefield, COO of rapidly growing game company Kabam. “Asia will command over 50 percent of the installed base,” Wakefield said. “Anybody who’s not thinking about Asia should be.” Wakefield pointed out that Asia is currently a bigger market than North America for gaming — it’s almost double the size and has 50 percent market share. It’s not enough to see the opportunity, though — you have to be able to take advantage of it. “The how is a lot more challenging,” Wakefield acknowledged. “It’s a very tough market to crack. There are lots of issues to address, but if you can address them it’s a tremendous opportunity.”

Wakefield pointed out some of the issues that are tough ones, from language and cultural differences to the sever fragmentation among devices, operating systems, and app stores (there are over a dozen different Android app stores that have significant market share in China alone). One bright spot are the chat apps like Line, Kakao, and WeChat, which are increasingly driving game installs and revenue. ” If Line or Kakao takes a certain percentage, you can think of that as marketing,” Wakefield said. “The ability to get users and drive installs is definitely valuable, and for those companies at the top of the charts, it’s definitely paid off.”

While Western companies haven’t made great inroads into the Asian markets, Wakefield is optimistic. “I think we’re right around the corner from it,” he said. “The companies that do get it right will build a structural advantage for themselves. 2015 is the year you start to see Western companies truly be on the top of the charts in Asia.”

King Entertainment Shares Rise Past IPO Price

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King Digital Entertainment isn’t just a “one and done” story when it comes to the mobile market, even if Candy Crush Saga continues to be its nest egg.

Following a skeptical investment in an IPO back in March with a public offering, the company has since seen a turn-around since its traumatic first day, when it dropped 16 percent on the opening day of trading. The company has now managed to rise above its IPO price of $22.50, for the first time since it listed earlier in the year. It has also managed to outlast other tech selloff companies, including Twitter, Amazon, Facebook and Pandora, as well as mobile rivals like Zynga, the creators of Words With Friends.

Plus, the company is diversifying its products past Candy Crush Saga, offering up other addictive affairs, such as Bubble Witch Saga 2 and Farm Rescue Saga. “We believe it is becoming increasingly clear that King is successfully diversifying beyond Candy Crush,” wrote Piper Jaffray’s Michael Olson in a note to clients earlier this week. Bubble Witch specifically has managed to climb into the top 20 grossing iPhone games, providing confidence that “the company has created a formula for successful new and follow on game launches.”

King’s business will also continue to rise, thanks to a partnership deal with China’s Tencent that will allow the distribution of its games to a whole new market, thus providing an even bigger financial opportunity with optional in-app purchases. Heavy TV advertising in Japan and elsewhere appears to be paying off for the mobile giant, leading to continued engagement with Candy Crush Saga and boosting new titles like Pet Rescue Saga.

Although some investors don’t believe the shares will rise any higher, it’s clear that King is a company that’s yearning to stay, well, king of the market.

Source: Quartz

Next Big Ad Market: Reselling Ecosystem?

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When it comes to ad-tech analysis, a lot of people like to think that RTB, or real-time bidding, works like a charm. However, Nanigans CEO Ric Calvillo thinks a little bit outside of the box, looking to chase a somewhat bigger market.

“RTB is only $4-$5 billion,” said Calvillo, talking about exchanges where sales of millions of ads per minute in automated billing mini-wars lead to revenue, through real-time ad delivery through web and mobile apps. “The online global ad market is about $100 billion…and between Google, Doubleclick, YouTube and Facebook, direct-to-client ad sales via self-serve total about $20 billion.”

What’s that mean “So 20 percent of the market has been sucked out of the ecosystem,” Calvillo believes.

That’s why he’s pursuing an ad-reselling ecosystem, which becomes filled with a mixture of third parties of advertisers and publishers, as well as supply-side networks, demand-side networks, ad resellers, real-time exchanges and other specialist companies. By doing so, Calvillo believes he can take on Facebook and Google, which is no easy task.

Mark-up plays a huge part when it comes to the ad market. “The typical markup on media is 100 percent,” he says. “If they were really selling it for $20B, third parties would have made some of that…there’s at least $10B of extra margin that Google and Facebook have captured.”

The ad-tech ecosystem is certainly on the rise as a result, and Nanigans wants to get caught up in the action, as it currently processes 250 million ad events daily, with a better idea of where advertisers’ money needs to be spent.

What Calvillo wants to do is become more of a software-as-a-service company model for Nanigans, rather than the usual Facebook-laced advertisement management partner. “When Facebook and Google go offer their own inventory, they act just like a network,” said Calvillo. “Then they add 32 percent mark-up between the SSP (supply-side) layer and the DSP (demand-side) layer. We think SaaS can disrupt that.”

A bold order Sure. But if Calvillo and his team at Nanigans can play their cards right, it could be extremely profitable.

Source: VentureBeat

 

Emotions Gain Complexity On Social Media

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A new extension on Facebook allows users to have a better way to convey their feelings to their friends and followers. No more feeling “happy” when you’re enthusiastic or mildly pleased – now you can let your description go wild.

Following its recent emotion contagion experiment – which ended up receiving a batch of negative feedback – Brooklyn artist and programmer Lauren McCarthy put together a new Google Chrome Extension that allows users to expand how they’re feeling, rather than just the usual facial basics.

With the Facebook Mood Manipulator, feelings go much deeper than users could convey on the previous system, which was put together by Facebook’s Data Science Team. Gone are the ways to manipulate users feeling through word omission algorithms, and in their place are filters that run through a linguistic analysis, run by the Linguistic Inquiry Word Count (or LIWC), a text-analysis software put together by researchers at the University of Texas in Austin.

A white box called the Moon Manipulator appears on the screen (in the corner) and asks users “How do you like to feel ” From there, they can adjust four sliding scales: Positive, Emotional, Negative and Open. By adjusting these with “less” and “more” settings, they’re more accurately able to describe their feelings using the same text analysis software as before, but with far greater results.

By having said tool in their possession, users have a better way to keep control of their social media feeds, and also displays what people see on their social media feeds, and how they feel about it overall.

With the new program, McCarthy asks, “Why should Zuckerberg get to decide how you feel ” and then explains that people can “manipulate your emotions on your own terms.”

What do you think Will you give the new emotion meter a try, or stick with the typical smiley-faces

Source: PSFK

 

Transamerica Giving Reddit A Try

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Reddit is an ideal spot when it comes to question-and-answer sessions with superstars, as well as discussing a number of topics ranging from news to relationship advice and even, in some circles, adult content. However, one market that it hasn’t really tapped yet revolves around financial advice, because, well, it’s Reddit.

However, Transamerica believes that there’s a market for offering help with the community on the site, and it has recently taken up logging into the site and offering to assist those in need of personal financial advice, as well as explaining how well it works.

“Personal finance can be overwhelming, especially when it’s thrust into your life and you’re not adequately prepared to deal with it,” says the company’s recent promoted post.

“What we’re really trying to work on doing is kind of filling in all the gaps,” said Allan Gungormez, director of social media strategy for Transamerica. “And at the end of the day, we obviously hope you end up picking Transamerica. But if you are at least able to walk away and make a better, informed decision, that’s really the win, because financial literacy is so low across the board.”

The post, which went up a couple of weeks ago, asked users to submit their most puzzling personal finance questions. “Redditors love Reddit, they’re always on Reddit. So if your brand can understand how to talk to them on that platform, it’s an absolute success,” Gungormez continued. “We want to go towards that captive audience and just kind of have them be a mini-focus group in terms of what they wanna know about financial terms and how we can help.”

Many queries have been posted, ranging in tops from mutual funds to 401k. While there are a fair amount of “trolls” posting fake content, many of the users are quite serious. “You wouldn’t expect a conservative financial services company to use Reddit as a tool of engagement,” said Mike Cole, sales director of brand strategy at Reddit. “But there is no better platform out there for genuine human exchange, and Transamerica is at the forefront of building their brand by engaging in such an exchange.”

Source: Digiday

‘Rock Simulator’ Rocks The Game Scene

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Ever want to see what it’s like to actually be a pet rock Then Greenlight Concepts’ Rock Simulator 2014 could be the game for you.

Granted, it’s not an exciting tour-de-force like Atlus’ 2012 release Rock of Ages, or even Adult Swim’s Giant Boulder of Death. Instead, Rock Simulator lives up to its name by having you playing as a rock, simply sitting around and, well, watching other rocks.

The game does provide the option to watching “beautiful rocks in any location in the world,” according to its official description, and also presents scenarios where you can tumble down hills, just to see how the rock will react. There’s no word yet on whether there will be DLC for the game, or perhaps virtual items to purchase. Could a mobile version be in the works, too It’s hard to imagine that eager fans could live without the ability to take their Rock Simulator with them wherever they go. Maybe there will be a multiplayer online version… they could call it Rock Band.

Surprisingly enough, feedback about the game has been positive, but it’s in a farcical sense, similar to what Amiga went through with Sim Brick back in 1991. In that game, surprise, players could play as a brick sitting in a formation, staring out at other bricks.

Rock Simulator 2014 is one of many recent simulators to go off the charts in terms of content so simple, and yet so highly addictive. A mountain simulation game is also making the rounds on Steam Greenlight, complete with changing weather conditions and other natural elements; and Goat Simulator, a wildly successful PC game, recently got picked up by Deep Silver for U.S. distribution, and will be making the rounds later this month.

Give us a call when News Writer Simulator makes the rounds. Oh, the adventures you’ll have!

Source: PSFK

 

This Week’s [a]list Jobs – July 9th

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[a]listdaily is now your source for the hottest job openings for senior management and marketing in games, entertainment and social media. Check here every Wednesday for the latest openings.

Here are this week’s [a]list jobs:

  • Sony Pictures – Executive Director, Consumer Marketing (Culver City, Calif.)
  • Riot Games – Brand Manager (Santa Monica, Calif.)
  • Hasbro – Global Brand Strategy and Marketing, Girls’ Gaming (Pawtucket, RI)
  • Google – Product Marketing Manager, Google Apps (Mountain View, Calif.)
  • Ayzenberg – Creative Technologist (Pasadena, Calif.)
  • Ayzenberg – Senior Digital Media Planner (Pasadena, Calif.)

 

For last week’s [a]list jobs, click here.