‘Disney Infinity’ Getting a Guardian Boost

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With less than two weeks to go until its launch on game consoles, Disney Infinity 2.0: Marvel Super Heroes is already promising to be a best-seller – and it doesn’t hurt to have a tie-in with a blockbuster film to boot.

First figurines for the game have been released back in July, and judging by pre-sales, there are already indications that the game could be a best-seller. Rocket Raccoon from the Guardians of the Galaxy playset is easily the top-seller, alongside the package that comes with Drax and Star-Lord, while Rocket’s right-hand tree Groot is in a third place spot. That easily shows that Galaxy‘s box office appeal – almost sitting at $300 million earned domestically – could be a huge draw to the Infinity audience.

“The film is really driving all of the awareness for the Guardians characters,” said John Blackburn, senior vice president and general manager of the Disney Infinity brand. The sales thus far show “just how popular these characters are and how they’re surpassing other popular characters that have been available longer.”

https://youtube.com/watch?v=ncIACV_Q17A

Rocket’s sales alone are said to have been double of other Infinity characters released over the past year, including popular favorites like Frozen‘s Elsa and Monsters Inc. star Mike Wazowski.

The game has already shown impressive pre-order numbers, mainly due to the announcement of the series’ debut on the newer game platforms, the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4. Older ones are selling just as reasonably, though.

More Guardians goodness will also be coming in the form of a playable Yondu character. Played by Michael Rooker in the blockbuster film, Yondu is a bounty hunter who’s quick when it comes to attacking enemies. Falcon from the hit movie Captain America: The Winter Soldier will also be introduced in early 2015.

The Guardians tie-in should really help the game, especially with the movie’s forthcoming release on home video, which should be in time for the holidays. Transitioning them to the Infinity universe “was really easy,” according to Blackburn. “Marvel’s batting a thousand. It’s easy to get behind anything they’re doing.”

With the original Infinity grossing an impressive $500 million since its release – and turning around the fortunes of Disney Interactive – there’s no question the follow-up will do the same once it arrives on September 23rd for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Wii U, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo 3DS.

Source: Variety

 

 

Reaching Female Millennials Isn’t Easy

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When it comes to reaching a millennial audience in general, marketers seem to have it easy when it comes to analyzing the latest trends. Targeting a specific female audience, however, is a bit trickier, according to a new eMarketer report, “Millennial Women: How Their Social Network Usage, Shopping Habits and Personal Finances Add Up.”

According to the report, the audience is divided between Internet, social network and smartphone users, but it appears that there’s room for a small bit of growth over the next four years. However, to appeal to this audience, there’s a certain set of guidelines to follow.

“The press constantly pits and positions generations against each other, but that doesn’t resonate with millennials,” said Victoria Draper, director of consumer analytics and research for AOL. “They do look up to boomers and Gen X women. This gives publishers and brands a great opening to celebrate the significant alignment that exists between the generations.”

Deputy director Rebecca Eisenberg believes that showing a diverse set of consumers in marketing materials can play a bit part as well. Paper towel ads were brought up as an example. Normally, ads are shown with mothers cleaning up messes, but “if you’re a single women who spills some wine on the carpet, you need a paper tower, too. (Millennial women) want to know that the company they’re giving their money to gets who they are.”

Diversity still plays an enormous part, as millennials “are looking to see themselves represented in the media they’re watching,” said Eisenberg. “It’s really important to show a diversity of people — different races, ages and sexual orientations.”

Splitting the sexes, however, is NOT a smart move. Alex Abraham, director of Edelman’s 8095 Insights group, said the line between males and females continues to blur. “Many of the traditional differences between the two are going away. There are a lot more women in the workforce, women for years have outnumbered men in the college ranks, and there are more stay-at-home dads. With the millennial generation, you need to be able to speak to parents. There should be less talking specifically to moms and dads, because the parent role can take many different forms for this generation.”

Tapping into millennial idealism and inspiration also play a huge part. “Embrace their positivity and their fun-loving personality, but embrace their struggle,” said Draper. “Highlighting stories that feature those who remain positive in the face of obstacles really resonates with them. The way they emotionally handle their struggle is relevant.”

Source: eMarketer

Image Source: Ryan Jenkins

The Battle For Home Tech Begins

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As technology continues to expand and more devices become “connected” with Internet capabilities and downloading, more and more companies are battling for the attention of consumers. At the IFA conference in Berlin last week, Samsung CEO Yoon Koo-Keun addressed said needs, explaining why it’s such an important market.

“The home of the future is not about the technology and not about being smart and connected,” he stated. “It’s about it working in a way that you don’t notice the technology and giving you the right options at the right time. It’s about adapting to you.”

A lot of companies are gunning for the home market, including Google, General Electric, Revolv, ADT Home Security, iControl, Insteon and, of course, Samsung, introducing products that utilize Wi-Fi connectivity, along with Bluetooth support and other high-tech features.

Samsung projected that over 45 million homes will make the transition to being “smart homes” in the near future, indicating room for such a market. Apple has already announced a new “smart home” platform that it’s currently building into iOS 8, alongside its recently announced iPhone 6 models and Apple Watch. Apple’s big push so far has been with iBeacons, intended to transform retail spaces.

In addition, other companies have taken similar leaps. Google made its own transition into the market by picking up Nest for an approximate $3.2 billion; Intel recently modified its managerial structure to work more on “Internet of Things” (IoT for short) transition; Cisco made a trio of strategic investments in the market; and Zebra picked up Motorola’s general enterprise business for a whopping $3.5 billion. All of this will lead into eventual transition to better usage in “smart homes,” in one form or another.

Leading the charge in the IoT market is Apple, according to a report over on Forbes. However, closely behind is Nest, which would explain Google’s interest in the company’s tech, as it’s looking to compete with Apple. Other companies like Google, Intel and Microsoft round out the list, with Samsung slowly moving up in the ranks.

What do you think Is a transition to the IoT market for “smart homes” a good move for these companies Or is it too soon

Source: VentureBeat, Forbes

Will Ferrell Playing Games For Charity

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Hot pot of coffee! Who knew that Will Ferrell knew a thing or two about video games

The comedic actor, known for his roles in the Anchorman movies and the Christmas comedy Elf, is taking part in a new Indiegogo campaign, offering his gaming skills in an effort to raise money for Cancer For College and DonateGames.org.

A goal of $375,000 has been set for the campaign, which will go to both foundations to raise money for cancer survivors. So far, with 31 days to go, the campaign fundraising total has already reached over $28,000.

As with any Indiegogo program, a number of rewards are being offered to those who donate, including a special Will Ferrell’s SuperMegaUVBlastMax batch of sunscreen (for gamers), limited edition “Game Face” t-shirts and hoodies, and autographed water bottles and Xbox 360 controllers.

In addition, those who donate will be selected at random from those who enter to fly to San Francisco, where they’ll pay a visit to the Twitch offices downtown and actually be able to play alongside Ferrell in a session that will be aired live on the streaming channel. Other special guests, including charity sponsors and professional gamers, will be on hand as well. The session will take place on October 26th.

The program should have no problem meeting its goal, and the involvement with Ferrell will no doubt do some good for the charities involved…even if he’s not exactly on the level of “pro gamer.” But, hey, if he can take on Chad Smith in a celebrity drum-off on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, Will Ferrell can do anything.

Learn more about the Indiegogo program here. It’s all for a good cause, and let’s be honest, that sunscreen will probably do some good during a gamer’s next session of Destiny.

iPhone Users Are ‘More Extreme’

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When those watching Apple’s big September 9th announcement streams saw Apple’s new ‘Perspective’ ad, touting that the iPhone is the phone for those who “see things differently,” Apple was fairly on the spot in this observation. According to a mobile browsing report, iPhone users are more extreme than other smartphone owners.

How extreme, you ask They are apparently 14 times more likely to view off-road racing videos. Studying the mobile search data, Exponential Interactive did a mobile brand comparison to see how different products attracted different people. Mobile data was collected from categories like celebrities, cars, sports, holidays and more to learn more about targeting appropriate content to the right users.

Depending on the phone, users might be more interested in skateboarding as opposed to snowboarding or basketball. The study found that HTC users were family-oriented, Nokia phones appealed to those who are not very tech-savvy, and Blackberry, unsurprisingly, appeals mostly to business people.

Source: The Drum

 

Nerf Didn’t Sponsor This Epic Nerf Battle

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Sometimes, corporate companies need to pay attention to young upstarts making innovative videos on YouTube. Doing so would open the door to a possible partnership featuring exclusive content, not to mention an all-new avenue of advertising that could catch on with a bigger audience.

Case in point: YouTube video maker RackaRacka released an epic new video featuring Nerf weapons in action, with fake bullet effects, machine gun fire and more to make the battle seem more heated than it actually was. The video, which can be seen below, is a lot of fun to watch, and sets the tone for just how exciting Nerf battles can be.

That said, Nerf didn’t sponsor the video, which forced RackaRacka to indicate in its videos that it is, in fact, “Not sponsored by Nerf.” But was the company just not willing to sponsor, or was there another reason

Said RackaRacka in the YouTube comments, “NERF didn’t refuse us, we tried to contact them but didn’t head back haha. I want to be very open to my subscribers about product placement and sponsorship. I hate it when my subscribers write things like ‘oh they only made this video because they’re getting paid’ or ‘its only good because they had a budget.’ I just wanted to let everyone know that this wasn’t sponsored by them the same way I would let everyone know if it had been.”

It seems like a missed opportunity for the Nerf company, if only because the company has worked on “epic” online videos before. Previously, it had paired up with AwesomenessTV on an online video featuring an epic basketball face-off with a Nerf ball and hoop, which we’ve included below. The video is actually posted on Nerf’s Official YouTube Channel.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=uoBmHipVVt4

Could it be that Nerf just missed out on the opportunity, or perhaps didn’t think that the addition of gunfire effects wasn’t good for its harmless guns and toys Regardless, it should definitely give RackaRacka’s video a look, because it’s definitely not anything of the harmful variety.

To the next great Nerf war!

Source: New Media Rockstars

 

YouTube Isn’t The Only Video Marketing

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A recently analysis provided by Jefferies indicates that YouTube is reaching a value right at $40 billion – a far bigger number than most given social networks, including Twitter. Marketers have flocked to the channel as a result, with more and more ads joining the network. However, it’s not the only game in town.

A July 2014 poll by Demand Metric (alongside Metric2) indicates that responses from marketing professionals in the U.S. indicate that hosting video through websites and external sites provides great strategy. And this doesn’t just include YouTube, as Vimeo was also mentioned as a premiere business partner.

YouTube-hosted videos continue to show a bigger percentage over self-hosted video sites, at 43 percent compared to 11 percent. However, the two host types that utilize video indicate that 46 percent of marketers actually use a combination of their sites and external platforms for video content, in an effort to “optimize benefits.”

A combined future for digital video marketing, where both sources are used, isn’t out of the question. Out of respondents polled, nearly two thirds believe that a combination between external and internal posting is quite effective, compared to a smaller 23 percent for external platforms and 14 percent for internal.

The combination really adds up, as nearly 60 percent of marketing professionals feel that it’s vital to have a brand-controlled video-sharing channel, one that keeps visitors’ information secure. These owned platforms can actually increase data gathering from audiences as well, making them important. 65 percent of those polled believe this is the case, stating that the value of video viewing data provides a number of startling sales funnel leads, and opens the door to more possibilities for partnerships and increased video output. And in this case, the more quality videos, the better.

What do you think Would you prefer YouTube for your advertising needs, or something more internal

Source: eMarketer

Final Fantasy Vet Goes Free-To-Play

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After spending years lending his talents to Square Enix’s Final Fantasy series, Hironobu Sakaguchi is trying out new ground.

The long-time producer is hard at work on a new free-to-play mobile game, hoping to find his place in the same market where the likes of Puzzle & Dragons are really cleaning up on the cash.

The game, Terra Battle, is a production of Sakaguchi’s game studio, Mistwalker, and combines elements from classic puzzle games and strategy/role-playing games. In it, your character builds an army, then directs them onto a grid-like battlefield, attacking enemies from the side or rear where they’re most vulnerable. For the game, Sakaguchi took inspiration from the classic Japanese board game hasami-shogi, where surrounding your players is a vital part.

It’s a jarring move for Sakaguchi, who worked on such big-budget games as Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey for Microsoft on the Xbox 360, but one that could certainly play off, given the strategy of the title.

Interested players can take part in the game’s battles, and attempt to unlock more powerful characters through a randomized pay-to-play lottery system, which Sakaguchi dubs “gacha.” “In some games, it’s really hard to get the rare characters; the percentage [of rare characters in the gacha lottery] is really low,” he says about the system.

The more downloads that the game gets, the more Sakaguchi intends to add content to the game, including more characters, music and other items. “The console game business is more about make it, ship it, and forget it,” he says. “Mobile games are more like a festival: You keep adding and adding and adding. Just yesterday, I went on Facebook and asked someone, ‘Can you make me a character ‘ through Messenger.”

The overall goal for Sakaguchi “I want an MMORPG,” he said, hoping to gain at least two million downloads. “I want to keep the essence of what’s going on in (the mobile version of) Terra Battle.”

There’s no word on a release date, but we certainly wish Sakaguchi the best of luck in breaking in to the market. His talent won’t go unnoticed.

Source: Wired

Unruly Pilots New Native Video-Ad Format with Adidas

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By Sahil Patel

Social video company Unruly Media has unveiled a new native video ad format to help advertisers reach audiences in an organic manner across the web — and has already secured Adidas as the format’s launch partner.

Using the company’s “Liquid Layout Technology,” the new Unruly In-Feed format dynamically inserts sponsored video into any website’s content stream/feed in a style that matches that page’s layout and design. The promise — as with all native advertising — is that by making ads look more like editorial content, publishers and brands can boost consumer engagement.

With Unruly’s format, advertisers will only be charged if at least 50% of the ad is in view for three continuous seconds, exceeding the IAB’s current guidelines on video-ad viewability, Unruly said. All sponsored content will also be labeled as such, per accepted guidelines.

Additionally, Unruly said that the In-Feed format is optimized for mobile devices, and is being launched “in response to a growing demand from brands” to use video to reach consumers on smartphones and tablets. On such devices, the videos play silently when they come in-view on the screen. Only if users tap or click on the video will the format will expand to full-screen mode.

As launch partner, Adidas will pilot the format for its #predatorinstinct campaign.

Publishers already running the format include IDG, which oversees consumer media brands like Macworld. “We were impressed with it to the degree that we have now deployed it across all of IDG UK’s consumer sites,” said IDG UK publishing director Simon Jary. “We originally only used it to deliver incremental revenue for our mobile inventory, but it has been such a success, we’ve now pushed it across our desktop inventory too.”

This article was originally posted on VideoInk and is reposted on [a]listdaily via a partnership with the news publication, which is the online video industry’s go-to source for breaking news, features, and industry analysis. Follow VideoInk on Twitter @VideoInkNews, or subscribe via thevideoink.com for the latest news and stories, delivered right to your inbox.

Apple Intros New iPhones, Apple Watch

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Apple’s latest iPhones were revealed yesterday, and they were well received — but the star of the show was the Apple Watch. The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus had few surprises if you’d been following the rumors of the past weeks: A 4.7″, 1334 x 750 pixel screen for the iPhone 6, with a new A8 processor and improvements to the cameras in an incredibly thin package (6.9 mm). The iPhone 6 Plus has a 5.5″ screen with 1920 x 1080 resolution, and pretty much the same internals as the iPhone 6, though the iPhone 6 Plus camera offers optical image stabilization.

These phones look to be solid hits for Apple, bringing larger screens and greater power to legions of iPhone fans. The new generation 64-bit A8 chip inside has 2 billion transistors and 64-bit support in a 20nm process, so it’s more powerful even though it’s 13 percent smaller than the A7 chip. Apple boasted that the A8 has 25 percent faster CPU performance and 50 percent faster graphics than the A7 — the A8 is 50 times faster than the original iPhone. It’s also up to 50 percent more energy efficient than the last-gen chips.

The cameras have been improved, though the pixel count remains at 8 MP. The autofocus is twice as fast, there’s better noise reduction and tone mapping to create better pictures. Apple’s also added support for 240 fps slow motion, and the front facing camera is also improved and can take better selfies than ever . . . if you care to.

The Apple Watch drew great attention, though details weren’t complete. The Apple Watch comes in several variations, with two different sizes and three different cases (aluminum, stainless steel, and 18 kt gold) and six different straps, with pricing starting at $349 (though we don’t know more than that about prices). It’s a fashion accessory as much as a technical accessory. The Apple Watch boasts a host of features covering timekeeping, health tracking, fitness, and communication. The most important fact, though, is that it isn’t shipping until “early 2015” so we have plenty of time to find out more about it.

One of the most interesting facets of the Apple event was the time spent talking about gaming. Apple’s Phil Schiller made a point of talking about how the new iPhones provide better sustained gaming performance, with better battery life, and how the new Metal software along with the A8 chip provides incredible gaming performance. To prove it, Apple brought Super Evil Megacorp on stage to demonstrate their upcoming MOBA Vainglory on the iPhone 6 Plus.

This was an incredible opportunity for a fledgling company, and the game looked more than up to the challenge of showing off the power of Apple’s new hardware. More than that, though, it showed the importance of games to Apple. After all, games provide the bulk of the revenue in the App Store, and it’s good to see Apple acknowledging that fact.

Apple’s new iPhones will be arriving September 19, and analysts are expecting sales to exceed 50 million units before the end of the year, if Apple can build them fast enough to meet the demand. Game developers should be very pleased to see new, larger and more powerful gaming devices reaching such large numbers of consumers so quickly.

Don’t forget, though, that Apple has yet to talk about the iPad or the Apple TV. We should still expect to see an October event from Apple where new iPad models will be introduced, and possibly a new Apple TV. While massive innovation isn’t expected now in the iPad line, refreshed models (probably with the new A8 chip and Touch ID sensors) will be even better gaming devices, and should be strong sellers this holiday.

Be sure to check out the [a]listdaily interview with Super Evil Megacorp’s Bo Daly and Kristian Segerstrale!