Ad Age has a great article on EA Sports and its efforts to change the marketing of video games from the traditionally seasonal path to one that is much more perennial.
From Ad Age:
In 1999, EA Sports, publisher of the Tiger games, ramped up ads and PR for about six weeks before the game launched and for a few weeks after, with typical gamer-magazine print and sports TV buys. Today EA Sports develops a marketing plan for each platform and type of content and runs it all year.
“The cycle for marketing has changed. We call it “the Tiger 365 experience,” and it’s every day, 24/7, whether that’s in the living room, while on the train or while in the office on a conference call,” said Craig Evans, EA Sports director of marketing. “The fire and fanning mentality just won’t work anymore.”
The article goes on to discuss different methods of distribution and expansion for each game, begging the question of whether a subscription model is appropriate for EA Sports franchises (it is).
Cost of goods are also factoring in, as development becomes more expensive and can easily be mitigated by downloadable content charged at low rates.
