Leveraging Community = Example with Tiger Woods
Video games industry is definitly one of the most powerful entertainment industry (look at the stats, being before music and behind book industry). They’re also the industry with the most web connected market, and they do know how to leverage it. Just look at the Starcraft II and Diablo III thrill while those games are to maybe be released in late 2009 (chek results on Google). Video games companies know well how to tease and raise interest from players in their games. Other industries should be closely looking at what’s happening in that area, and take notes to adapt their strategies to their own market if they want to drive more business in the coming years. And we can take as an example what EA Sport has done with the Tiger Woods PGA Tour licence.
Tiger Woods PGA Tour is a big licence from EA Sport, leading company on the sports games area. They did great with the 08 edition and added to the simulation game one funny item, the “jesus shot” where Tiger Woods can manage a shot while literally standing on the water. One video of that “jesus shot” has been uploaded on Youtube, and EA Sports team replied on it recording a real video of Tiger Woods actually doing that same move on the water. Nice move for them, generating in 1 day more than 150 000 views on the video platform.
The customer video has been uploaded a year ago, a few days after the O8 edition release, to show the “jesus shot”. And now the 09 edition’s to be released (in late August), MarCom team has replied with the video you can see at the end of the post to generate a raise of interest and awareness using Youtube as a leveraging tool to gather the community and remind them about the game.
More focused and targeted PR action than a press release sended to every video games websites and magazines, with more belief that those would write about the game. Why? they use the customers channel to get in touch with them directly, pressuring those magazines to spreak about that instead of requesting them to highlight the game. A way to by-pass the competitors and to grant visibility by generating appealing content and providing a good reason to journalists and bloggers to speak about what’s now an event (no more a press release). Content creation’s a smart way to do PR. Definitly more active and valuable than any other PR way (but not less expensive).
Photo Credit: Bartendermagic_com
Via: Steve Rubel
