HEAD BLOG

Those of you with an interest in video games and zombies may have heard of a man called Frank West. He’s the tough talking, hard hitting photographer (who’s covered wars, y’know) from Dead Rising – a game that set Capcom leading the (and this is going to sound strange if you have NO interest in video games) zombie killing, mayhem spreading, action genre.

The original game was great. It did well and a sequel was commissioned. Which also did well but which didn’t star Frank.

But that’s ok because now Capcom are back with a game which DOES star Mr West and it brings with it the whole smart mouthed attitude and ludicrous fun you’d expect.

Our campaign for the game is going great guns (and chainsaws and lazer powered helmets). Under the banner of “Journalism With Guts”, we have launched into Facebook, YouTube (and somewhere which will be announced soon) with a series of fun videos, copy, images and activities.

In just two weeks, our approach has boosted the Facebook page to over 45,000 users (that’s from a base of under 15,000). Our initial video (over on YouTube) has had 21,000 views so why not treat yourself to a look at that before heading over to Facebook and seeing what we are up to there?

I like big statements. I like the way they can underpin books which promise easy access to money and success. I like the way they can position the issuer as an authority and smooth the path towards consultancy; surely the aim of any high flying member of the intelligentsia.

So I relished a statement made via the Twitter Gods, home to all off-the-cuff and unsubstantiated statements, that claimed all marketing had to figure Digital in any strategy.

Let’s first be clear: I love the possibilities afforded by digital campaigns. Technology is a marketing person’s dream, offering, as it does, a slew of measuring mechanisms to keep all but the most cynical of bosses happy. Digital plugs into many lives and the numbers it reaches increases daily.

It’s not, however, a must in every circumstance.

In fact the only real encompassing statement I stick my neck out on is that there is no “must”.

Let’s talk anecdotes.

Earlier in the year I had a meeting where I was urging a prospective client to do more with digital. We all agreed there was more to be done and it felt great.

Then, almost as a side discussion, I was given an insight into the value of a non-digital campaign.

The reasoning began simply with: not everybody has easy access to the web. And even if they do they won’t have the access you and I have. I’m here twelve hours a day and a web-capable device isn’t far from my hand.

It makes sense.

I don’t work behind a till or in a hospital or any of the many jobs that mean a person can’t access the Internet whenever they want to. Access to media can be restricted to a newspaper in backroom between jobs or over a sneaky brew.

Yet these people still lead consumer lives and companies still have reason to urge them to buy during their break times.

In these digital times when it seems everybody is forever on Twitter or Facebook it is all too easy to overlook these people and, in doing so, overlook the effectiveness of what is now called “traditional” media.

Digital is a way forward, not the way forward.

Play MotoGP

A project that went live recently was www.playmotogp.com and it’s a sweet one.

Taking its cue from the key art and advertising campaign we produced, the website is a repository for information about the game. And what a game it is shaping up to be. Our trailer (featured on the site) gives you the first, early glimpse of just how radical the game will be. All the realism you’d expect from a licence that prides itself as being the fastest bike event in the world but with the kind of game development thinking that makes these sorts of products stand out from the competition. And let’s face it, there’s plenty of pretty excellent competition out there. Read more…