Month: January 2012

Hey all,

I’m Matthew Lee, a second year student like many of us in this class. I’m taking 296 because I’m considering making Marketing one of my majors, so I’m excited to see how I like it. I’ve been on either side of the coin when it comes to this industry – as someone who’s big into gadgets/mobile phones etc, I naturally buy these products; I’ve also been on the other side of things having been involved in the Western Canada arm of Microsoft’s Xbox Kinect Launch in 2010-2011 initiating retail demo programs throughout the year. I’ve also done some promotions work for the likes of Port Metro Vancouver and UBC’s Learning Commons.

My favourite ad, the above Nike ad leading up to the 2010 Fifia World Cup. Being a huge soccer fan, I loved seeing all the different stars featured as well as the hilarious depiction of the emotions attached to the success and failure of sports teams – how we idolize and crucify talented athletes based on their performances in a single match. Being a big hockey fan (in addition to soccer) and living in Vancouver, I can appreciate this demonstration. The ad also combined many different aspects of the entertainment industry, which I loved.

I’m a big music fan. I listen to virtually any genre of music you could name and possibly some others. I’m always up for giving and receiving recommendations as well! If you actually care to look, here’s my last.fm profile, you’ll notice I listen to just about everything.

Anyway, looking forward to a great term of marketing with all of my classmates!

In the current economic climate, many small businesses need to pinch pennies to keep afloat. Because of this, outsourcing of certain business services is becoming increasingly prevalent. A recent PR nightmare in the tech space would suggest that this isn’t always the best of ideas.

N-Controller, an up and coming video game peripheral manufacturer hired a separate marketing firm – Ocean Marketing – to promote their Avenger controller attachment for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles. The attachment, meant to improve reflex timing and allow disabled gamers to use two-handed controllers, was launched mired with shipping delays and inventory shortages. When a customer sent an email – importantly, a frustrated, but polite email, mentioning their excitement for the product – to N-Controller’s customer service department, the response was shocking. Initially, the reply from Ocean Marketing was curt, answering the delivery inquiry with a date (as detailed in the since published email chain, literally “Dec 17”). As the customer persisted, the external marketing rep grew angry and insulting. The argument intensified with the rep name dropping game developer executives and conference organizers, mentioning how “nobody cares” about the individual customer’s issue.

That’s when the tech community stepped in. Mike Krahulik, organizer of the major video game convention PAX, stepped in when the customer forwarded him an email the Ocean Marketing rep sent. Krahulik responded to the rep’s claim that the Avenger was to be featured at the convention by saying any booth related to the peripheral would be banned. The rep foolishly engaged in a war of words with Krahulik, leading to some scathing articles on major technology publications such as Engadget, Kotaku and IGN.

Due to the immense pressure N-Controller has faced from this incident, they have since cut ties with the rogue marketing firm, and has donated $10,000 in cash and $50,000 in product to Child’s Play, a charity supporting disabled youth in enjoying video games. That’s a costly way for the small manufacturer to buy back some respect, but it’s a gesture that has been well recognized across the industry.

The main lesson here is for small businesses to be wary of the type of people they outsource their frontline marketing/PR services to. It’s becoming clear that how a company wishes to position itself in a market goes far beyond the flashy splash ads in magazines or on websites – it reaches into the relationships your staff builds with a community, not a market. Given the backlash to the inane behaviour of the Ocean Marketing rep, it’s obvious too that an exciting product alone can’t hold up your marketing arm without a proper structure of respectful customer service and relationship builders behind it.