Month: February 2013

For years, almost decades, the video game industries interactions with their loyal customers went a little like this;

Sony Entertainment: Me and my massive studio budget will release a new game each year for the same monopolized 60$ price-tag with slightly improved graphics and features from the last game to suggest progression, but not too much so as to inflate production budget and effort.

Gamers: OK.

Computer and console game developers rested complacently within this lazy model, reaping massive revenues with little effort. Marketing for these games were as simple as placing a good review in a reputable gaming magazine, and maybe release a few print or tv commercials in tow.

But with the advent of the “freemium” payment model, independent and small scale game studios are finding themselves with more and more attention from the gaming public. By offering their games for free and allowing users the option to make serialized payments for additional features, game concepts that may have been deemed risky and not profitable by major game manufacturers can still reach a sizable markets looking for unusual, outside-the-box games.

For companies without a large budget for marketing, relying on youtube-personalities to broadcast or review the games is becoming the norm. Though the reach of these videos may appear smaller than the TV advertisements on primetime, the responsiveness of the viewers is much better. Once again, technology and trends are influencing companies and their business decisions. Those who fail to adapt, fall behind.

McDonald’s has always been famous for delivering their product promptly, whether it be filing through dozens of patrons on any given day through the lines, or herding cars through their drive thru. More recently, however, McDonald’s have turned to social media to add marketing to their list.

By utilizing the instantaneous nature of Twitter and Facebook, McDonald’s have been able to try different marketing messages and tactics on a large scale at minuscule cost.  While McDonald’s can still spend big bucks for massive ad campaigns, they are also reaping the rewards of  the massive gains made by using social media.

Once again, the constant push of technology is reinforcing the idea that every company, no matter how big or small, needs to react swiftly and effectively to the new changes. McDonald’s is finding new ways to engage with their customers, solidifying their position in the industry and pushing their advantage. It will be interesting to see how technological innovations will give companies advantages in the coming years.

Mcdonalds and Social Media