THE IMPORTANCE OF PR AND VIRAL MARKETING IN THE AGE OF DIGITAL DISTRIBUTIONThomas Puha (Founder & Creative Director @ H-Town)

THE AGE OF DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION

Many alternatives: Xbox Live, PlayStation Network, App Store, Steam

You can get your product out without a publisher

Developer / publisher cut: 70% / 30%

IT’S GOOD TIMES, RIGHT?

LETS GET BACK DOWN TO EARTH

Distribution is easier than ever

People have so (too) much choice

You are competing for people’s time more than money

The ”TV channel problem”

THE MARKET IS EXTREMELY CROWDED

Hundreds of apps released weekly

Console online stores have a lot of content and are not easy enough to use

How will consumers find your product?

You need think about this aspect of your business

IN FINLAND, WE HAVE THIS PROBLEM…

+ Quality

=

QUALITY ALONE IS NO GUARANTEE OF SUCCESS

Just putting out something great and hoping it works…

…forget it if you are serious about your business

Massive console / iPhone userbase isn’t translating into easy sales

COMMERCIAL THINKING It is ok to think commercially…

…no really it is.

Marketing and PR is NOT bad

You also need to realize the importance of promoting your product – all your hard work is for nothing if people dont know about your product

You need to think of how to differentiate your product both content- and market –wise

PUBLISHERS ARE NOT (ALWAYS) BAD

They promote your product

They know how to do it

IP is worthless without success

WHAT TO DO? More tools than ever before. Social media –

take advantage

Website nor social media site is not good without traffic

There’s a lot of sites out there wanting content

Be active – most content producers are open to contact and content

Dont be too humble

SO, WHAT TO DO?

Plan early

Single press release is not enough

Dont offer too much from the start - monetize

One day push is not enough – devise a roadmap

Plan ahead, each new content release is a new promotional opportunity

”IMPOSSIBLE IS NOTHING” Dont be discouraged

There’s a lot of goodwill out there

Think about the features that are your key marketing pillars

Think about publisher opportunity if it makes sense

Trials HD & RedLynx are a great example

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THANKS

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QA?