Hogeschool van Amsterdam Interactieve Media The user as a source of inspiration Game On! 2007/08 Marketing college

Hogeschool van Amsterdam Interactieve Media Agenda  Learning goals  About me  What is marketing?  The user as a source of inspiration  Summary

Hogeschool van Amsterdam Interactieve Media Learning goals  By the end of this college you should  Have learned a bit about me and how I see marketing and user centred development as subjects  Have learned the difference between needs and wants  Have learned how you can use this difference to develop a better offer for your target customer

Hogeschool van Amsterdam Interactieve Media About me

Hogeschool van Amsterdam Interactieve Media Charlie Mulholland Education  Philosophy (not marketing!) Career  Sony   UPC  2000  Freelance  Chello, WdKA  Teaching  HvA since 2005 Other stuff  Language  Okay Dutch, but…  Accent  Grammar  Favourite Dutch word is gezellig  When I am enthusiastic I…  Speak quick  Use “idiomatische uitdrukking”  I love music  I support Liverpool (sorry) and I love cricket (really sorry)  I am a vegetarian (in case you want to buy me lunch)

Hogeschool van Amsterdam Interactieve Media What is marketing?

Hogeschool van Amsterdam Interactieve Media What marketing is not  Marketing is not advertising  Although advertising is an essential part of marketing activities  Marketing is not selling  Although “selling” is usually the end goal of marketing activities  Marketing is not in itself a bad thing  Although it sometimes is done in a way that is not good  And marketing is not boring  Although sometimes it can be practiced (and perhaps taught) in a boring way

Hogeschool van Amsterdam Interactieve Media So what is marketing  Marketing is:  An activity that puts a target group (or target groups) at the centre of an organization’s activities  An activity that involves working with groups of people to meet the needs and wants (behoefte en wensen) of the target customer / user in a better way than other options  Marketing is a creative activity

Hogeschool van Amsterdam Interactieve Media What does marketing do?  The job of marketing is to help organizations create mutually beneficial (wederzijds voordelig) exchange  The idea of exchange is essential to marketing

Hogeschool van Amsterdam Interactieve Media Exchange? I’m thirsty Ah, happy shareholders ! That’s better! Exchange is the process where you willingly give something of value to another, in return for getting something of value to you

Hogeschool van Amsterdam Interactieve Media Exchange does not have to be financial  Exchange can also apply to other things such as  Barter deals (I’ll give you this DVD player for that iPod)  Ideas and knowledge  Gossip  Support (e.g. political)  The key is that both parties feel the exchange is valuable for them and both exchange willingly  Both get something they need or want

Hogeschool van Amsterdam Interactieve Media Marketing secret number 1 People and organizations do not buy or use things that they do not need or want (or at least believe that they need or want) Marketing is therefore about needs and wants

Hogeschool van Amsterdam Interactieve Media A definition of marketing (not the definition) Marketing is a creative activity that aims to create mutually beneficial exchange by developing offers that meet the needs and wants of a target group(s) better than the offers of alternatives (the competition)

Hogeschool van Amsterdam Interactieve Media The user as a source of inspiration Or how can marketing help you with this assignment?

Hogeschool van Amsterdam Interactieve Media What (I think) is important for Game On!  Your assignment is to develop a turn-based game (gezelschapspel) for groups of children aged 12 that allows them to get to know interactive media  In order to do this you have to meet their needs and wants for a game better than other options (your competition)  So you have to have to understand what needs and want are

Hogeschool van Amsterdam Interactieve Media Needs and wants The basis of all marketing activity

Hogeschool van Amsterdam Interactieve Media What is a need?  A need is a basic feeling of missing something  When people have a need they will either  Look for something to satisfy that need OR  Reduce the feeling by ignoring it or looking for something else that will reduce the feeling  Needs are basic to humans  Physical needs: food, clothing, warmth, safety  Social needs: belonging and affection  Individual needs: knowledge, self-expression  Basic needs such as food and safety are fairly consistent for humans (and indeed other animals)  Other higher level ones are not experienced by all  There are various models to help understand this

Hogeschool van Amsterdam Interactieve Media Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

Hogeschool van Amsterdam Interactieve Media In het Nederlands

Hogeschool van Amsterdam Interactieve Media Wants as expressions of needs  Wants are human needs that have been shaped by things such as  Culture  Sub-culture  Personality  Interests and concerns  Family and upbringing  Particular situations  For example  Hunger is a basic need  However how that need is satisfied if the person has the opportunity will depend on the factors above  So I need to eat, but I want a vegetable curry (since I am English and vegetarian)

Hogeschool van Amsterdam Interactieve Media From needs to wants Culture Personality Family influence Nationality What’s available Situation Mood Want Mmm…doughnuts Need Empty! I’m hungry

Hogeschool van Amsterdam Interactieve Media So this means  You first have to understand the needs of your target group and then understand how these needs are shaped into wants by culture, personality, etc.  This process will allow you to develop insights into your target group so that you can create an offer that meets their needs and wants

Hogeschool van Amsterdam Interactieve Media Analysing needs and wants  Obviously a turn-based game cannot satisfy all the needs and wants of the target group so firstly you must ask: which can it satisfy?  Once you have done this, you need to do some research into the target group  However, is the target group clear?

Hogeschool van Amsterdam Interactieve Media Spot the similarity You’re right - there is none But in the old-school market segmentation we are the same Male and around the same age

Hogeschool van Amsterdam Interactieve Media Game ON! target group: children aged 12  They probably have similar basic needs  But some may be on different levels of Maslow’s hierarchy  Even if they are on the same level they will certainly not have the same wants since they have different personalities, etc., etc. etc.  This means they will have different ways of satisfying these needs  But how can you handle this?  The golden rule in marketing is to group customers together who have similar needs and ways of satisfying these needs  This is called segmentation

Hogeschool van Amsterdam Interactieve Media Segmenting the target group  In reality the Game ON! target group is too undifferentiated  In order to get better insights you need to break your group into smaller segments  This will allow you to group children with similar wants  You should then target one of these groups  This will help you understand how their needs are turned into wants by culture, personality, etc.  You achieve this by research

Hogeschool van Amsterdam Interactieve Media Research?  Tomorrow you must do two bits of research 1.Find out what needs and wants can be satisfied by playing games (WiiAM) 2.Find out about the target group / user  Find out about the target group cannot be done behind a computer  Go out into the world and look around…

Hogeschool van Amsterdam Interactieve Media Some research tips  Talk to members of the target group  But be careful not ask them directly what they want  Generally we do not know until we see it - thinking of better offers is the one of the most creative aspects of marketing  Watch the target group  Especially when they are playing  Look at the media the target group uses  TV, magazines, websites  Talk to people who deal with the target group  Parents, teachers, etc.  Be the user group  Play games  Imagine situations and write / tell stories (scenarios)  Look at the competition  What needs and wants are they trying to meet  Google for research (last option BTW)  For example this age group is sometimes called “tweenagers”

Hogeschool van Amsterdam Interactieve Media Your goal  As a team you need to get beyond having a target group of 12 y.o.  Use your research to think about what group of users might help you  Girls / boys maybe but this is still not good enough  What more might help (blind, deaf, Ajax fan, love painting  The most successful games are targeted at the needs and wants of a clear target group  Your goal is to define a clear target group for this coming Friday’s mood board.

Hogeschool van Amsterdam Interactieve Media Summary  Marketing is about creating exchange by satisfying needs and wants of your target group  In order to understand the needs and wants you have to know your customer / user  The user is therefore a great source of inspiration  Get out there and get to know them