Did you know that there is an artist using eBay as part of one of his works? Or that this piece is called ‘A Tool to Deceive and Slaughter’? You’re going to want to read about that one. And since you’ve already clicked through, take a little time and learn about Mystery Google, the infographic community (talk about geek chic), and some insane awesome fan theories.
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After being presented with the opportunity to take a trip to Las Vegas to talk with fantasy sports experts, I realized life can truly be too good at times. I had no idea this “fantasy” trip would also give me insight into the future of fantasy sports. Those same experts showed me that the industry 27 million consumers spend countless hours enjoying is preparing to go into many interesting directions in the future. Because of this fact, I recommend marketers get in the game (poor pun intended) sooner than later.
I had the pleasure of speaking at Fantasy Sports Trade Association’s 2010 Winter Business Conference last week. For those not familiar, the FSTA provides a forum for interaction between the hundreds of existing and emerging companies across the fantasy sports industry. My specific discussion revolved around the opportunity for advertising in the fantasy sports industry but the true insight for advertisers came from the many conversations held following the panel.
The new year rings in a whole new set of trends and topics covered in this month’s prediction-themed issue of PLAYED. This month, we make some predictions and offer insight into what to watch for as the year moves on. 2010 is already prime for some big releases, all hoping to dethrone Modern Warfare 2 as the biggest game of all time. With past success stories in mind, we look into what titles could capture mainstream attention and how they plan on doing it. Also, we explore why this year could, indeed, be the Year of Mobile (again), as well as how gaming consoles will change from just another box under the television to full-service, multimedia devices that control your living room. Finally, we cover the shifting of game design towards mass collaboration, with teams uniting online to bring new and interesting experiences to gamers everywhere.
The state of modern technology can be summed up by the TV in my hotel room. It was a 50″ flatscreen LCD, mounted beautifully into a wooden console, but displaying a blocky, stretched standard definition signal. Despite the investment made into purchasing these top-tier TVs, the hotel wasn’t using them to their full, high-definition potential. At CES, one could walk through miles of glistening technology, showcasing 3D images, immersive soundscapes, and internet-enabled everything, but to what purpose? Are consumers so over HDTV that they need a third-dimension? Is the world ready for an internet-enabled alarm clock? If the SD broadcast of ESPN greeting me every morning was any indication, the answer might be no.
Not to say that consumers are outright rejecting technological advancement, they’re just not seeing the benefits of such things in their everyday lives. That said, the marketing implications below are less about the gear and more about how marketers could utilize this tech to engage consumers in whole new ways. Through devices like eReaders, services like online storefronts, and the convergence of digital services into the living room, marketers are going to have a lot of opportunity to do groundbreaking work and, perhaps, change consumer perception about these technological breakthroughs. Then, maybe, I can get an HD signal in my hotel room for CES 2011.
Last month saw gaming’s 2nd most successful November of all time. Impressive when you consider the current frugal economy and the fact that we’re already 2 years into this “current” generation of consoles, meaning the industry is expanding well beyond the extended cadre of casual gamers. All three consoles saw significant increases in sales and software purchases, including the Xbox 360’s most successful november ever with 819.5K units sold, while the Wii continued its dominant run, posting another 1.26M and Sony’s PS3 Slim surging with 710.4K consoles sold. With Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony all finishing the year strong, who will continue their solid showing and prove to be the platform that matters most in 2010? Surprisingly, next year’s most important platform didn’t sell a single console this past month and yet sports more users than the “Big 3” combined. Granted, gaming isn’t it’s soul purpose, but Facebook and its growing population of over 350 million will continue to find itself the hot topic not just on marketers’ media plans and creatives’ concept boards, but also high on the lists of game developers and publishers wishing to expand their gamers’ experiences and grow their current audience.
November 2009 was gaming’s 2nd most successful November of all time. Impressive when you consider the current frugal economy and the fact that we’re already two years into this “current” generation of consoles, meaning the industry is expanding well beyond the extended cadre of casual gamers. All three consoles saw significant increases in sales and software purchases including the Xbox 360’s most successful November ever, in terms of 360 revenues, with 819.5K units sold, while the Wii continued its dominant run, posting another 1.26M and Sony’s PS3 Slim surging with 710.4K consoles sold. With Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony all finishing the year strong, who will continue their solid showing and prove to be the platform that matters most in 2010? Surprisingly, next year’s most important platform didn’t sell a single console this past month and yet sports more users than the “Big 3” combined. Granted, gaming isn’t it’s soul purpose, but Facebook and its growing population of over 350 million will continue to find itself the hot topic not just on marketers’ media plans and creatives’ concept boards, but also high on the lists of game developers and publishers wishing to expand their gamers’ experiences and grow their current audience.
