Community, not customers
Marketers often view their audiences as consumers to move through a sales funnel towards a purchase transaction. With games, the goal is different: we need to transform customers into fans by inspiring passion. And when fans are connected as a community, the power of that passion becomes unified and magnified. This is when a brand begins to take on a life of its own and becomes part of culture.

Building these relationships requires transparent, continuous two-way communication and a willingness to listen and react. This is in contrast to traditional advertising strategies that are more one-way in nature.

This approach suggests a rethink on traditional key performance indicators, timing, and channels. Beyond reach and frequency, engagement and sentiment become more important markers of a campaign’s progress.

The always-on model
Game publishers are releasing fewer stand-alone games per year and moving away from annualized sequels. Instead, more games are pursuing an “always-on” model, rolling out an endless stream of updates, expansions and new content. Often, the initial product is free or low-cost, and the longtail of microtransactions is where the financial upside is found.

This “live-service” approach requires a more continuous cadence of communication with the community, and more creative ways of ensuring that fans remain informed and excited about what’s happening next. But, when successful, this shift results in deeper, more sustained engagement; larger, more active fan communities; less churn and lapsed users; and ultimately higher revenue for brands.