传统公关没落，新时代游戏营销沟通将何去何从
传统公关没落，新时代游戏营销沟通将何去何从传统公关没落，新时代游戏营销沟通将何去何从原作者：Cat Channon 译者：Vivian Xue上周我在Reboot Development开发者大会上做了一个演讲，我觉得它回答了一个问题：传统公关死了吗？答案是：当然，早就死了。死了、埋了，就像是一个借酒浇愁的人在还没来得及买单之前就倒下，腐坏的肝脏已经被蠕虫啃得渣都不剩，神仙都救不回来。然而，现场观众和大会结束以来我收到的回应表明，一些人对传统公关的地位仍然抱有疑惑更重要的是，如果传统公关时代结束了，接下来怎么办呢？首先我要说明，我对传统公关的定义是，游戏媒体和游戏公司之间不恰当的合作关系；这种公关靠花钱摆脱麻烦、扭转社论、塞钱强迫媒体帮他们打广告。这种公关思维依然将登上印刷物封面放在首要位置，一旦遇到内容泄密问题就开始追究责任，而不是将它视为一个收集数据或预估消费者兴趣的机会，仍然将获得IGN独家报道视为营销重点目标。这些公关手段存在于一个没有数据、关键绩效指标和投资回报率的世界，被称作暗黑艺术。不断变化的媒体市场由于传统媒体地位的动摇，旧式公关开始消亡。如今任何能上网的人都可能成为水军。广告收入依赖于搜索量，导致大部分媒体文章都按照赚钱的套路编写而成，缺乏深度的内容（看过《堡垒之夜》的头条文章吗?）我们见证了Doitogate事件。越来越多的媒体影响着人们的消费行为。影响者们(influences)不会轻易为利益所动摇，Metacitic的出现使文字评论变得不那么重要，一切靠分数说话。Candy Cush Soda Saga(fom pocketgame.biz)游戏邦注：-Doitogate：引起游戏圈争议的事件，TGA游戏盛典主持人Geoff Keighley的直播视频中出现了由Doito薯片赞助的《光环4》站立广告牌，人们认为他收钱为游戏做宣传。-Metacitic：Metacitic电子游戏评分是电玩界最受玩家信赖的分数，甚至足以影响一款游戏的销售成绩。在这个充满活力和多样性的市场中，消费者声音比任何时候都强大。它不仅能影响媒体的议题，还能影响国家对行业的政策从战利品宝箱和游戏成瘾的争论中可见一斑。公关已死，沟通永存那么接下来怎么办呢？答案是打造忠于目标、灵活多变的沟通组合策略。它远非你所能想到的那些千篇一律的线性新闻报道，预览和回顾过去的计划。当你思考如何实现沟通目标时，玩家社区、用户支持、内部沟通、公司道德/价值观、影响者、社交平台、活动和系统营销都应该被考虑在内。无论你的目标是营销游戏、宣传公司、招聘人才、打造新IP、与发行商取得合作还是获得投资，上述任何一个因素都可能影响你的成败。沟通策略的成败案例在变化多端的营销环境下，业内出现了许多成功的沟通案例，也有许多失败案例，而那些仅仅把目光放在传统营销上的公司错失了许多机会。1. 2004年，《魔兽世界》发行时，暴雪就深知玩家社区是重中之重，并把它和传统媒体营销放在了同等位置上。暴雪的价值观引领他们的决策，多年来玩家至上一如既往地体现在他们的对外沟通上。正因如此，当他们将一个游戏系统加入到最大的IP中再把它去掉后，并没有对公司或品牌产生持久的负面影响。（指《暗黑破坏神3》关闭拍卖行功能，游戏邦注。）2. 汤姆middot;弗兰西斯（Tom Fancis）曾经是游戏记者，后改行制作独立游戏。他完美地运用自己的社交媒体影响力为他的处女作《Gunpoint》做宣传，使游戏获得了好评和商业成功。这一切都归功于他长年来客观公正的报道，使他积累了一批忠实的粉丝，最终将流量转化为购买力。3. 《山羊模拟器》运用系统化营销，打造滑稽搞笑、可分享的视频内容，配合它们反传统的社交媒体营销和用户服务支持。这是一个通过多渠道进行内容营销大获成功的例子。4. 个人观点与其所在企业的形象密不可分，并且会对公司业务产生深远影响，可Testology创立者却不明白这个道理。（Testology创立者在伦敦袭击事件后发表了反穆斯林言论，有违其公司追崇平等、多样化的价值观，游戏邦注）5. 众所周知，Riot Games几乎完全脱离传统媒体，但这种做法也使他们失去了庇护，使该公司面临众多围绕社区毒性、玩家安全、公司价值观的沟通难题，之前还陷入了一场社区口水战（指2016年，以《英雄联盟》赛前发布重大更新为导火索引发的Riot和电竞战队之间的争执，游戏邦注）。传统媒体仍然值得重视以上事例说明，主流媒体和游戏爱好者论坛在解决大众关切问题和引领重大问题探讨上仍然占据重要地位举个例子，了解一下之前英国《镜报》上关于《堡垒之夜》的头条报道背后的动机（文章标题是《堡垒之夜使我成为了一个有自杀倾向的瘾君子》，游戏邦注）。如果你认为和传统媒体合作对游戏来说不是必要的，或者你认为等到需要时再与传统媒体建立关系也不迟，你就将自己置于了一个危险的境地。往好的方面看，尽管营销沟通人士的工作更为艰辛，，但如今每个人都能通过沟通对他们的业务产生影响。在考虑使用什么沟通组合策略时，你需要思考玩家在哪里，然后有针对性地采取措施。首先把重点放在用户服务和社区互动上它们是粉丝活动的核心地带，也是沟通危机经常爆发的地方。正确运用沟通组合策略不容易，但关键在于忠于目标。你的目标不是获得报道和知名度，而是销售游戏和寻找开发人才。找到玩家中有影响力的决策者，关注他们分享的内容，以适当的方式与他们接触互动。总结思考你想实现的具体目标、谁能帮你实现它，去寻找他们。秉持实事求是和负责的态度，认清你真正能实现的目标和你拥有的资源。最重要的是，必要时改变你的计划保持灵活。我个人很高兴看到老派公关已经成为过去，我也希望业界对我的大多数同行的刻板印象一群在永无止境的危机中发挥才华、创造力和聪明才智的人能够随之消失。本文由游戏邦编译，转载请注明来源，或咨询微信zhengjintiaoAt Reboot Develop last week, I gave a talk that I felt addessed a hetoical question: Is taditional PR dead? Answe: Definitely yes. Long dead. Dead. Buied. And its alcohol-addled live. Wom food quicke than you can say, Put it on my tab.Howeve, the attendance at my talk and the esponse I have eceived since the confeence suggests that, fo some, thee is still a question about the status of taditional PR and moe impotantly, if it is game ove, then what next?To be clea, Isquo;m defining lsquo;taditional PRsquo; as the uncomfotably close dynamic between games jounalists and video games PR; one that opeates in a wold whee you can buy you way out of touble, whee messaging is massaged into editoial, and maketes can stong-am the pess with ad spend. It is a way of thinking that believes pint coves should still lead evey campaign, that egads leaks as a time to appotion blame athe than an oppotunity to stat captuing data o gauging consume inteest, and still teats an IGN exclusive as the answe to evey campaignsquo;s communication challenge.All of which exists in a data-, KPI- and ROI-fee wold often descibed as a dak at.The changing media landscapeAs the place of taditional media has shifted, the demise of old school public elations began. Anyone with an intenet connection now has the potential to be an opinionated hack. Seach-diven page impessions and thei associated ad evenues make the witing of most stoies a financial equation athe than an editoial one (Fotnite headline anyone?). Doitogate happened. Moe channels than eve befoe have an impact on buying decisions. Influences aensquo;t easily influenced, and Metacitic moved the needle to such an extent that wods became less impotant than the numbes.In this dynamic and vaied landscape, the stength of consume voice is geate than it has eve been. It has the ability to independently dive not only the media agenda but as evidenced in the discussions aound both loot boxes and addiction affect the vey policies that goven ou industy.PR is dead. Long live communicationsSo what next? The answe is a communications mix that while fixed in its objectives is entiely fluid and agile. It is about as fa fom the cookie-cutte, linea news, peview, eview plans of old as you can get.Community, custome suppot, intenal communications, company ethics/values, influences, social content, events and systemic maketing should all be on the table when yousquo;e deciding how yousquo;e going to achieve you communications objectives. Whethe thatsquo;s selling games, selling you company, hiing talent, establishing a new IP, getting a publishing deal o funding, each of the afoementioned channels has the potential to have a positive o negative impact on you ability to succeed.The highs and lows of moden communicationsAcoss the industy thee ae numeous examples of companies and campaigns that ae succeeding and failing in navigating the changing communications landscape, and those focused on taditional media outlets alone ae missing moe than one tick:- In 2004, when we launched Wold of Wacaft, Blizzad knew that community was king, and gave it the same level of consideation as taditional media elations. Blizzadsquo;s values dive its decisions, and the playe-fist appoach is as appaent in evey piece of extenal communication today as it was back then. This is exactly why it can implement an entie game system into one of its biggest IPs and take it out again, without a lasting negative impact on the company o band.- Tom Fancis, a fome games jounalist tuned indie develope, made billiant use of his pesonal social media to lead his debut game, Gunpoint, to citical and financial success. By deliveing a steady cadence of authentic and infomative content, he ceated a dedicated seed community that dove an audience of fans to puchase:- Goat Simulatosquo;s use of systemic maketing to ceate hilaious, shaeable video content, coupled with an ieveent social campaign and custome sevice appoach. This was a geat example of how a blend of channels, and content ceation being integal to poduction, can lead to significant commecial gain.- Individuals like the Testology founde who failed to ecognise that pesonal opinions and pofessional ones ae indistinguishable, and that values and beliefs expessed on social media can have fa eaching business implications.- Riot, known fo having moved almost entiely away fom taditional media elations, demonstated that doing so was to thow out both baby and bathwate. It has left the company with numeous communications challenges aound community toxicity, playe safety, company values, and a vey public spat with its investos addessed in the community foums.Media elations emain citicalAll that said, mainsteam and enthusiast media continues to hold a significant position of impact in both addessing the concens of the gaming masses and leading the convesation in many vital aeas fo example, coveage of the eality behind the UK tabloidssquo; clickbait headlines. If you think that not woking with taditional media is an option fo any o evey game, o if you think that the pess elationships you need can be ceated at the point you need them, then you do so at you peil.The massive upside is that while communications pofessionals have to wok hade than eve, eveyone now has the ability to make an impact on thei business though communications. In deciding what mix is best fo you objective, you need to think about whee you audience is and go thee. Focus fist on deliveing solid custome suppot and consistent community engagement they ae the heatland of you fan base, and often the most common places fo a communications cisis to begin.Navigating this blended appoach can be complex, but the key is to be lase focused on what you want to achieve. Coveage and awaeness aensquo;t communications objectives; selling games and finding moe pogammes ae. Find the decision makes and people with influence in you audience, look at the content they shae, and engage with them in a way that fits with thei cuent behaviou.In SummayDecide what you want, and be vey specific. Think about who can help you to achieve it. Get names, go whee they ae, focus channel by channel. Be eal about what yousquo;e actually capable of achieving, and be accountable and ealistic about you esouces. Most impotantly, be eady to pivot fom you plans if necessay be agile.I fo one am happy to see old school PR as a thing of the past, and I hope the industysquo;s peception of the majoity of my communications pees as anything othe than talented, ceative and savvy individuals navigating some of the most challenging aspects of ou industy often in neve-ending cunch is gone with it.
