Let's Talk About Marketing...February

[Gehenna.3625]

> @"Mike Silbowitz.1827" said:

> Hi @"Vavume.8065"

>

> I’m not trying to be flip but honestly curious. If you feel this way why have you been playing for 5 years?

 

It occurs to me that people often don't get how passionate people can be about certain things or even just aspects of a game and how that passion can carry them through much. I played GW1 a LOT. I still play it occasionally, in fact I just picked it up again. But it's also why I bought GW2 originally in the first place when it came out.

 

Now I will be honest, I tried GW2 a few times since then also but I just get bored too quickly by what I see as a tedious leveling process and I admit to being overwhelmed by what is going on at level 80 when I do give it another try. But so far I've tried the game at launch and stopped after a few months because it wasn't actually GW2 to me. It was something completely different and other than some names had nothing to do with GW1, in my opinion. I was really angry also I can tell you. I tried again some time later and got bored with the leveling and mindless event running after a couple of months again. Then I tried it a while after HoT came out. It actually had some nice things to it but again after reaching level 80 (and that was tedious again) I had a bit of fun with the gliding masteries but also got bored really quickly by the event farming and I really don't like the crafting system so making starting armour for raiding was not in the books for me. So I stopped again. Then just recently I started thinking about it again, but ended up playing GW1 instead.

 

So why do I seem to keep trying at least from time to time? Because my passion for GW1 was that great that part of me still wants to like GW2 but it's just not working. I want to move forward with Guild Wars but I can't. That's what passion can do. And it's a rotten thing sometimes to deal with as a player as well.

 

Now, I'm not telling you this to complain about GW2 but as an attempt to describe to you how people can be passionate about things and that can give them hope against hope and do things that are essentially mad. It's a powerful thing. He has it with WvW and that's just one dimension of this game but the rest just didn't shape up right for him and so finally he had to admit I guess that WvW itself was not enough to sustain him after that many hours in 5 years time.

 

I imagine it's a tough thing for a developer to please a wide variety of players and I think it's also why the revenue per quarter has been going down over time because it is hard to hold on to players or at least keep them spending. No judgement, just a reality as I see it. I dunno what you're planning to do with this marketing thing but it probably is a good idea to try some things to see if you can garner some more interest again. It seems that your B2P business model appeals to many players but it also keeps them from spending more regularly. Hate to be in your shoes but at the same time and, in spite of me not being onboard let's say, I do wish you success with turning things in a positive direction.

[Donari.5237]

Me again! I'm wondering what I'm doing wrong in submitting my entry. I go to the website with all the stories on it, I click on the Share Story button in the upper left box to use the official site's form, I get a pop up box to put my entry in, I fill out my Display Name and Email Address, paste my story in (no special formatting in the text unless font choice matters, I've copied it from Word), and click Submit Your Story.

 

Then I get this: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/188816886861922305/413413696795049984/ContestSpinCircle.JPG

 

A spinning circle of pink dots that goes for hours.

 

Is there a text limit? (I don't think my four paragraphs are any longer than entries posted on the page). Is it confused by my putting double enters to separate paragraphs? Do I have to add an image? Is the site just not working?

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

> @"Gaile Gray.6029" said:

> > @"Inculpatus cedo.9234" said:

> > Ahh. Ok. So, not an entry. Seems fair.

> > I once met a paramour in Guild Wars (One). It didn't result in marriage.

> > I introduced my current partner to Guild Wars, and subsequently Guild Wars 2. Guild Wars (1, then 2) is how we keep in touch, partially. I see this person once a year; we've been together over 11 years, now.

> >

> > Lol. Not much of a story.

>

> Actually, I think that's very sweet, Ic. Congrats to you both!

 

Well, thanks, Gaile. That was nice of you to say. :)

[Mike Silbowitz.1827]

@"Inculpatus cedo.9234"

 

All connections in our games are great stories. You should post on social for the Friend/Ships celebration

[Zlater.6789]

One day someone will do a Ted talk and reference this thread.

[Gaile Gray.6029]

> @"Donari.5237" said:

> Me again! I'm wondering what I'm doing wrong in submitting my entry. I go to the website with all the stories on it, I click on the Share Story button in the upper left box to use the official site's form, I get a pop up box to put my entry in, I fill out my Display Name and Email Address, paste my story in (no special formatting in the text unless font choice matters, I've copied it from Word), and click Submit Your Story.

>

> Then I get this: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/188816886861922305/413413696795049984/ContestSpinCircle.JPG

>

> A spinning circle of pink dots that goes for hours.

>

> Is there a text limit? (I don't think my four paragraphs are any longer than entries posted on the page). Is it confused by my putting double enters to separate paragraphs? Do I have to add an image? Is the site just not working?

 

Donari -- thank you for sharing that, especially the details. And I'm sorry you're having issues. We **do** want to see your story, so I'll send a report to the team tonight. It's well after work hours, but I feel sure someone will be able to take a peek at the system tomorrow.

 

Is anyone else having issues similar to those Donari reported?

[Donari.5237]

Appreciated, Gaile. At least the contest goes for long enough that it should be possible to find a fix in time for me to enter. If nothing else, maybe we can find a way for someone to proxy post it for me and have it credited as my entry rather than theirs. And if I can't enter, so be it, I'll eventually just post it somewhere appropriate on the forums :)

[Kevin Ip.7109]

> @"Donari.5237" said:

> Appreciated, Gaile. At least the contest goes for long enough that it should be possible to find a fix in time for me to enter. If nothing else, maybe we can find a way for someone to proxy post it for me and have it credited as my entry rather than theirs. And if I can't enter, so be it, I'll eventually just post it somewhere appropriate on the forums :)

 

Hi, Donari-- please check your private messages and we'll see if we can sort this out for you.

[Donari.5237]

Checked and *looks* like it's handled -- FireFox had fits submitting, Edge did it easy peasy, so now I'm just waiting on seeing my post go up and Kevin's test copy of it go away :)

 

Have I mentioned lately how much I appreciate ANet people and how helpful they are?

[Illconceived Was Na.9781]

> @"Mike Silbowitz.1827" said:

> Hoping you all got a chance to see this today

Yes. Well played :)

 

See also: [the original post](

) about their legendary journey

 

****

My favorite comment on [the subsequent reddit thread](https://redd.it/7xjplo):

> [seems that they only have 1 cat in their home instance. ](

)

 

Honorable mention

> First of all congratulations on your wedding!

> Now on to something that has been bugging me since I saw the video...

> Both of you should try to improve the way you sit at your PCs. _(editor's note: comment continues in some detail in that vein)_

 

****

One tiny problem:

>! Nicole says "even though [Tyler] already had map completion done, I did not. He was just helping me... and that's how I knew it was true love." The rest of us are going to have to be careful about who and what we help people accomplish in game. (More seriously: that was probably my favorite moment in the video.)

>!

 

[MrMouser.6583]

> @"Mike Silbowitz.1827" said:

> Hoping you all got a chance to see this today

>

>

 

I did get a chance to see this, I think its a cute idea.

 

I would like to add something to this, going in this direction with marketing does a few things.

 

It may attract a niche type of player not to say that is a bad thing but at the end of the day its a story about two people that got married because of GW2 and people don't start playing games to get married but to have fun. If the idea was to show where social interaction in GW2 can go I understand it, I find myself a lot of the times playing GW2 to be close to my friends . That being said I think the focus should be on the game and not so much on the people, I believe in a statement like "came for the game, stayed for the people" not the opposite.

 

All these things aside, I understand the importance of a story such as this but I fear this sort of marketing wont create buzz or hype and if this was the plan all along, that's ok, I will be waiting for the new LWS trailer hoping it will do GW2 the justice it deserves.

 

 

[Twyn.7320]

So, it's me again! Heya! I know, try to hold in your breath and prepare for a wave of new marketing ideas that aren't quite so new...

 

Last time, I made a big statement about adding text to trailers and telling us what we need to know. However, I want to go a step further this time, and it might be a long read but I'm sure my thoughts will get across in some way:

 

**We Need More Trailers**

 

This is probably an extremely broad statement, but generally, I find it to be the case. However, this time, I'm not asking for cinematics. I'm asking this time for things such as Map Trailers, Lore Spotlights, Legendary Item Trailers, anything along these lines. So I went scrolling through the GW2 YouTube channel, and counted the amount of community videos, in relation to the amount of gameplay videos since the Daybreak Trailer (3 months), and I found 6 Community videos (Guild Chat, Interviews, Friend/Ships) and 1 Gameplay Video (Twilight Oasis). In comparison, I went to World of Warcraft's YouTube channel, and did the same. The results show a clear difference: 7 Community Videos (Live Q&As, BlizzCon Interviews etc.) and 12 Gameplay Videos (E-Sports, Cinematics, Trailers). I think this highlights a key area of interest for GW2, and especially the Marketing Team. Blizzard is already successful, and World of Warcraft is arguably the largest MMO, which a larger base of funding. However, they're maintaining their 'dominance' on the market, with broad presentations of their content.

 

A similar example is the Path of Fire Announcement, where a range of snippets were published as videos on their own for Elite Specialisations and other aspects of the Expansion. However, I believe that this angle needs to be developed for the long-term. So I propose a new concept for advertising Living World Patches:

 

**Release the Main Trailer (Narrative, Features etc.) > Release a Map Video > Release a Lore Video > Release a PvP/WvW Video > Release a Raid/Fractal Design Video.**

 

So, I believe that this is a snazzy route to start with.

 

The Features Trailer should act to inform us of what we'll be getting, and the general story that we'll be experiencing, just teasing us and creating hype.

 

The Map Video should explore the reasons as to why the Map was fun to design, why players will enjoy exploring it, the Map Metas involved, and any sub-plots that could be expanded with community support. Speak with developers and gain their insights!

 

The Lore Video should explore the deeper story, released potentially a week or two after the Patch's Launch with a Spoiler-Proof Title to avoid annoying those who haven't played it. Speak with veteran developers or key figures in the design of the narrative. Speak with voice actors to capture how they approached certain roles and emotions ahead of the scene. Tell us the intricate details of why you selected certain choices! We need to know these things! <3

 

The PvP/WvW Video requires the PvP/WvW side of the game to gain an update, and there are people who know more about the state of PvP/WvW than me, so I'll leave the deeper details to them. However, in my opinion, it'd be nice to see the Monthly Automated Tournament recorded and live-casted to be posted on the GW2 channel, to draw attention to the PvP scene. In addition to this, you could make a monthly WvW Developer Train? The Devs from NA and EU go to respective servers and fight against the community. Anyone that kills an Anet Dev gets a snazzy title like: "Breaker of the Fourth Wall" ;)

 

The Raid/Fractal Video should act exactly like the Twilight Oasis Video. Once it's released, explore the deeper intricacies of designing a Fractal or a Raid around a particular setting. Speak with the Raid/Fractal Developers!

 

And finally, every now and then, you could make Lore Spotlights. Explore the lore that you can't afford to spend time on in-game, like an extensive video on the Revenant that I know a lot of players are waiting to see. Consider making Spotlights that could leave teases for upcoming Patches, if people are perceptive enough. Generally, I hope that my ideas are well-received, but I'm aware that I talk a lot about a little. Have a snazzy day/evening/morning/week/month... etc. <3

 

EDIT: I mentioned Legendary Item Trailers: Speak with the Designers responsible for certain weapons and their ideas behind each one! Any lore snippets that they created for the weapon etc!

[TheExiled.2357]

> @"Twyn.7320" said:

> So, it's me again! Heya! I know, try to hold in your breath and prepare for a wave of new marketing ideas that aren't quite so new...

>

> Last time, I made a big statement about adding text to trailers and telling us what we need to know. However, I want to go a step further this time, and it might be a long read but I'm sure my thoughts will get across in some way:

>

> **We Need More Trailers**

>

> This is probably an extremely broad statement, but generally, I find it to be the case. However, this time, I'm not asking for cinematics. I'm asking this time for things such as Map Trailers, Lore Spotlights, Legendary Item Trailers, anything along these lines. So I went scrolling through the GW2 YouTube channel, and counted the amount of community videos, in relation to the amount of gameplay videos since the Daybreak Trailer (3 months), and I found 6 Community videos (Guild Chat, Interviews, Friend/Ships) and 1 Gameplay Video (Twilight Oasis). In comparison, I went to World of Warcraft's YouTube channel, and did the same. The results show a clear difference: 7 Community Videos (Live Q&As, BlizzCon Interviews etc.) and 12 Gameplay Videos (E-Sports, Cinematics, Trailers). I think this highlights a key area of interest for GW2, and especially the Marketing Team. Blizzard is already successful, and World of Warcraft is arguably the largest MMO, which a larger base of funding. However, they're maintaining their 'dominance' on the market, with broad presentations of their content.

>

> A similar example is the Path of Fire Announcement, where a range of snippets were published as videos on their own for Elite Specialisations and other aspects of the Expansion. However, I believe that this angle needs to be developed for the long-term. So I propose a new concept for advertising Living World Patches:

>

> **Release the Main Trailer (Narrative, Features etc.) > Release a Map Video > Release a Lore Video > Release a PvP/WvW Video > Release a Raid/Fractal Design Video.**

>

> So, I believe that this is a snazzy route to start with.

>

> The Features Trailer should act to inform us of what we'll be getting, and the general story that we'll be experiencing, just teasing us and creating hype.

>

> The Map Video should explore the reasons as to why the Map was fun to design, why players will enjoy exploring it, the Map Metas involved, and any sub-plots that could be expanded with community support. Speak with developers and gain their insights!

>

> The Lore Video should explore the deeper story, released potentially a week or two after the Patch's Launch with a Spoiler-Proof Title to avoid annoying those who haven't played it. Speak with veteran developers or key figures in the design of the narrative. Speak with voice actors to capture how they approached certain roles and emotions ahead of the scene. Tell us the intricate details of why you selected certain choices! We need to know these things! <3

>

> The PvP/WvW Video requires the PvP/WvW side of the game to gain an update, and there are people who know more about the state of PvP/WvW than me, so I'll leave the deeper details to them. However, in my opinion, it'd be nice to see the Monthly Automated Tournament recorded and live-casted to be posted on the GW2 channel, to draw attention to the PvP scene. In addition to this, you could make a monthly WvW Developer Train? The Devs from NA and EU go to respective servers and fight against the community. Anyone that kills an Anet Dev gets a snazzy title like: "Breaker of the Fourth Wall" ;)

>

> The Raid/Fractal Video should act exactly like the Twilight Oasis Video. Once it's released, explore the deeper intricacies of designing a Fractal or a Raid around a particular setting. Speak with the Raid/Fractal Developers!

>

> And finally, every now and then, you could make Lore Spotlights. Explore the lore that you can't afford to spend time on in-game, like an extensive video on the Revenant that I know a lot of players are waiting to see. Consider making Spotlights that could leave teases for upcoming Patches, if people are perceptive enough. Generally, I hope that my ideas are well-received, but I'm aware that I talk a lot about a little. Have a snazzy day/evening/morning/week/month... etc. <3

>

> EDIT: I mentioned Legendary Item Trailers: Speak with the Designers responsible for certain weapons and their ideas behind each one! Any lore snippets that they created for the weapon etc!

 

This. ^

[Mike Silbowitz.1827]

@"Twyn.7320"

 

Thank you so much for the thought and time put into your proposal. I really like what you have suggested a lot and would love to make it a reality. This would be a best in class way to detail our LW Episodes to the world. This could also be pretty costly and time consuming, which doesn't mean it can't be done, but may take time to turn this concept into a reality. I plan to share this with the team today and see what can be done but know that I read through this word for word and really like what has been proposed. It's a great way to continually engage with great video content.

[Mike Silbowitz.1827]

> @"Mike Silbowitz.1827" said:

> @"Twyn.7320"

>

> Thank you so much for the thought and time put into your proposal. I really like what you have suggested a lot and would love to make it a reality. This would be a best in class way to detail our LW Episodes to the world. This could also be pretty costly and time consuming, which doesn't mean it can't be done, but may take time to turn this concept into a reality. I plan to share this with the team today and see what can be done but know that I read through this word for word and really like what has been proposed. It's a great way to continually engage with great video content.

 

@"TheExiled.2357"

 

This. ^ :-P

[TheExiled.2357]

> @"Mike Silbowitz.1827" said:

> > @"Mike Silbowitz.1827" said:

> > @"Twyn.7320"

> >

> > Thank you so much for the thought and time put into your proposal. I really like what you have suggested a lot and would love to make it a reality. This would be a best in class way to detail our LW Episodes to the world. This could also be pretty costly and time consuming, which doesn't mean it can't be done, but may take time to turn this concept into a reality. I plan to share this with the team today and see what can be done but know that I read through this word for word and really like what has been proposed. It's a great way to continually engage with great video content.

>

> @"TheExiled.2357"

>

> This. ^ :-P

 

This, too. ^ ;)

[Twyn.7320]

> @"Mike Silbowitz.1827" said:

> @"Twyn.7320"

>

> Thank you so much for the thought and time put into your proposal. I really like what you have suggested a lot and would love to make it a reality. This would be a best in class way to detail our LW Episodes to the world. This could also be pretty costly and time consuming, which doesn't mean it can't be done, but may take time to turn this concept into a reality. I plan to share this with the team today and see what can be done but know that I read through this word for word and really like what has been proposed. It's a great way to continually engage with great video content.

 

Woo! Thank you for this reply! I know that I can be overly critical at times, but if I can do anything to help, just poke me! ;D

 

GW2 has a LOT of marketing potential, it just needs a few added tweaks and flair to engage MMO players beyond the existing playerbase. <3

[DMO.4158]

You need to do a better job communicating to new and returning players that;

 

A) there's been power creep since launch and there are 2 more tiers of gear that are locked behind crafting, raiding or.....ugggh....wvw.

 

B) that you've done a complete 180 on certain design philosophies and the game now contains raid content and the wonderful people that come with it.

 

I likely would have made a different decision had the 2 above things been made clear when reinstalling the game.

[videoboy.4162]

I think it would be cool if you took some of the older episode trailers and made them into TV/Internet commercials. Some of them (I'm not the best with names), like the one around the time of Lake Doric with Jennah talking about dumb it is of Kryta's enemies to attack them, are really well done and give a real sense of adventure. I think mixing some of the better ones together would really encourage new people to play the game. Include bits from the personal story and all the Living World episodes (except the first one, since we can't go back to that one.) Also add in some clips of your Devs playing WvW and PvP. That's important too!

[Twyn.7320]

@"Mike Silbowitz.1827", I put my money where my chatty, critical mouth is and went on a 5-6 hour journey to make a full Living World Season 3 Trailer. The music is the only thing outside of GW2, the rest is dialogue and cinematics from the game! Enjoy!

 

[Twyn.7320]

But yah, I hope the above can provide a bit of inspiration, maybe? It's definitely not pitch-perfect, but it's the best that I could do in 5-6 hours without fully isolated voice clips. ;D

[Elyssandariel.2679]

Twyn I'm gonna be honest. That was the BEST and MOST AWESOME trailer I have ever seen for GW2. They need to hire YOU and let us have some actual hype for this game. I thought there was going to be a huge campaign in February? All I saw was tell us about your friendship thing. I mean that's cute and all but.....not going to make someone who's not playing right now go "oh man I want to play too now!" That trailer would! Only thing I would do differently is to not show exactly what happened to Eir. Just for people still doing HOT for various reasons. Everything else was amazing!

[videoboy.4162]

> @"Twyn.7320" said:

> @"Mike Silbowitz.1827", I put my money where my chatty, critical mouth is and went on a 5-6 hour journey to make a full Living World Season 3 Trailer. The music is the only thing outside of GW2, the rest is dialogue and cinematics from the game! Enjoy!

>

>

 

Yes!! That's exactly what I was trying to suggest they do!! My only critique is that I would have left out that one scene with Eir, since it is a spoiler and she's such a big part of the Personal Story (especially for Norn). So, you get a 99/100!

[Twyn.7320]

> @"Elyssandariel.2679" said:

> Twyn I'm gonna be honest. That was the BEST and MOST AWESOME trailer I have ever seen for GW2. They need to hire YOU and let us have some actual hype for this game. I thought there was going to be a huge campaign in February? All I saw was tell us about your friendship thing. I mean that's cute and all but.....not going to make someone who's not playing right now go "oh man I want to play too now!" That trailer would! Only thing I would do differently is to not show exactly what happened to Eir. Just for people still doing HOT for various reasons. Everything else was amazing!

 

You're too nice! ;D>

 

@"videoboy.4162" said:

> > @"Twyn.7320" said:

> > @"Mike Silbowitz.1827", I put my money where my chatty, critical mouth is and went on a 5-6 hour journey to make a full Living World Season 3 Trailer. The music is the only thing outside of GW2, the rest is dialogue and cinematics from the game! Enjoy!

> >

> >

>

> Yes!! That's exactly what I was trying to suggest they do!! My only critique is that I would have left out that one scene with Eir, since it is a spoiler and she's such a big part of the Personal Story (especially for Norn). So, you get a 99/100!

 

Thank you! ;D

 

I kept the Eir clip in because it's such a huge part of Braham's arc, and a Trailer without the introduction just wouldn't fit the angle that I was going for! ;D

 

 

[Twyn.7320]

@"Mike Silbowitz.1827"

 

Oh, here's another video from me!