Research 1.2 LDekker

8/6/2019 Research 1.2 LDekker

1/11

You think this is a game?

B r a n d - e n g a g e m e n t t h r o u g h g a m e - f a n - c u l t u r e s

Ludwine Dekker | 355 4090 | Game Studies | Paper version 2


2/11

Abstract

This essay will highlight what it is that game-fans do, that can be beneficial to brands.

In order to do so, the cross-roads of brand-person and game-person touch points will

be highlighted. This means I will look at brand-engagement and players as fans,

instead of e.g. brand-strategy and game-mechanics.


3/11

Introduction

Some of the most popular games create massive amount of fans and players (). So

much in fact, that it can be the arguable desire of any brand to be 'like a game'. What

is it about games that is so utterly attractive that players are willing to pay money,

invest (yyy- some interesting data-yyy)? Gamebrander.com (2011) has a list of several

reasons why brands should use games, including a fun experience for (potential)

customers and making the customer want to interact with your brand. Another

example is Zed-Axis, a digital advertising company, who claims that The interactive

elements of a game create a relationship between the product and the customer that

leads to an overall enhanced corporate brand experience1. However, these claims are

not grounded in research. It is the goal of this essay to further research what games

can do brands. This does not mean I will look at how (elements of) games can be put to

use to enhance branding, but that brands will be approached from the perspective of

game studies. The difference between these two is that the hyped approach to

games as a branding-tool will be avoided and is replaced by critical approach towards

brands. The game becomes a magnifier to further research branding in depth, rather

then a tool.

However, both concepts (brands and games) are too extensive to cover here. In order

to say something useful a specification is needed, and therefore I will research the

core of both concepts and how they relate to each other. In the case of games, the

core is the player, seeing that a game without a player is no game1. The whole set of

definitions (Huizinga 1951, Collois 2006: 122-155, ) becomes useless when there is

no-one involved. Branding too is a large concept and I will focus on

brand-engagement specifically because it is such a core goal within the overall

branding process:

Today brands are no longer understood as trademarks; they

are not asking you to keep your hands off. Rather, theyre an

invitation to participate, to actively construct meaning. This is

a key point brands need interaction and engagement,

otherwise they remain empty vessels.

1 http://www.zed-axis.com/OnlinePromotion/BrandGames.aspxhttp://www.gamebrander.com/why.aspx

1 Rodriguez refers to the role of the player as Playing makes sense to the player..

http://gamestudies.org/0601/articles/rodriges
http://www.zed-axis.com/OnlinePromotion/BrandGames.aspxhttp://www.gamebrander.com/why.aspxhttp://gamestudies.org/0601/articles/rodrigeshttp://www.gamebrander.com/why.aspxhttp://gamestudies.org/0601/articles/rodrigeshttp://www.zed-axis.com/OnlinePromotion/BrandGames.aspx


4/11

Brand researcher and philosopher Martin Korenberger in

reference to Chief Marketing Officer of Deloitte David

Redhill)

Brian Phipps, a brand strategy expert2, defines brand engagement as the interactive

process of moving the customer forward, to a stronger sense of self, and to a higher

plane of being and doing . In addition he claims that The goal of brand engagement

is to create the customers who will drive the business forward. Brand engagements

are platform engagements. (Tenayagroup.com). The CEO of eMarketeer, Geoff

Ramsey, mentions that a grip on digital engagement is needed now more then ever,

seeing how fast the (online) advertising environment is changing and continues to

change (Harden & Heyden 2009). Bill Gates mentioned that companies will operate in

a digital nervous system (Kotler 2009). If this digital nervous system in the sense of

a metaphor is anything close to a biological nervous system, it will somehow serve our

five senses which Martin Lindstrom, self acclaimed 'brand futurist'

(Martinlindstrom.com), has identified as crucial to create emotional engagement with

the brand (2005, 107).

Phipps mentions four problems in brand engagement that deserve further scrutiny.

First, the company treats customers as separated from them; second, customers are

seen as an audience; third, brand engagement is seen as a way of persuasion instead of

adding value to a brand, and finally; the company tries to contain the customers.

These problems will be looked at from a fan-theory perspective, using the extensive

fan-base that popular games have (source/ Gigaom.com). The reason to do so is

triple. First, the earlier mentioned player-as-core; second, the idea that brands need

to allow 'participation'; and finally, Jenkins definition of a fan: A person "becomes a

fan not by being a regular viewer of a particular program but by translating that

viewing into some type of cultural activity .... For fans, consumption sparks

production, reading generates writing, until the terms seem logically inseparable".

(Harrington & Bielby, 1995: 12).

2 http://tenayagroup.com/Company.htm


5/11

The company - customer chasm

This problems refers to a 'we' vs. 'them'; the consumer is not an inherit part of the

company. Differently put, the fan is not a member of a (brand) community. Instead of

this, the customer is targeted and sold to (Phipps). This means there are two

problems, first the company is not a community and their brand is a 'label' more then

an inherit value that creates company culture, and second, the customer is therefore

unable to be part of a brand community, because the brand is a label.

Korenberger mentions ING as a company that is doing it right (explain)

In this example we see that brand-engagement is based on the useful exchange

of values, instead of imposing values. Fan-theory expert Matt Hills (2002: 8-10)

explains the difference between the two as a focus on monetary valueexchange rooted in a capitalist ideology, and the actual value of the exchanged

object which can be traced in what people actually do with the object. This

could be seen as the difference between buying a game because it exerts the

values 'fun' and 'leisure activity' for which one is willing to pay, and the actual

actions a buyer finally undertakes. For example, joining a game-wiki,

introducing or helping noobs, visiting game camps, creating fan-art, modding,

etc. Here, the difference between 'consumer' and 'fan' becomes clear. In the

last case the brand-engagement can be said be much stronger (see

ING-example). Value exchange takes place in communities (takes place in

communities (Jenkins, participatory culture, p. 140).

However, this does not mean that the chasm between a company and its fans

has disappeared. In order to facilitate such interactions with a brand,

companies can take the example of games at heart (examples of games that

facilitate such interaction; e.g. modding kits/manuals, wiki's, etc., and

emphasise HOW they did + what the result was).

Conclusion: it is beneficial for companies to 1) reduce the chasm by making

their brand a 'culture' instead of a label, 2) to do this in a way that games do.


6/11

Customers as audience

The problem of the consumers as audience is partially discussed above, but what remains to

be highlighted is the exact benefit of investing in brand-culture-environments. One of the

specific brand-fan activities is modding, and this paragraph will focus how the cultural value

of this activity translates to value for branding. There are two main gains for companies that

are emphasised by game-fan-culture specifically. First, monetary value, and second,

innovative value.

julian kucklich: monetary value (Computer Gaming World, 2003)

Prugl: innovative value (For example, Franke and Piller (2004) and Schreier (2006)

have shown in experiments that the added value exceeds 100% in terms of the users

willingness to pay for self-designed versus standard products.) Conclusion: modding can be valuable for brand in terms of monetary value and

innovative value, but two important disclaimers need to be made. First, not all brands

are suitable for modding. First, the some products are not easy to 'mod'. For example,

one can argue that modding already happens when we look at nutrition products that

as a marketing promotion let participants exchange or compete through entering

recipes. However, a brand is not merely a product but rather a desire (Korenberger),

and in this sense, the brand-engagement is based on a single marketing promotion. In

order to gain sustainable results, brand-fans should be given the opportunity to

continue their participation (Burkas). Second, participation should be voluntary

(Burkas, Kotler, Korenberger, Rodriguez on serious games, Calleja).


7/11

Persuasion vs. added value

Brands should not be about persuasion and selling (Phipps). Instead co-creation and

delivering value should be the main points to focus on. The value of co-creation has been

highlighted in the last paragraph, and this paragraph will focus on delivering value. The

earlier reference to Gates and Lindstrom makes clear that all encompassing experience of

the sense is needed to create emotional engagement. Experiencing the brand through all five

sense combined is crucial3. I will use the concept of immersion to further explain the

experience a consumer should have when engaging with a brand.

brand experience is: (Brakus et. al., 2009): Brand experience is

conceptualized as sensations, feelings, cognitions, and behavioral responses

evoked by brand-related stimuli that are part of a brands design and identity,

packaging, communications, and environments. The authors distinguishseveral experience dimensions and construct a brand experience scale that

includes four dimensions: sensory, affective, intellectual, and behavioral.

use immersion to pinpoint these four dimensions

Calleja 133: Digital games on the other hand computerized operations:

relate to 'digital nerve system' with disclaimer that not all senses are

included, but in addition mention that Lindstrom mentions that not always all

five senses should be emphasised equally (depending on the product: eg. Food

taste, paper haptic). Also refer to future haptic game experiences and

how this could relate to brand experience of e.g. fashion products.

Brand experience (Ben-telecom example (Korenberger) ): how different

games foster different experiences (Silent Hill for horror movies vs. The Sims:

lifestyle product kits such as IKEA/ H&M)

Conclusion: when we look at brand experience as an 'immersive' experience

there is a lot to learn from game-fan-cult. A successful experience can lead to

more customer loyalty (Brakus, Harden & Heyman) but is hard to achieve.

Incorporation is the best aim from a branding perspective (rather then

immersion) because it allows for 'brand-incorporation' to be achieved, since

immersion (read: distraction) is not always preferred.

3 Disclaimer: 5 senses-engagement differs per product: eg. 'taste' for food-products, 'smell' for parfum,

etc.


8/11

Customer loyalty

Use the calleja accounts of fans who tell what they experience when playing the

game. Brand goals and game goals sustainability in the long run/ customer

loyalty. How do games create fans fan-accounts on why they want to play a game.

Calleja 138: Why do you keep coming back

Brakus et al, p.13: Finally, it has been shown that consumer satisfaction affects loyalty.

When a consumer feels good about the relationship and appreciates the product or

brand, a high level of commitment and loyalty results (Anderson and Sullivan 1993;

Mittal and Kamakura 2001; Oliver 1997). Thus: H6: Consumer satisfaction affects

consumer loyalty positively (D&G tattoo examples for brands)


9/11

Conclusion

Game-fans are unique in their effort to contribute to the game

However, the ideologies (respect, equal value exchange, choice, 'community spirit')

of game-fan-cultures should be strived for by brands in order to create brand-fans

Some of the fan-activities (modding) can have 'real' benefits for brands

These principles are not blindly transferable

More research is needed due to the complex nature of brands (I have only discussed

brand-engagement) and games (not all games are the same and harbour the same

'type' of active fans)


10/11

Summary

Phenomenon/ case

followers of wow

Relevance/motivation

gaming has very loyal/a lot of fans; this would be very interesting for branding to

research how it can benefit them

Theories/models

fan theory

Method

case study

Thesis

brand engagement wants to be a game


11/11

Bibliography

Branding

Martin Lindstrom

Scholtz

Mathieson

Braun

Shaughnessy

Kotler

Till & Heckle

Harden & Heyman

Haig

Ries

Games

Miller

Sihvonen

Loguidice & Barton

Newman

Raessens

Huizinga

Jenkins

Aarseth

Calleja

Media theory (used for analysis of branding & games)

Sellen

Latour

Gibson

Lister et. al.

Van Der Hoek

Documents

Research 1.2 LDekker