[arg_discuss] is ARG just a marketing technique to the press?

[Dan Hon]

I'd add Year Zero, too. At least, if we take as read the public story  
of Trent funding the project.

And I note that there'll be a Cathy's Book sequel coming out soon, too!

Oh, and Perplex City. Ish.

On 10 Jan 2008, at 15:12, Michael Monello wrote:


> There have been ARGs (or ARG like projects) that were not marketing  

> campaigns but instead capitalized on one piece of media to generate  

> revenue. I would suggest Blair Witch, Freakylinks, Nothing So  

> Strange, and Cathy's Book as projects that were truly cross-media  

> rather than marketing campaigns for a films, books or tv shows.  

> Despite how mass media may have characterized some of them, they  

> were all developed to be cross media narratives, not marketing  

> campaigns supporting a property.

>

> Since so many marketing ARGs have been for entertainment properties  

> it's hard to make a distinction, but I believe there is one to be  

> made, as in the above examples the creators of the ARG also were  

> creators and owners of the exploitable properties.

>

> Obviously there's a risk involved in this model -- some of these  

> were more successful financially than others, but they are all in  

> their own way tackling the economic issue.

>

> Best,

>

> Michael Monello

> Partner, Campfire

> 62 White Street, 3W

> New York, NY 10013

> 212-612-9600

> http://www.campfirenyc.com

>

>

>

> On Jan 10, 2008, at 8:46 AM, Kristian Leth DR wrote:

>

>> Hi Brian,

>>

>>

>> "What are the upsides to ARGs being collective, hyped, anti- 

>> establishment

>> and not suitable for classic marketing channels? What are the  

>> possiblities

>> within those boundaries?"

>>

>> You wrote:

>> I'm not sure I completely buy how you got to this analogy, Kristian.

>> Comparing ARGing to the "music industry" or the "game industry" is  

>> really

>> requires that we think there is an "ARG industry" (there isn't) and  

>> that it

>> has established structures that can be disintermediated (there  

>> aren't.)

>>

>> I say:

>> I'm not comparing the two as "industries", I'm trying to make the  

>> point that trying to fit a square peg into a round hole can be very  

>> bothersome, and might not be the only way forward.

>>

>> You wrote:

>> Anything that aggregates attention has the potential to leverage that

>> attention towards marketing something. Heck, they put  

>> advertisements on

>> zambonis at hockey matches, because they tend to collect attention  

>> from

>> people in the crowds (but the zamboni isn't on the ice to produce a

>> marketing effect, it is there to smooth the ice!)

>>

>> I say:

>> I actually think that the marketing ARGs have so far been the most  

>> intruiging and enjoyable, and if you can do something as cool as  

>> The Beast, ilovebees or Art Of The Heist then I envy you. But parts  

>> of this discussion is "how can we change this genre into a  

>> commercially viable one (like the _other_ game forms) without  

>> changing what's integral to ARGs?" And while that's an interesting  

>> discussion, I think maybe the economic model has to grow - on its  

>> own - around a genre that believes in itself and operates on its  

>> own terms. And we're nowhere near that yet. (And that's where the  

>> music analogy comes into the picture.)

>>

>> Because this thing has grown out of the most unlikely places. ARGs  

>> have found their form through a mix of marketing ploys and grass- 

>> roots endeavors, and I think that that's pretty special. My point  

>> is probably that I think the focus in this genre for the immediate  

>> future is exploring, expanding and having fun with the genre, out  

>> of love for it. The money isn't going to magically appear in loads,  

>> when somebody figures out "How To Do It".

>>

>> For god's sake, those of us who can make money out of it should  

>> KEEP DOING IT (and share the info!). But if that's the only reason  

>> we're here, then we're probably on our way to doing something that  

>> we know will put food on our tables. Let's keep it adventurous yet.

>>

>> The Romantic

>> Kristian

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