[arg_discuss] Copycat warning over alternative reality games

[Dan Hon]

The article in the magazine is actually much longer - I'm trying to  
get hold of a print copy at the moment. Suffice to say that we're  
trying really, really hard to stop talking about "ARGs" - instead  
talking about "traditional ARGs" and the new, more general, cross- 
platform entertainment/game hotness. Which, really, is just  
Interesting and Engaging Content, Optimised to the Medium and Platform  
It's Being Delivered On.

--
Dan Hon, CEO, Six to Start
m: +44 7870 600 828
t: +44 33 3340 7490, f: +44 33 3340 7494




On 9 Oct 2008, at 16:29, Adrian Hon wrote:


> Yeah, not a lot in that article surprises me; just confirms that these

> guys don't really understand what's going on. I don't really have a

> lot to offer this discussion other than saying 'I agree'. Certainly

> it's a shame that ARGs are being pigeonholed in this way (not that

> 'ARG' as a term holds a lot of useful meaning). Most of the

> interesting work is being done outside of marketing, right now.

>

> Adrian

>

> On Thu, Oct 9, 2008 at 4:02 PM, Brian Clark <bclark at gmdstudios.com>  

> wrote:

>> No one took "The Hand Grenade" Monello's bait, eh? No assist from  

>> me, sir:

>> this was what had me foaming at the mouth 2 ARGfests ago.

>>

>> "ARG" isn't just "a marketing approach" ... it is one that isn't  

>> even loved

>> by marketers. Attempts to reclaim in the word in non-ironic ways  

>> are doomed

>> to failure, which is why very few of us as practitioners use that  

>> word

>> anymore.

>>

>> Upsides are broader than even what "The Hand Grenade" suggests,  

>> though, as

>> his definition still doesn't provide a place for non-fiction in that

>> continuum. Or maybe what ever supplants ARG only cares about obvert  

>> fiction,

>> but the same principles work without having to play make believe.

>>

>> But in reality, that news story is no stranger than "Marketers Still

>> Struggle To Understand This Strange Nightmare World They Inherited".

>>

>> :)

>>

>> -----Original Message-----

>> From: arg_discuss-bounces at igda.org [mailto:arg_discuss-bounces at igda.org 

>> ] On

>> Behalf Of Mike Monello

>> Sent: Wednesday, October 08, 2008 10:52 AM

>> To: Discussion list of the IGDA ARG SIG

>> Subject: [arg_discuss] Copycat warning over alternative reality games

>>

>> Stories like this are why I always bristle against defining an ARG  

>> versus

>> living under a looser definition such as cross-media narrative or  

>> similar.

>>

>> I still maintain we are (or should be) in a period of extreme

>> experimentation, the results of which will ultimately define what  

>> it is and

>> what the sub-genres or styles are. When we codify a strict  

>> definition around

>> ARG, we turn it into a series of tactics rather than a formal  

>> structure

>> under which an infinite variety of projects can live. When people  

>> use the

>> term "ARG," it should be the way people use "sitcom" or "soap- 

>> opera" -- only

>> a specific form of cross media engagement.

>>

>>

>> http://www.nma.co.uk/Articles/39895/Copycat+warning+over+alternative+reality

>> +games.html

>>

>> Copycat warning over alternative reality games

>>

>> Platform: Internet | Author: Luan Goldie | Source: nma.co.uk |  

>> Published:

>> 08.10.08

>>

>> Brands are being warned against rashly adopting alternate reality  

>> games

>> (ARGs) as their use as immersive brand experiences takes off.

>>

>> Cancer Research, Red Cross and Puffin (whose Young Bond ARG ends  

>> this week),

>> are among the recent wave of brands to join the new trend for  

>> creating ARGs,

>> which aim to engage consumers in connected online and offline  

>> activities.

>>

>> Early ARGs have been successful. McDonald's The Lost Ring game,  

>> supporting

>> its sponsorship of the Beijing...

>>

>> ... Olympics, attracted more than 2.5m people in 100 countries, for  

>> example.

>> However, the online industry has urged brands to be cautious about  

>> adopting

>> them ad the next craze.

>>

>> Toby Feldman, marketing director for wrestling federation WWE, said  

>> the

>> organisation had looked at ARGs as a marketing technique but  

>> decided it

>> would not be an appropriate engagement tool.

>>

>> "It's down to the brand you have. One size never fits all, and if  

>> it's not

>> relevant then it can very quickly become gimmicky," said Feldman.  

>> "If you're

>> first to do something then it will work as it will stir interest and

>> publicity."

>>

>> "Everyone looks for innovative ways to get messages across but if  

>> too many

>> others follow suit then it becomes run of mill and waters down its

>> effectiveness," he added.

>>

>> Likewise, Rei Inamoto, co-chief creative officer at AKQA's US  

>> office, the

>> agency behind McDonald's The Lost Ring, said, "I do feel that ARGs  

>> are a bit

>> of a fad right now. If agencies and clients do it blindly just  

>> because it's

>> the buzzword, it will just lead to copycat tactics."

>>

>> However, Alex Miller, head of Jam, i-level's social media  

>> department, said

>> it was clear why ARGs are becoming popular among brands looking to  

>> create

>> strong brand connections. "If the buzzwords at the moment are  

>> audience

>> participation, interaction and empowerment then a branded ARG, if  

>> executed

>> well, ticks all of those boxes," he said.

>>

>> Adrian Hon, chief creative officer at ARG specialist Six to Start,  

>> which

>> recently rolled out a cross-media competition for Penguin called We  

>> Tell

>> Stories, agreed that interest was growing. "It hasn't happened  

>> overnight,

>> but we're now getting brands coming to us all the time. Two years  

>> ago we had

>> to explain what these games were for, but now it's very popular and  

>> we're

>> getting approached all the time."

>>

>> Other major brands, while not ruling out ARGs feel it's too early  

>> to make

>> the investment. Emma Jenkins, head of interactive marketing at  

>> Procter &

>> Gamble, said, "It's still very new and gaming is evolving so rapidly.

>> Anything we do has to stay in line with our consumers, so we  

>> wouldn't rule

>> it out completely. We'd look at it, but not yet."

>>

>> Audi's UK PR manager David Ingram agreed. In 2005, Audi US launched  

>> ARG The

>> Art of the Heist, which encouraged players to find a stolen Audi  

>> A3. The

>> game had more than half a million participants and created over  

>> 4,000 test

>> drives.

>>

>> "We're a bit more traditional," said Ingram. "ARGs have never been  

>> on the

>> cards for us. We've run campaigns on PlayStation and we're  

>> confident in

>> doing that, but not ARGs yet."

>>

>> ARGs utilise media across multiple platforms, including mobile,  

>> print,

>> outdoor and online, with the player often able to influence the  

>> story. The

>> first ARG was The Beast, used to promote the film Artificial  

>> Intelligence,

>> with players taking part in a game that incorporated websites, email,

>> telephone conversations.

>>

>> Sky won an nma Effectiveness Award in 2007 for its ARG for TV show  

>> 24. Last

>> week the Red Cross launched its Traces of Hope ARG to raise  

>> awareness of

>> civilians separated from their friends and families due to  

>> conflicts around

>> the world.

>>

>>

>>

>>

>>

>> ---

>> Mike Monello

>> Partner, Campfire

>> http://www.campfirenyc.com

>>

>>

>>

>>

>>

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>>

>>

>

>

>

> -- 

> Adrian Hon - mssv.net

> Chief Creative at Six to Start - www.sixtostart.com

> Founder of Let's Change the Game - www.letschangethegame.org

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