diegesis marketing

We're going to Washington and Montreal

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:36:00 +0000

The team is really excited! We are going to be featured as speakers in two of the serious games industry's most important conference, MODSIM (Washington) and the MIGS (Montreal) where we will teach the finer points of character development in the simulation arena.

Read about it at www.modsimworld2008.com and http://www.sijm.ca/2008/en.

See you there!

Digital Advertising Spends Increases in 2007

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 08 May 2008 14:49:00 +0000

More about that in AdAge's annual survey.

Press Release: Popularmedia Launches Social Media Marketing Suite

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 08 May 2008 14:46:00 +0000

Advanced Reports, Analytics and Optimization Engine Drives Sales, Leads, and Revenue through the Power of Consumer Social Networks

San Francisco, CA - May 6, 2008 - PopularMedia, the leading provider of social media marketing solutions, today announced a suite of products designed to help companies maximize the impact of online word-of-mouth channels to deliver leads, sales and revenue growth through trusted consumer social networks.

"Marketers and publishers alike are wrestling with how to monetize social media," said Jim Calhoun, CEO of PopularMedia. "Our suite of solutions are proven to deliver more value to advertisers, more engaging experiences for consumers, and better results through the power of predictive analytics and optimization."

The social media marketing suite allows marketers and agencies to publish, measure, and optimize online word-of-mouth programs; identify and target influential consumers and social networks; and facilitate consumer-to-consumer sharing through email, blogs, and social network sites. PopularMedia's technology measures and optimizes every aspect of its online word-of-mouth programs, including consumer-to-consumer sharing activity, impact on transactions, targeted consumer actions, and consumer messaging and applies sophisticated algorithms to optimize campaign performance.

To date, PopularMedia programs have touched over 40 million consumers. IGG.com, Oddcast, Omaha Steaks, Shoebuy, and Zecco are just a sample of customers, agencies and partners that have identified influential consumers and are generating real ROI through PopularMedia's solutions.

PopularMedia's social media marketing suite consists of enterprise-level strategic products and services and easy-to-use sharing tools, all delivered on a Software as a Service platform.

PopularMedia Conversation, the company's flagship product, is a word-of-mouth campaign management platform allowing marketers to create, publish and test a range of social media experiences. The system uses predictive analytics to identify the combination of factors that will lead to maximum distribution through social networks while achieving a marketer's targeted objectives.
PopularMedia Insights provides real-time, actionable intelligence into consumers' online social activities, motivations, and technology usage, enabling marketers to make more informed marketing decisions.
PopularMedia Importer is an easy to configure web service API which lets website visitors quickly import contact information from their existing web-based address books. Importing from Yahoo, Gmail, AOL, MSN/Hotmail and LinkedIn is supported. Users get easy access to their address books. PopularMedia Importer is available free at http://www.popularmedia.com/solutions/api_form.php. Real-time usage reporting is available for an additional fee.

"PopularMedia allows us to enable an important distribution service to our users. Our users create user-generated avatars and constantly share their speaking avatars with their friends and family. Through PopularMedia Importer, we can empower our users to easily and seamlessly select from their various address books rather than having to manually type in contact emails, which inspires the 'send-along process' and drives a greater level of viral distribution for our users' creations and ultimately, our products and platforms."

Consumers are flooded with information from a variety of channels, and are turning away from traditional media networks in favor of personal, socially connected networks. This shift has turned consumers into powerful influencers who directly impact a marketer's bottom line. In October 2007, a Nielsen study found that consumer recommendations are the most trusted form of advertising around the world. Over three-quarters of respondents from 47 markets across the world rated recommendations from consumers as a trusted form of advertising.

Availability

PopularMedia's social media marketing suite is available direct from the company or through its growing network of agency partners. Clients can select products based on their need or purchase the Influencer Edition which combines PopularMedia Insights, PopularMedia Conversation, and creative and strategic services to help clients quickly deploy high impact social media marketing programs.

About PopularMedia

PopularMedia offers a suite of social media marketing solutions and services that help global brands and agencies turn consumers into powerful influencers. Our solutions leverage social and online media networks to create fast-growing, sustainable, and measurable word-of-mouth (WOM) programs that deliver new customers, leads, sales, and targeted traffic, and a socially connected consumer database for future marketing initiatives. PopularMedia has created programs for more than 125 customers across the publishing, entertainment, e-commerce, financial services, technology, and telecom industries. PopularMedia is based in San Francisco and backed by Sequoia Capital and Steamboat Ventures. For more information, please visit: www.popularmedia.com

Globe and Mail Article: Canadian Forces mine benefits of 3-D sims

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 08 May 2008 14:18:00 +0000

Read it here.

May Reading List

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:39:00 +0000

Herodotus - The Histories (Still at it),
Marcus-Aurelius - The Meditations (second or third reading, still good and inspirational)
Marketing Channels - Coughlan, Anne; Anderson, Erin; Stern, Louis W.
Engaging Learning: Designing e-Learning Simulation Games - Clark N. Quinn

PRESS RELEASE: Adler Direct Launches Free New Direct Marketing Resource at AdlerDirect.com

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:35:00 +0000

Articles, Blogs, and Case Studies are being made available for Numerous Industries Including Real Estate, Auto Dealerships, Insurance Industry, Plastic Surgery, Fitness Facilities, and Retail. Content covers Direct Mail, Email Marketing, and Personal URLs, as well as the latest communication strategies.

Charlotte, NC (PRWEB) May 5, 2008 -- Adler Direct, a division of Adler Marketing Group has just launched a comprehensive and free resource to help companies learn more about direct marketing and email marketing. The site is updated frequently with some of the newest content available.

"We're very excited about this new resource," said Cisco Adler, President of Adler Direct. "Few companies are in the position to really understand how to make their direct marketing more successful. We help educate them on the importance of testing, tracking, and frequency."

With numerous clients in multiple industries, Adler Direct has years of experience in all aspects of direct marketing and email marketing and looks to share this experience with companies.

"When I talk to new clients I tell them about the 4T's of direct marketing. Usually, they say 'you mean the 4P's?' and I say, 'no, the 4T's - Test, Track, Test, Track! In sales, they say to "always be closing." In direct marketing, you must "always be testing!"

With all the new integrated marketing strategies using direct mail and email strategies and technologies such as Personal URLs, there is so much opportunity for marketers today. Just never forget the importance of the list, the message, the creative, and product/service.

About Adler Direct
Adler Direct is a Charlotte-based direct marketing company located in Lake Norman North Carolina. Founded by Cisco Adler of Adler Marketing Group, Adler Direct is a premier direct marketing strategist and provides turnkey direct mail and email marketing for companies in numerous industries. For more information contact Cisco Adler at Cisco @ AdlerDirect.com

Monster.com Founder Starts Social Networking Site for the Dead

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:31:00 +0000

Wired has it all here. I'd rather keep photos of my dear departed ones. Or hold on to their ashes.

'The Truth About Casual Gaming'?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:26:00 +0000

Nice rosy article about the state of 'casual gaming'. Once again, we can sense that some things are better left unsaid (what? The biggest sellers are casino games? Couldn't be... Aren't they thriving in a grey legal area?). Anyway, I'm getting myself a coffee after reading this. I'm not really civilized when I hear these things...

'Grand Theft Auto" simplifies song purchasing

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:22:00 +0000

Could it be that mindless violence and the old American 'self-made man' ethics makes players crave certain songs? Click here to read a Billboard article on the use of video games to sell mp3.

MTV Keeps Up With Digital Teen Culture

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:19:00 +0000

Grassroot promotional efforts, play up the branded-entertainment content, social media... Yep. MTV is sure doing well on the Web. Read an Adage interview with MTV Networks Chairman-CEO Judy McGrawth after the jump.

Washington Post, others introduce online bracket-style games

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:16:00 +0000

In a bid to regain a little bit more readership, and probably add value as well, the Washington Post has added some promotional games to its usual fare. Read all about it here.

NY Gets Tough On Piracy

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:14:00 +0000

Strange but true... Click here to read Cinematical's post.

Microsoft Gets In On ITune Action

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:10:00 +0000

Zune service to compete with online titan, iTunes -- Microsoft is finally going after the TV download market with its Zune device and online network. More in this Hollywood Reporter article.

Ian Bogost on In-Game Advertising

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 05 May 2008 14:53:00 +0000

Tauted a couple of years ago as the best way to advertise to 18-34, in-game ads have yet to fulfill this promise. Here's a nice article on the subject written by Ian Bogost in the Guardian. Click here to read the whole thing.

How to Adapt a Teen Soap for a Social Network

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 15:13:00 +0000

Sony Pictures has recently begun streaming a teen soap with a difference on Bebo, a social network catering to teen users: users have a say in the development of the story. Read all bout it here.

New Study: Casual Games Puts You in A Great Mood!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 15:02:00 +0000

Popcap has just released a new study stating that casual games puts you in a good mood.

Wow. I must be the only guy on the planet that gets depressed when playing a casual game (is it sarcasm i'm sensing here...). Other ideas for similar research:

RPGs have a tendency to stimulate imagination
FSPs makes you more agressive
Drinking makes you drunk

In case you want to read the whole thing, click here.

Apple to Open iPhone Platform to 3rd Party Developers

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 14:16:00 +0000

Apple has announced that it will open up its iPhone platform, via what is called a software development kit (SDK), to third-party mobile software developers. And, of course, marketers are expected to rush in... More about this after the jump.

Microsoft's Live Mesh: Too Good to Be True?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:10:00 +0000

Developers are questioning Microsoft's commitment to make Live Mesh an open source environment... especially considering that Mac won't be part of the launch. Read all about it in this BBC story.

NASA Cuts MMO Budget from 3 Millions to... 0

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:46:00 +0000

Nasa has asked MMO developers to develop NASA-themed MMO for free... Its commitmen will now be restricted at providing subject matter experts. Their new approach will be more along the lines of providing an IP that developers will be able to exploit along the lines of what is going on in Hollywood. More about this in Gamasutra (click here for full story).

This decision implies - of course - the need for developers to find new business models for their serious games. Here's an interesting post about the subject on elianealhadeff.blogspot.com.

US Spies Training with Serious Games

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:41:00 +0000

Wired has published a very interesting story about the use of serious games to train America's Secret Services. Read all bout it here.

Press Release: Technicolor and CinemaNow Partner to Offer Retailers an Optimized Digital Movie Solution

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:34:00 +0000

BURBANK, Calif. and MARINA DEL REY, Calif. -- April 15, 2008 -- Technicolor, the Services Division of Thomson (Euronext 18453; NYSE: TMS), and CinemaNow, an innovator in digital entertainment technology, delivering high-quality Hollywood movies, TV shows and music videos to users across multiple platforms, announced today that the two companies have partnered to offer online retailers a better way to deliver the digital content consumers are demanding.

Under the new partnership, Technicolor and CinemaNow will provide a seamless, fully-integrated platform for the electronic delivery of movies, TV shows, music and software to consumers via a broadband Internet connection. This platform will include content encoding and encryption, digital rights management (DRM), hosting and storage, promotions and ad management, streaming or download delivery, order fulfillment, reporting, and forensics. This end-to-end delivery channel will utilize Technicolor’s purpose-built infrastructure and CinemaNow’s well-developed storefront and Media Manager application to facilitate new and exciting developments in electronic content distribution.

Online retailers wishing to enter the digital market or to replace legacy solutions will benefit from optimized user interfaces, streamlined infrastructure and an extensive reporting system provided by the end-to-end offering that CinemaNow and Technicolor’s Electronic Distribution Services (EDS) business will offer. Emerging digital delivery services such as e-Copy and second session, which are supplementary digital versions of physical DVDs purchased at retail stores, and online downloads will work across CinemaNow’s entire ecosystem of compatible consumer electronic devices including PCs, portable media players (PMP), digital television sets (DTV), set top boxes (STB), and network attached storage (NAS) devices from manufacturers such as Archos, Dish Network, HP, and Samsung.

Scott Dougall, senior vice president and general manager of Technicolor EDS, said, “This is the next stage in the evolution of the broadband digital supply chain. As the distribution of content transitions from physical to digital, a new streamlined infrastructure is required. The partnership between CinemaNow and Technicolor will bring together and unify two major pieces of a traditionally fragmented solution.”

Under the terms of the partnership, CinemaNow and Technicolor will also collaborate on special projects including adding HD movies to CinemaNow’s library of more than 10,000 titles available via embedded stores and consumer electronic devices. The partnership will also enable CinemaNow to expand internationally, leveraging Technicolor’s digital supply chain services including preparing and hosting movies with subtitles and foreign language audio tracks.

“As an innovator in this industry, CinemaNow always seeks to partner with those that share our vision of creating an unparalleled consumer experience.” said David Cook, president and COO of CinemaNow. “By combining Technicolor’s superior infrastructure with our proven distribution technology, our goal is to provide the most effective way to date for online retailers to deliver digital entertainment to their customers.”

Founded in 2007, Technicolor EDS (www.technicolor.com/eds) addresses the growing need for digital content distribution services in the media and entertainment industries. Its business model is unique, and unlike other outsourced content delivery networks that only distribute content, Technicolor EDS offers clients a comprehensive suite of end-to-end or a la carte services – from content preparation and digital rights management to global distribution and reporting. Technicolor EDS also provides a host of online services to help bring new and innovative Internet-based connectivity functions for digital copy DVDs and emerging interactive features for Blu-ray discs.

About Thomson — World leader in digital video technologies Thomson (Euronext Paris: 18453; NYSE: TMS) provides technology, services, and systems to the Media, Entertainment & Communications players – content creators, content distributors and broadcasters – and supports them in order to help them to improve their commercial offers and their performance in a rapidly changing technology environment. For more information: www.thomson.net

About CinemaNow
CinemaNow, Inc. is an innovator in digital entertainment technology, delivering high-quality Hollywood movies, TV shows and music videos to users across multiple platforms. Founded in 1999, CinemaNow has partnered with some of the biggest brands in consumer electronics and digital entertainment including ARCHOS, EchoStar Communications, Hewlett-Packard, Macrovision, Microsoft, Samsung and Sonic Solutions to deliver thousands of video titles directly to consumers. CinemaNow works with more than 250 licensors including 20th Century Fox, ABC News, Disney, HDNet, Lionsgate, MGM, Miramax, NBC Universal, New Line Cinema, Paramount Pictures, Sony, Sundance Channel and Warner Bros. For more information: www.cinemanow.com

New Movie Download Service for PS3

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:31:00 +0000

Read the LA Times article here.

Marvel Entertainment Lands Ira Rubenstein to Lead Digital Strategy

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:29:00 +0000

More about it here.

When Casual Games Go Against The Grain...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 15:38:00 +0000

Multiplayer Casual Games.
MMO Casual Games.
Casual RPG.

Ad Nauseam.

What's wrong with this picture?

Many studios and developers are betting that the future of the casual game market is in multiplayer games. And this line of thought is in danger of contaminating the serious games market.

Most casual game users are looking for a quick gaming fix. That's why one of the most successful game ever is (tada) Solitaire. It's free, easy to learn, and deliver. You don't need a powerful PC to run it. You don't need to be a computer whiz. You don't have to wait for another player to log on. You don't have to deal with other aggressive players that want to compete with them. Unless it's Poker.

Casual gamers are a fickle bunch. They're either occasional computer users (emails and word processing software) or dormant gamers (i.e. gamers who don't have time to play because they now have kids and lack time). They want a game that's easy and fast. Immediate. And free. And with no headaches.

When engaged in a Serious Games, users are reluctant to be exposed to a very competitive multiplayer environment. Here's a post that argues that the future of serious games is tied to single-player environments, not multiplayer. Read it here.

Producer launches online 'studio'

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 15:29:00 +0000

Read all about it in this BBC article here.