Viral Marketing: You Are Doing It Wrong!

Date: 05-24-2009 Views:
KeyWord: viral marketing, doing it wrong, free mmorpg, forum, marketing arm
Summary: I don’t really get it, but most of the F2Ps that have their “marketing arm”, are taking the viral marketing approach (in other words spam, spam, spam) in trying to market their game. Their mindset is that as long as the name of the game is posted in the forum, website or whatever it is online then its good.
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The article is from MMOsite Writer Club member ninjarantguy.

DoingItWrong6.jpgIf you haven’t noticed (unless your that blind or too inconsequential to care about your surroundings), some of the people you would find in gaming forums seem to have a one track mind (and a one track train of thought to boot).
You would always see them post this:  “THIS GAME (insert game title here) IS SO EFFING COOL!

COME ON! TRY IT TRY IT!” or some other lines to that effect, if you are practically a noob when it comes to forum lingo (as most people I meet online are), you sir, have been subject to a spam attack by some marketer that was tasked by the upper echelons of their company to do.

I have to admit though that I was one of those people who have been forced to leave a trail of spam feces in different forums globally. I did try to alleviate the desecration that I did by at least trying to have a human-conversation with people on the forums.

To no avail though, I have my boss hovering behind me looking over at what I’ve done and when he sees what I’ve done I’m given the “WHAT THE F—ARE YOU DOING!? I DON’T PAY YOU TO CHAT!” look and I was sure to be called the next day due to my “lack of dedication or my truant behavior” to the game.

I don’t really get it, but most of the F2Ps that have their “marketing arm”, are taking the viral marketing doing it wrongapproach (in other words spam, spam, spam) in trying to market their game. Their mindset is that as long as the name of the game is posted in the forum, website or whatever it is online then its good. What they don’t really understand is that spamming is a counter-productive form of marketing and not only does it waste the time and efforts their employee had (plus lose their hairs too if you’re getting shouted by the ‘boss’ which means stress levels are piling up), it would’ve been better if they just posted a Google add and paid for it.
As a disclaimer though, I am not referring to all F2Ps please do take note of the emphasis, on the word MOST. I’m saying that not all F2Ps have this kind of marketing strategy.

The games that do this approach are just cheapskates. They don’t have any idea that websites, forums or whatever that receives this spam trash immediately deletes them erasing the fact that the stupid spam post ever existed in the first place.

images.jpegThe sad thing here is that the marketers are the ones who are the ones being ridiculed by the forumers or whoever they meet because the community does not take spammers lightly, while those who have the whips keep on insisting that this is the best way to do things.

A note of concern to the people who think they are all that wake up! Being snobbish bosses and thinking that their employees and even the people they try to market the game are mindless sheep who would be instantly lured into the game just because you said that, “FTW! THIS GAME (insert game title here) ROCKS!” do yourself a favor, don’t force them to do stupid things.

You’re not tarnishing the name of your game, you are also causing undue stress to your employees, which could in turn cause you to lose them in as fast as lighting.

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