Marketing: Getting it right
I feel like I've passed a milestone, having had my first Twitter spat on social media! No hard feelings @Warhammer AoS, we're all just nerds bickering over plastic soldiers (or in this case an accessory to a plastic soldier!).
However, it might be that some people think I'm being too harsh on the Games Workshop Marketing team... which is odd considering how much praise I've heaped on them since I started writing.
Either way, it's perhaps best I show you what good marketing is, so you can see the difference (with an apparently necessary caveat that you should not take professional marketing advice from a Physics teacher's table top gaming blog). Paid post will go up tomorrow, with a scenario based on attacking an army's camp.
This was uploaded to the Warhammer 40K Facebook page, about a day after the pistol went up on the Rumour Engine.
So, why is this any better than the pistol? It drops new information. The line there at the end for the reward (Payment in Soulstone Gems, Captured Slaves or Jokes), gives us an interesting piece for the puzzle. Right now everyone is predicting Eldar ally formations, and the evidence quite rightly supports that.
Giving us a sliver of information allows speculation to run rampant. You may recall 'industry experts' talking about possible Sisters of Battle/Black Templar combined detachments before Fall of Cadia was released based on these little snippets. They proved to be wrong, and the actual formations were more of an Imperial All Stars list. But they sparked imaginations with little details.
It somewhat unfair though, as this is the latest in a chain of pictures, so context has already been set. It also has a reference to Cadia, and thus Fall of Cadia, with the clear implication that this has to do with the follow up to that story.
But remember that this Riddle of The Gyrinx started off with a rumour engine picture as well:
The difference between this tail and the pistol, is that the tail is distinctive, with a colour scheme. We can start narrowing down options, and speculation can start.
Or how about this one, from when the rumour engine started:
This turned out to be theAdMech character Belisarius Cawl actually I can't remember what this turned out to be. I thought it was Cawl, but looking at the model I'm not so sure.
But the features were unique, and shared imagery with all kinds of things. People interpreted it in many ways, and in fact I made comment myself hoping it was a return of the Squats as it looked like more futuristic dwarven technology. The key here is that there were hints to follow in the design. And speaking of keys:
See how much character that has in a small piece? Unique shape, hand pose and symbolism in the object.
The reply made by @Warhammer AoS, is that the pistol picture is good marketing because now we're discussing it. But all the discussions lead in dead ends. There's no thread to follow beyond a model having a pistol... but who doesn't in 40K? When a clue can lead to anything, it leads to nothing.
However, as I am a teacher of Science, I'm going to follow up the leads he's suggested. I'll check some Dwarven firearms from Age of Sigmar, and see if there's any links that can be made. I'm also, at the time of writing, awaiting evidence of an incoming Duardin release for Age of Sigmar. When I get some tips, I'll run another Riddle of the Gyrinx post putting together all the different bits of evidence.
As a personal message to@Warhammer AoS; I don't know what ruffled your feathers so much about my "cheap blog post". I don't think you work for Games Workshop, and if you did then it would be remarkably unprofessional behaviour you displayed. So... are you okay? I'd much rather discuss this rationally and with a cool head than a heated Twitter spat. A better place to discuss the blog post is on the blog post itself. There's just more space to write, particularly if you disagree.
Which leads me to this. What do the rest of you (two or three) readers think? Am I'm too harsh on GW Marketing? Am I correct in saying some hype media is more effective than others? Are the Duardin incoming? Will Donald Trump being sworn in cause a new Eye of Terror to form on Terra itself?? Leave a comment below.
Unless I've mucked up the settings and you can't. I'm only a Physics teacher after all!
Thanks for reading.
If you liked what you saw, and you want to help out, please leave a comment. Sharing this with your friends, and following me on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ would also be hugely appreciated.
If you have anything you want me to look at, let me know in the comments below. I'll probably be able to write an article about that topic within a day!
If you really love what I do here, you can make a one off donation at my PayPal, or become a true hero to table top education and make a regular donation to my Patreon. Every Little helps!
However, it might be that some people think I'm being too harsh on the Games Workshop Marketing team... which is odd considering how much praise I've heaped on them since I started writing.
Either way, it's perhaps best I show you what good marketing is, so you can see the difference (with an apparently necessary caveat that you should not take professional marketing advice from a Physics teacher's table top gaming blog). Paid post will go up tomorrow, with a scenario based on attacking an army's camp.
This was uploaded to the Warhammer 40K Facebook page, about a day after the pistol went up on the Rumour Engine.
So, why is this any better than the pistol? It drops new information. The line there at the end for the reward (Payment in Soulstone Gems, Captured Slaves or Jokes), gives us an interesting piece for the puzzle. Right now everyone is predicting Eldar ally formations, and the evidence quite rightly supports that.
Giving us a sliver of information allows speculation to run rampant. You may recall 'industry experts' talking about possible Sisters of Battle/Black Templar combined detachments before Fall of Cadia was released based on these little snippets. They proved to be wrong, and the actual formations were more of an Imperial All Stars list. But they sparked imaginations with little details.
It somewhat unfair though, as this is the latest in a chain of pictures, so context has already been set. It also has a reference to Cadia, and thus Fall of Cadia, with the clear implication that this has to do with the follow up to that story.
But remember that this Riddle of The Gyrinx started off with a rumour engine picture as well:
The difference between this tail and the pistol, is that the tail is distinctive, with a colour scheme. We can start narrowing down options, and speculation can start.
Or how about this one, from when the rumour engine started:
This turned out to be the
But the features were unique, and shared imagery with all kinds of things. People interpreted it in many ways, and in fact I made comment myself hoping it was a return of the Squats as it looked like more futuristic dwarven technology. The key here is that there were hints to follow in the design. And speaking of keys:
See how much character that has in a small piece? Unique shape, hand pose and symbolism in the object.
The reply made by @Warhammer AoS, is that the pistol picture is good marketing because now we're discussing it. But all the discussions lead in dead ends. There's no thread to follow beyond a model having a pistol... but who doesn't in 40K? When a clue can lead to anything, it leads to nothing.
However, as I am a teacher of Science, I'm going to follow up the leads he's suggested. I'll check some Dwarven firearms from Age of Sigmar, and see if there's any links that can be made. I'm also, at the time of writing, awaiting evidence of an incoming Duardin release for Age of Sigmar. When I get some tips, I'll run another Riddle of the Gyrinx post putting together all the different bits of evidence.
As a personal message to
Thanks for reading.
If you liked what you saw, and you want to help out, please leave a comment. Sharing this with your friends, and following me on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ would also be hugely appreciated.
If you have anything you want me to look at, let me know in the comments below. I'll probably be able to write an article about that topic within a day!
If you really love what I do here, you can make a one off donation at my PayPal, or become a true hero to table top education and make a regular donation to my Patreon. Every Little helps!
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