Game industry veteran Jack Dalrymple gives an insider look at marketing video games, including AAA practices and how to successfully market indie games. Video Game Marketing Lecture: What is Brand? Brand vs Marketing, Brand Determines Loyalty, A Move From Hope to Faith, What is Marketing? Under the Marketing Umbrella, Marketing 101, Everything Leads to Sales, Marketing Related to Games, Game Monetization Funnel, What Makes a Game Successful, How To Get Fans, Get Coverage – Who? Get Coverage – How? Engage With Your Fans, Feed the Beast And Announce, Content Marketing, Content Creation, Get Featured In Store, Trade Shows, Ads... Maybe not, What AAA Has That Indies Don’t, The Difference That Money Makes, Getting Funding For Development, Green Light Pitches, Who Makes What? Champion/Challenger Strategy, Research, $$ Gets Everyone Their Own Hat, So Now What? Doing the Job, Indie Vs AAA – Pros of Both, Press kit checklist, PR and Marketing Resources, Remember: Presentation is Everything About Jack Dalrymple Jack Dalrymple is an industry veteran at producing trailers and marketing games, Cinematics Director at Bit Fry, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Ape Law, and owner of Cap and Cut a Boston based trailer house and creative design studio. As Lead Editor and Technical Director at WB Games’ Turbine Studio from 2004 to 2014, he developed and edited more than $10 million in marketing trailers and ingame cutscenes with over 9 million views online and built and managed one of the first live HD game capture cinematics studios in the world. Jack mentors at MassDiGi, where he speaks and gives students direction and feedback on their game trailers. His all encompassing approach to design, presentation and consistency across brand is leading the marketing initiative to launch Ape Law’s first-person horror adventure game, Albino Lullaby (AlbinoLullaby.com). With Cap and Cut (CAPandCUT.com), Jack maintains the highest quality mobile capture rig in the Greater Boston Area and is available for game capture and game trailer production for indie and AAA studios across the region.

1. A behind the scenes look at industry standards and trade secrets
B y J a c k D a l r y m p l eC a p A n d C u t . c o m
/v/ Game Marketing • By Jack Dalrymple 1

2. o Lead Video Editor, Technical Director at WB Games’ Turbine Studio for 10 years
o Over 265 trailers and marketing videos with over 9 million views online
o SVP Marketing for Ape Law and Bit Fry working on Albino Lullaby and TBA
o Founder of Cap And Cut, a Boston based trailer house and creative design studio
About Jack Dalrymple
C a p A nd C u t . c o m/v/ Game Marketing • By Jack Dalrymple
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3. Brand vs Marketing
What is Brand?
C a p A n d C u t . c o m/v/ Game Marketing • By Jack Dalrymple
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4. Brand Determines Loyalty
C a p A n d C u t . c o m/v/ Game Marketing • By Jack Dalrymple
Brand an idea -
Message and
Reputation
Marketing is big
data driven - a
product pitch
m e a s u r e d
against sales
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The brand is ultimately what determines if
you will become a loyal customer or not.
The marketing may convince you to buy GTA,
but it is the brand that will determine if you
will buy every single game Rockstar Games
will make for the rest of your life.

5. Marketing Vs Branding
C a p A n d C u t . c o m/v/ Game Marketing • By Jack Dalrymple
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Source:hermesservicesgroup.com

6. A move From Hope to Faith
C a p A n d C u t . c o m/v/ Game Marketing • By Jack Dalrymple
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7. Under the Marketing Umbrella
What is Marketing?
C a p A n d C u t . c o m/v/ Game Marketing • By Jack Dalrymple
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8. Marketing 101
C a p A n d C u t . c o m/v/ Game Marketing • By Jack Dalrymple
Everything Leads to Sales
R&D– Focus Groups or Common Sense…
Make What People Want!
Ads – Print, Web, Content, Social
Promos – Bundles and Sales
PR – “The Story” Can Go Farther Than an
Ad and Ads Can be Part of the Story
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9. Marketing Related to Games
C a p A n d C u t . c o m/v/ Game Marketing • By Jack Dalrymple
Place is decided
by platform and
distributor:
PC • Mac • Linux
SteamOS
PS4 • Xbox • Wii
Wii U • OUYA
Android • iOS
Google Play
Facebook
Humble Bumble
IndieGameStand
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4P’s of Marketing
Product – R&D and Development
Price – Depends on the Market
Promotion – Bundles and Sales
Place – How and Where You Distribute

10. Game Monetization Funnel
C a p A n d C u t . c o m/v/ Game Marketing • By Jack Dalrymple
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MUSTREADSource:http://bit.ly/BreakingIntoSocialGaming

11. How To Get Fans
What makes a game successful
C a p A n d C u t . c o m/v/ Game Marketing • By Jack Dalrymple
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12. Get Coverage – Who?
C a p A n d C u t . c o m/v/ Game Marketing • By Jack Dalrymple
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o YouTubers
o Twitchers
o Podcasts
o Blogs
o Press

13. Get Coverage – How?
C a p A n d C u t . c o m/v/ Game Marketing • By Jack Dalrymple
Press Kit
Description
Press Releases
Trailer
Screenshots
Demo
Links (website,
social media, past
press)
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Hey! I wanted to shoot you a quick note because
I loved your article on [similar game]. I'm with
[Company] and we are making a [type of game]
game named [Whatever]. Would you like to
check out the demo? Here is a link to our Press
Kit [link] and a couple articles written about us
[link, link, link]. We would love a review or
article from you, but even if not I would still be
happy to send you the demo.

14. Engage With Your Fans
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Don’t just be a shill, actively
participate and talk to people.
o YouTube Channel
o Tumblr Blog
o Facebook
o Twitter
o LinkedIn

15. Feed the Beast And Announce
C a p A n d C u t . c o m/v/ Game Marketing • By Jack Dalrymple
Content Marketing – Content is King
Blog Posts – Developer Updates
Concept Art
Screenshots
Videos (Shows, Teasers, Trailers, Dev Diaries)
Playable Demos
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16. Content Creation
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All 3 Does Not Exist
Good & Fast = Not Cheap
Fast & Cheap = Not Good
Cheap & Good = Not Fast

17. Get Featured In Store
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10,000% Increase in Sales when Featured!
How? MAKE SOMETHING REMARKABLE
Reach out, but if the game isn’t unique and
amazing it won’t matter.

18. Trade Shows
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o Press
o Exposure
o Feedback
o Awards

19. Ads… Maybe not
C a p A n d C u t . c o m/v/ Game Marketing • By Jack Dalrymple
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Ad Return is Minimal – Focus on Social Media, Blogs, and Press
“Every AAA Indie Game has A Long-term
Slow-burn Grass-roots Awareness-building
Campaign” ~ Chris Hecker of Spy Party
In special cases direct advertising on blogs can open communications for getting features
written by the site.

20. The Difference That Money Makes
What AAA Has That Indies Don’t
C a p A n d C u t . c o m/v/ Game Marketing • By Jack Dalrymple
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21. Getting Funding For Development
C a p A n d C u t . c o m/v/ Game Marketing • By Jack Dalrymple
Green Light Pitches
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Executive meetings with
parent company to either
gain continued project
funding or immediately stop
development. Pitches take a
significant capital investment
and months of preparation.

22. C a p A n d C u t . c o m/v/ Game Marketing • By Jack Dalrymple
The Org Chart
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VP of
Marketing
PR Director
Community
Managers
Marketing
Director
Brand
Managers
Associates/
Specialists
Creative
Teams (Web/
Video)
Producers
Artists
VP of
Development
EP
Producers
Artists/
Programmers

23. Who Makes What?
Ad Agency
PR Agency
C a p A n d C u t . c o m/v/ Game Marketing • By Jack Dalrymple
Create Key Art & Ads
Secure Editorial (free) Coverage
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Trailer House
Internal Artists
Teasers & Trailers
Tweaking Agency Assets

24. Champion/Challenger Strategy
C a p A n d C u t . c o m/v/ Game Marketing • By Jack Dalrymple
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100% Data Driven
System is compounded exponentially for
each ad in combination with a landing page.
Round 1 Round 2 Round 3
New
Champion
Challenger
Challenger
Challenger
Challenger
Challenger
Champion
Old
Champion
Opinions Do
Not Matter
The Winner
Wins

25. C a p A n d C u t . c o m/v/ Game Marketing • By Jack Dalrymple
Tracking Pixels
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26. Research
C a p A n d C u t . c o m/v/ Game Marketing • By Jack Dalrymple
Larger developers have been
known to market-test their
games to destruction.
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Costly Large Scale
Focus Groups and
Biometric Playtesting
Followed by Both
Marketing and Game
Design Changes

27. $$ Gets Everyone Their Own Hat
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Don’t Steal Other People’s Hats
Be Helpful when You Can
Do Your Job Well
Be Mindful of Your Place
Accept Your Roll
Choose Your Battles

28. Doing the Job
So Now What?
C a p A n d C u t . c o m/v/ Game Marketing • By Jack Dalrymple
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29. Indie Vs AAA – Pros of Both
Learn a Wider Variety of Skills and Jobs
More Freedom and Less Approvals
Small Chance for a Huge Payout
Easier to Break Into
Super Hone Specific Skills of a Single Job
Talented People to Learn From
Consistent Paycheck
Looks Amazing on Resume
C a p A n d C u t . c o m/v/ Game Marketing • By Jack Dalrymple
Indie
AAA
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30. Press kit checklist
C a p A n d C u t . c o m/v/ Game Marketing • By Jack Dalrymple
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o Screenshots – 6 to 12 screenshots of the best of the best of gameplay.
o Video - Embedded YouTube and links to hires download.
o Playable Demo – A must have to request press coverage.
o Past Press Coverage - Every time someone writes a favorable blurb about your game, update
your kit.
o Game Info sheet - One page about the game and the team.
o Fact Sheet - Links to your website, dev blog, Twitter and Facebook accounts, as well as your
email address.
o Logos and Awards – Tastefully use your logo and if you get awards add them.
o Use presskit()
Partial Source: http://gamedev.tutsplus.com/articles/business-articles/promoting-your-indie-game-checklist/

31. PR and Marketing Resources
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o Marketing Your Indie Game: http://is.gd/Rt0pxo
o An Indie Game Developer's Marketing Checklist: http://is.gd/a6217g
o How to Format a Press Release: http://is.gd/wAWHxM
o How to Annoy a Games Journalist with a Press Release: http://is.gd/r361Q2
o Free Press Release Distribution Sites: http://is.gd/AoXK8O
o TIG Forums Topic: Press Release Distribution Services: http://is.gd/35Sx0c
o 20 Tips for Indie Game Developers Using Social Media: http://is.gd/UCjs9C
o PixelProspector.com's The Big List of Indie Game Marketing: http://is.gd/cfd16B
o Market Your Indie Game on a $0 Budget (Presentation): http://is.gd/C2K5oI
o Using YouTube to Market Your Indie Game (Presentation): http://is.gd/gl3HRD
o Developers: Stop Being Shit - Indie Game Marketing (Presentation): http://is.gd/S0EG9X

32. Remember: Presentation is Everything
Questions And Answers
C a p A n d C u t . c o m/v/ Game Marketing • By Jack Dalrymple
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