Integrated Advertising, Promotion and Marketing Communications 5th Edition by Kenneth Clow,Donald Baack

تمرين 5

In the Fall 2009 holiday season, the crowded fantasy and gaming world gained several products designed to entice new sets of buyers. The entire Guitar Hero brand faced stiff competition from other gaming products. One highly touted release was the new The Beatles: Rock Band game released early in the season. Other competitors included the Madden NFL product line and the Halo 3: ODST product.
In response, three new Guitar Hero titles were released: Guitar Hero 5, Band Hero, and DJ Hero. Each focused on a specific set of players.
Guitar Hero 5, the most recent version of the original product released in 2005, expands on the innovative technology that allows users to play real songs, real chords, and an almost-real guitar, integrating music, interactivity, and gameplay in a totally new way. The game offers the opportunity to play lead guitar, bass guitar, or drums or to sing the vocals of a variety of tunes. The primary attraction remains the ability to play great guitar riffs from the past. Guitar Hero 5 drew grumbles from Nirvana and Kurt Cobain fans, who did not like the intrusion into the band's well-established image.
Band Hero is a more family-oriented product. The music was selected to attract females and younger "tween" users. At one point, the opening page of the Guitar Hero Web site featured a music video by the youthful Taylor Swift, the most recent CMA Music Awards "Best Artist" winner. Many industry observers believe that Band Hero's design is an obvious response to The Beatles: Rock Band, which has many similar features.

The final new entry, DJ Hero, seeks to capture the hip-hop/rap connoisseur. The game features a turntable. According to Game Hero CEO Dan Rosensweig, "It's really cool. It's got 100 songs and 94 mixes that no one has ever mixed before. This is going to be one of those transformational games. You have this generation's iconic piece of equipment-the turntable-and some fantastic mixes that really give you a chance to release your inner DJ. I think that's going to be one of the hottest selling games this holiday season."
Additional trends should also be considered. When asked about mobile gaming on handheld devices, Rosensweig replied, "We're going to focus on making sure that our consumers can access games wherever it makes sense for them to access it-mobile is one of those environments which is always with you. And obviously, we're taking a look at that."
Part of the challenge in promoting both ongoing and new games is finding ways to capture the attention of the target audience. In the case of the Guitar Hero brand, consumers have somewhat differing viewing and media habits. Guitar Hero 5's audience is likely to be more of a classic music, hard rock crowd; Band Hero needs to reach younger females and families; and DJ Hero should find ways to access the hip-hop crowd.
Rosensweig notes, "Like anything else, we have to continue to remain fresh. You have to really understand that technology makes the game more interesting, more expansive, and more fun." He believes the future is bright. "I think we have an opportunity to redefine the way people interact with music. They want to listen to music, they want to play music, they want to contribute music, they want to create music. The more people and consoles are connected, the more opportunity we have to remain in consumers' lives."
1. Should Guitar Hero retain an advertising agency or develop its own ads in-house Justify your answer.
2. If Guitar Hero's marketing team retains an advertising agency, what type should it be, and which decision variables should guide the choice
3. Search online for five advertising agencies that you think would be a good fit for Guitar Hero. Choose the best one. Justify your choice.
4. What type of advertising planning and research should be used for each Guitar Hero product
5. Should the marketing team develop one set of advertisements for each Guitar Hero product, or an overall campaign for the entire company
6. Should the company use a pulsating, flighting, or continuous schedule of advertising Explain.
Sources: Kim Thai, "'Guitar Hero' Amps up for the Holidays," CNNMoney com http://money.cnn.com/2009/10/23/technology/guitar_dj_hero_activision. fortune/index.ht , accessed November 17, 2009), October 23, 2009; www.guitarhero.com (accessed November 17, 2009); Seth Colter Wells, "Nirvana Heaven and Hell," Newsweek.com ( www.newsweek.com/id/220978 , accessed November 17, 2009), November 3, 2009.