Return to Unfiction unforum
 a.r.g.b.b 
FAQ FAQ   Search Search 
 
Welcome!
New users, PLEASE read these forum guidelines. New posters, SEARCH before posting and read these rules before posting your killer new campaign. New players may also wish to peruse the ARG Player Tutorial.

All users must abide by the Terms of Service.
Website Restoration Project
This archiving project is a collaboration between Unfiction and Sean Stacey (SpaceBass), Brian Enigma (BrianEnigma), and Laura E. Hall (lehall) with
the Center for Immersive Arts.
Announcements
This is a static snapshot of the
Unfiction forums, as of
July 23, 2017.
This site is intended as an archive to chronicle the history of Alternate Reality Games.
  

The time now is Mon Nov 11, 2024 9:23 pm
All times are UTC - 4 (DST in action)		 View posts in this forum since last visit
View unanswered posts in this forum
Calendar
 Forum index » Meta » General META Discussion
Avoiding an Implosion: Convincing Sponsor to Stick With It
Moderators: imbri, ndemeter
View previous topicView next topic
Page 1 of 1 [6 Posts]  
Author Message
CoMan09
Kilroy

Joined: 13 Jul 2009
Posts: 2

 		Avoiding an Implosion: Convincing Sponsor to Stick With It
Sponsor's Getting Cold Feet Due to Lack of Interaction: What Should Advice Be?
I know from past experience with ARG implosions that they are a source of much conversation (and consternation) within the community. ARGs fold for many reasons, one of them has to do with lack of planning and resources by the ARG team.

However, I'm in a different situation. I'm working with a small company that decided to launch an ARG to support the launch of a new venture. (I can't name names due to the fact that the ARG is ongoing, I don't want to damage the ongoing game and confidentiality.) Suffice to say, the ARG has been running since late Spring. We have a few solid, involved players and lots of lurkers.

The sponsor, however, is less than satisfied with how the ARG is going. We have developed a deep storyline, complex plot and have many interesting things planned for the ARG. However, it seems like there is a real lack of player involvement in the ARG beyond the few (great) players who are doing the bulk of the heavy lifting on the game.

I'm trying to convince the sponsor to stick with the ARG, but they are quickly losing patience. Some games take off, while others stagnate. I know this is a fact of life. In addition, there are many games running currently, which divides the (small) player base even farther.

What's your advice for getting the sponsor to stick with it? We don't want an implosion, but at some point, they are going to say the resources are not worth the reward.

PostPosted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 4:00 pm
 View user's profile
 Back to top 
Rogi Ocnorb
I Have 100 Cats and Smell of Wee


Joined: 01 Sep 2005
Posts: 4266
Location: Where the cheese is free.

 		Kinda hard to speak to anything specific without knowing more about the situation.
Some games limit their scope based on the fan/playerbase. If a game is all about the works of Franz Liszt, you won't be seeing any kind of Lonelygirl15 action occurring, ever.

People's perceptions about their role in the gamespace, what will be required of them and their expectations of an "ending" will all be factors on player adoption.

Find out why people aren't interested in your game. Have your current players do some "spying(market research)" for you.

Seems like most people make their decisions about a game before is't got 2 full pages of posts, on unfiction. Revisit those early pages and see what turned people away. Did they think they were going to be required to do something... "Help write the story", "Spread the word about the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide", whatever? If the game changed because folks weren't into that and those who stopped following aren't aware of the change, you could get 'em back.

Look at the first 2 pages for all the games in N&R and see what kind of generalized trailhead activities got people interested and might work within the bounds of Your game. Then, find a way to give the people more of what they want.
_________________
I'm telling you now, so you can't say, "Oh, I didn't know...Nobody told me!"


PostPosted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 5:30 pm
 View user's profile AIM Address Yahoo Messenger MSN Messenger
 Back to top 
FLmutant
Decorated


Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 244
Location: Orlando, FL

 		So this is going to seem largely like tough love advice here, but once you're in this situation the house is already on fire.

One, you can convince them that ending it poorly can amplify a negative result ... that means you need to have a plan for how you're rework it to land it early safely.

Two, you can have an honest conversation about what kind of results the effort needs to show to be worth continuing the sponsorship ... which means you might need to adapt how you work with your budget and plans to lean into solutions to produce those results. You said it yourself "the resources are not worth the reward" -- fix that.

All the other solutions to the problem are preventative or consistent from the start and don't really help once the house is on fire:

1. Know up front what the results are you need to deliver and construct the mechanics of the work to deliver those.

2. Treat every week as an opportunity to rewrite everything if necessary: this is an iterative process.

3. Have a parachute plan from the beginning on how you'll end early if the sponsor situation dictates it.

Hang in there!

PostPosted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 10:10 am
 View user's profile Visit poster's website
 Back to top 
CoMan09
Kilroy

Joined: 13 Jul 2009
Posts: 2

 		Thanks for the Replies
Thanks so much for your help and advice. We've made some efforts to quiz the player community about their opinions on the ongoing game and interest level in continuing. If we receive feedback, we'll recalibrate. If we don't receive feedback (and we haven't yet), this may indicate that the interest is not there to continue with this particular effort.

Thanks again.

PostPosted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 11:21 am
 View user's profile
 Back to top 
BlackandBlue
Veteran


Joined: 19 Sep 2008
Posts: 92
Location: Chatsworth, CA

 		From a publicists point of view....
First, your client/sponsor needs to understand that an ARG is not marketing as they know it. They have ot throw aside preconcieved notions of what marketing is, if they get involved in an ARG.

Second, the fact that ARGs are more publicity and public relations than any marketing could be, they have to look at the LOSS in company credibility, and good public relations, of letting the ARG implode.

Having been there and done that with clients that were definitely not supportive of the ARG I ran, I can say that finishing the game is what matters. Not what ever it was meant to sell or whatever profit your sponsor expected. You get more from a handful of players that are now emotionally invested in the story and the characters, than you would ever get from plastering ads about your product/company all over the big, green world.

You may not have the ability to do what I did, and stick it out on the ARG, even though the people I started it for bailed. But I'd suggest that you come up with some type of satisfying conclusion to the game, and not just let it die with a whimper. If nothing else, have pride in your work and ddo it for the joy of the creation. I could barely pay my mortgage after the client bailed, but the game had to be allowed to reach completion or it looked bad on me personally.
_________________
Player history:
Current - lurking everything Smile
Past Play - Lost Experience, Cloverfield, Push, NV
PM'd - Kronos480BC

PostPosted: Wed Jul 22, 2009 7:16 pm
 View user's profile
 Back to top 
Daeld
Unfettered


Joined: 02 May 2009
Posts: 308
Location: Australia

 		If it isn't too late...
you could consider a second round of trailheads...looking at the original ppl that were in the game @ the start. A well placed e-mail could get them back in and breathe life into the game, also trailheads that bring new ppl into a new part of the game could increase the boss' confidence...

PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 9:23 am
 View user's profile
 Back to top 
Display posts from previous:   Sort by:   
Page 1 of 1 [6 Posts]  
View previous topicView next topic
 Forum index » Meta » General META Discussion
Jump to:  


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You cannot attach files in this forum
You can download files in this forum
You cannot post calendar events in this forum



Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group