True Confessions Of A Marketing Intern

Just to give you an idea of World of Warcraft’s (WoW) reach I did a Twitter search on “World of Warcraft” (http://search.twitter.com/search?q=world+of+warcraft). I then compared my results to a Twitter search of the top 3 video games of 2008  according to CNET News (http://news.cnet.com/8301-13846_3-10022181-62.html).

World Of Warcraft………………………………..  15 Tweets in 32 minutes
Grand Theft Auto IV…………………………….  15 Tweets in 19 hours
Super Smash Bros Brawl………………………..  15 Tweets in 14 hours
Mario Kart………………………………………….  15 Tweets in 41 minutes

If you are looking for an audience that is tapped into social media then World of Warcraft users are it.  WoW currently has more than 11.5 million monthly subscribers and is estimated to hold 62% of the massively multiplayer online game market (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_of_warcraft).

While companies are not allowed to market inworld, WoW has managed to gain advertising revenue through sponsorship.  The WoW world has been featured in ads for Toyota Tacoma (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u15HmEMp2Qc) and Snickers (See video below).  WoW has been doing just as well gathering free celebrity support from both Mila Kunis of That 70’s show fame and Macaulay Culkin, who both admit to being WoW players (http://tinyurl.com/cm3pcv).

How does this relate to marketing?

Well, I think WoW has managed to do a few things really well that can be applied to many other industries:

1. WoW has history.  WoW users really feel connected to the back story of the Virtual World.  The whole history is available at http://www.wowwiki.com/History_of_Warcraft.  The creators clearly put a lot of time into working out the history of the world and this will help the user become more involved in the game.  This can be applied to traditional organizations by creating a transparent history of your company.  This is particularly easy for organizations with formal websites and the company’s history can be included in the about section of the site.
2. WoW has created an intuitive environment. WoW is easy to use.  Even if you have never played and RPG video games you will be able to figure out WoW in  a few hours.  You may not be proficient inworld but you will be able to navigate, which is more than many Virtual Worlds have accomplished.  How you can apply this to a traditional organization would be in ensuring that your location is intuitive.  If you have a convenience store then figure out where customers expect to find bread and place it there, if you have a website then ensure it is easy to navigate.
3. WoW is constantly evolving.  Aside from 3 versions of the base game WoW has a plethora of expansion packs, board games, and new patches released every Tuesday.  Aside from creating a constant stream of products for WoW users to purchase, by constantly upgrading the product they are able to hold the users attention without becoming boring.  The can be replicated in a traditional organization by constantly updating your offerings; even if it is just something as simple as new packaging for a product, aesthetic improvements to a facility, or website promotions.
4. WoW is incredibly addictive. From speaking with past WoW addicts I’ve come to understand that the WoW addiction is all about the camaraderie formed with the games.  We have to go back online to socalize.  This level of addiction can be almost impossible to replicate and is the secret to WoW’s success.  The best a traditional business can do is to ensure  atight community and support these efforts with an online community through social media.

When I was 20 years old I did the unthinkable.  I quit school.

I had been attending university for 2 years and I did not know what I was doing.  I had ideas.  I had a lot of ideas in the 2 years I was in academia.  I was going to be a teacher, a child psychiatrist, an anthropologist, a nutritionist, and the list goes on and on.  Ultimately, I did not know what I wanted and until I figured that out school was getting me nowhere.  At the end of my 2 year sample of everything university had to offer I quit.

I faced the usual throwback from family and friends.  I was told that quitting school would ruin my life, that I would never make above minimum wage, that I would never return to school again, that I would have goblin children, etc.  None of this turned out to be true.

After quitting school I began working at a call center and quickly became a supervisor.  This helped me realize that I was really interested in business, particularly human resources.  It was also while I was working there that many of my friends started graduating.  They were graduating with huge debts and no jobs.  I decided then that I would return to university, but not until I could afford it on my own.

I am now 3 years into a double major in Business Commerce and Religious Studies.  I eventually decided on Marketing as opposed to Human Resources but it was in working that I found direction.  While quitting school isn’t the path for everyone it is definitely what I needed to find the right career for me.  I am now on my work term and I am more certain than ever that I made the right decision.  My life wasn’t ruined, I always made above minimum wage, I did return to school, and I never had goblin children (but that remains to be seen).