It takes only a quick scan of the long list of magazines and blogs devoted to video games to understand the power that the gaming industry wields.
According to consulting firm Pricewaterhouse, the size of the U.S. gaming market is set to exceed the music market this year; and the global gaming market is on track to be worth $48.9 billion by the year 2011. With statistics like this – along with a 2007 report by MSN Money stating that half of all Americans between the age of 12 and 55 now play video games – the opportunities to leverage gaming content through promotions are immense.
Digital media is a natural extension to the gaming industry and gives gaming companies a powerful way to both expand their product offerings and become major players in the promotions market.
By turning licensed game content into music downloads and mobile content and making it available for promotional campaigns, gaming companies are able to:
* Drive game sales and reward loyal customers through self promos
* Secure free mass advertising for an upcoming game through third-party promotions
* Generate incremental revenue through the sale of promotional licensed content
For brands and retailers, incorporating licensed game content into promotions means the ability to:
* Connect with key demographics by tapping into the gaming craze
* Increase product sales by offering a gift with purchase that motivates consumers to act
* Build brand awareness through identification with video games
Promotional Currency offers so many services such as digital entertainment promotions, promotional ringtone cards, digital product promotions and so much more.
Sara Lee was looking to increase household penetration and build brand awareness for its Soft and Smooth Bread brand. And with the economy tight and food prices soaring, offering millions of consumers a coupon good for a free loaf seemed like a sure way to accomplish the goal.
At the same time, company executives were concerned about going over budget should redemption on the 20 million coupons distributed through newspapers exceed expectations. The solution? Promotional risk coverage from Promotional Currency.
Promotional Currency evaluated the free-offer promotion and odds of redemption, placed the promotional risk with an A+ insurance company, and was able to provide Sara Lee a fixed cost fee for the promotion. Should more consumers redeem the free bread offer than anticipated, Promotional Currency will cover the cost.
“We run $1 off offers on a regular basis and don’t need promotional risk coverage for that,” notes Tara Eckler, who heads consumer promotions for the Sara Lee Brand. “But when we are offering a free loaf of bread in this economy, we sleep better at night knowing that we have the protection.
“For brands like Sara Lee, it really comes down to knowing what our budget is,” adds Eckler. “Even if redemption comes in under expectations, promotional risk coverage enables us to know exactly what our costs are going to be and that is what it is all about. In terms of this offer, we don’t have our redemption information in yet. But the initial feedback we have received from certain accounts is that it is going very well.”
Promotional Currency offers so many services such as digital entertainment promotions, promotional ringtone cards, digital product promotions and so much more.
Capitalize on the gaming craze by offering consumers exclusive music, ringtones and images from Tomb Raider Underworld, the much-anticipated action and adventure video game sequel by Eidos Interactive.
Tomb Raider Underworld is scheduled to hit stores in late November to correlate with the holiday shopping season. And thanks to an exclusive licensing agreement between Eidos and Promotional Currency, we are able offer digital content from the game for promotional use.
Promotional Currency offers so many services such as digital entertainment promotions, promotional ringtone cards, digital product promotions and so much more.
PlayPhone is a leading global mobile media company present in more than 20 countries throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America. As PlayPhone’s exclusive digital entertainment promotions partner, we are able to leverage PlayPhone’s expertise and partnerships to deliver unique mobile content offerings for the promotional sector.
* Intuitive Consumer Download Experience and Delivery to all Major Carriers.
* Exclusive TV/Movie Licensing Agreements: PlayPhone powers mobile
content stores for ABC and Cartoon Networks and partners regularly with
movie studios, giving our brand partners unique access to top TV and
movie content.
* Wal-Mart Vendor Promotions: PlayPhone and Promotional Currency have
teamed with Wal-Mart on an in-store promotions program that enables
vendors to launch promotions at Wal-Mart featuring exclusive mobile
content from wmtmobile.com (powered by PlayPhone.)
* Sony BMG/EMI Customized Artist Promotions: Through PlayPhone’s unique
relationships with label giants Sony BMG and EMI, we are able to offer
customized promotions themed around as few as six artists from either
label— enabling you to group artists by music genres, demographics and
niche markets.
* Delivery in U.S. and Canada: PlayPhone recently partnered with
Canadian carriers to deliver third-party mobile content in Canada,
giving us the exclusive ability to deliver mobile promotions in both
the U.S. and Canada.
* Themed Promotions: Through PlayPhone, we are able to offer
custom-tailored promotions designed around a specific theme or idea
such as back-to-school, Halloween or the holiday season.
Unlike other music platforms that were built with a retail focus, Puretracks was developed with promotions in mind. As such, the Toronto-based music provider offers numerous services to meet the unique needs of the brands and retailers we serve.
* Branded
Landing Pages: All Puretracks music promotions can feature a
custom-branded landing page that reflects the look and feel of your
brand.
* Customized One Page Music Stores: Through Puretracks, we
have the ability to deliver a custom-designed music store featuring up
to 50 songs targeted to a specific theme or demographic base.
*
Latino Music Store: Puretrackslatin.com is bilingual and features more
than 100,000 top Latin tracks in genres ranging from Reggaeton to
Cristiana.
* Web Based Service: Puretracks’ web-based platform
ensures that the promotion is easy to use and access, requiring no
special software or plug-ins to be installed.
* Delivery in both U.S. and Canada: Puretracks is licensed by all major record companies to operate in the US and Canada.
* Over 2 million MP3 formatted songs from top mainstream and independent artists.
Promotional Currency offers so many services such as digital entertainment promotions, promotional ringtone cards, digital product promotions and so much more.
Interested in learning how the promotions business model is changing the face of the music industry? PC President Barry Schaffer will join other panelists at the Digital Music Forum in LA to present emerging business models that are shaping the future of the music industry. Schaffer will provide a seven minute snapshot of how the right promotions strategy can serve as a powerful revenue source and mass marketing medium for labels, artists and digital music providers – while offering a powerful marketing tool for brands and businesses. The session, titled: A Briefing on New Technologies & Business Trends Impacting the Future of the Music Industry, will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, October 3.
Visit Promotional Currency for more information on digital entertainment promotions, promotional ringtone cards, digital product promotions and so much more.
When it comes to digital music and mobile entertainment promotions, all platforms are not created equal. In fact, the service offerings and capabilities from one digital content provider to the next are so different that merely suggesting that there are differences is a gross understatement. It’s like comparing a Kia to a Mercedes. They may both be cars, but that is where the similarities end.
When Promotional Currency set out to find the right digital entertainment partners, we approached it from our twenty years of experience in the promotional industry – looking for partners that could seamlessly provide the solutions we knew our clients would demand. We found what we were looking for in Puretracks and PlayPhone. To help you understand the promotional power these premier digital media providers offer, an overview of their service offerings is provided below.
Promotional Currency offers so many services such as digital entertainment promotions, promotional ringtone cards, digital product promotions and so much more.
Canadians may be ensuring that they receive a mortgage loan if they stop by a RBC(R) Royal Bank of Canada branch location this spring and talk with a mortgage specialist. It’s also the chance to win $250,000 toward a dream home that is motivating many of them to act.
For the second year in a row, RBC is running the RBC Gold Key Giveaway promotion that offers consumers a chance to win big cash towards the purchase of a home. To play for the $250,000 grand prize and 100 $2,500 prizes, consumers need only to stop by one of 1,100 locations throughout Canada or talk with a mortgage specialist. In exchange, consumers receive a Gold Key game code. To find out if they are a winner, game code holders just log on to the online game site, fill out a short survey and then enter their game code. If the code matches one of the 101 predetermined codes, the consumer is a winner.
To offer the big money prizes while working within the bank’s budget constraints, Kaksha Mehta, Head of Marketing Channels and Transformation for RBC, obtained promotional risk coverage through Promotional Currency. With promotional risk coverage, Promotional Currency calculates the odds of the promotion and then underwrites the promotional risk with its risk coverage partners– enabling businesses like RBC to offer a big money prize for much less than the actual prize value.
“With a booming housing market in Canada, competition is fierce. We knew the prize had to be compelling to motivate consumers to come to RBC instead of our competitors,” notes Mehta. “The underwriting was critical because it allowed us to offer a much bigger prize than we could have otherwise, while enabling us to cap our costs.”
Visit Promotional Currency for more information on digital entertainment promotions, promotional ringtone cards, digital product promotions and so much more.
According to the CTIA-Wireless Association, more than 256 million Americans now subscribe to a cellular-phone service, up from only 55 million subscribers in 1997. This puts the current U.S. penetration rate at nearly 85 percent. When it comes to Latinos, over 80% now own mobile devices and are even more likely than their general population counterparts to download mobile entertainment. Mobile phones have become an integral communication and entertainment tool – making them an ideal medium for marketers looking to instantly connect with consumers.
Several factors have converged over the past two years to make mobile content promotions a powerful marketing solution for brands and retailers.
1. All major carriers in the U.S. have finally opened their gateways to third-party mobile content providers – enabling brands to deliver mobile content promotions to the masses.
2. Digital technology and the handsets that support them have advanced considerably – enabling consumers to enjoy a broad spectrum of portable entertainment. Polyphonic ringtones are now a thing of the past, replaced by music tones and mobile games.
3. The mobile game sector is skyrocketing. Recognizing the immense market opportunity, game developers are now concentrating on the development of exciting, interactive mobile games that match the thrill of games played on a computer or game device.
Puretracks is unveiling a comprehensive new Latin music store this month to serve the diverse, fast-growing U.S. Latino market. And thanks to the exclusive U.S. digital promotions partnership Promotional Currency enjoys with Puretracks, we are able to offer the new music platform to brands and retailers interested in using digital music promotions to reach out to the Latino market.
The Puretracks Latin Music Store will feature more than 100,000 top Latin tracks. Genres include:
Pop Latino
Regional Mexicano
Tropical
Baladas y Boleros
Rock Latino
Hip Hop Latino
Reggaeton
Cristiana
Visit Promotional Currency for more information on digital entertainment promotions, promotional ringtone cards, music downloads and so much more.
