Listening to Social Media: Paramount Hears Your Cries

Personally, I believe social media to be the scourge of the world. I hate it with my whole being and view it as a place to vent and complain just for the sake of venting and complaining. However, with this class, I have been seeing how social media actually does have its uses to businesses and companies alike. By listening to the ominous cloud of opinions, companies can actually tailor make products to a consumers tastes. Enter Paramount Pictures and its design for the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog live-action movie adaptation of the franchise.
For the months leading up to April of 2019, the marketing for the Sonic movie had one major complaint: Sonic's design. However, when the first trailer for the movie dropped on April 4th, 2019, the internet backlash came out full swing.

Sonic's design from the video game series (top) vs. a screenshot of Sonic from the first trailer for the movie.

Now let me start with this: video game fans will look a gift horse in the mouth and are very vocal about their grievances, whether small or large. So naturally, the backlash from the proposed design was strong, swift, and with a vengeance, and boy did they let Paramount, the directors, and everyone involved with the movie have it, with some of them being incredibly funny.

Sonic the Hedgehog (2019) pic.twitter.com/MwUVUZyBdg

— Stephen Schulze (@Jackablade) April 30, 2019

Dystopian Horror movie featuring anthropomorphic cocaine addict Sonic Hedgehog expected to break records as movie-going audiences are generally idiots. pic.twitter.com/00yIXjhNwH

— DPRK News Service (@DPRK_News) April 30, 2019

sonic the hedgehog (2019), character design planning meeting pic.twitter.com/YSFcB9HKrI

— alexis nedd (@alexisthenedd) April 30, 2019

No words required #Sonic pic.twitter.com/n1VG2HhmZj

— Gareth Wild (@GarethWild) April 30, 2019

So yes, while some of these were genuinely funny there were other not very kind responses via social media, that I wont post on this blog. Sonic is more than a video game or a hobby to some fans. He is the head of a cult for some. All in all, fans were not happy about the design of the sonic character and voiced their displeasure.Fast forward to the following month (May of this year for those playing at home), because the response was SO strong, Paramount announced that they had decided to delay the movies release date by a full three months (from originally November 2019 to February 2020) with the sole purpose of making changes to Sonic's design. As small a gesture as this may sound, it is actually quite something because, the holiday season is a very profitable release window for studios to release movies in, and to push back the date to mid February, Paramount might actually take a loss on the film as they spend more money to redesign Sonic.
All in all, I was fascinated by everything that was transpiring as Paramount announced actually making changes to the movie, even though it was almost fully completed. From my experience and understanding, fans and consumers will complain and companies will do nothing more often than not. Especially with movies. I feel that in most situations, the studio, director, cast, and producers will stand by their creative ideas and move forward, criticism be damned! However, with this, the studio heard the feedback, and rather than digging their heels in, they actually listened and hopefully gained some good will with their consumers. Me personally, I don't really care for Sonic's video game franchise and I had no plans to see the movie. However, after all of this, I will WITHOUT A DOUBT buy a ticket to see what they came up with in response to the backlash. 
Furthermore, it's interesting even more interesting when you evaluate the value proposition that Paramount offers with this film. They own the license to the character and Sonic franchise when it comes to distributing and making feature films in the future, and if successful, it's not entirely unreasonable to imagine Paramount making a cinematic universe with this license. To die hard Sonic fans that I have talked to, they were going to see this movie, regardless of their feelings with the Sonic design, and Paramount could have honestly done nothing and distributed as intended and likely would have still made a profit. However, because they are making these changes, they are likely adding to their value proposition to fans of the franchise and others alike, as one of the few movie studios that actually listens to their fans. By making these changes and sacrificing a sizable amount of money to make a quality product, this could in fact actually bring in a lot of money for the company just based on good will from consumers.Now obviously, Paramount's internal message is for the purpose of trying to promote and sell a movie ticket to each of us. And naturally there were questions being asked through all of the backlash being received. How to convince consumers that Paramount is a trust-able studio with the Sonic franchise? How could they convince fans that they don't just want to sell them a ticket but that they actually care for their consumers desires? And arguably the most important one, how do we relate to them in the process? However, with the release date being pushed back and the changes to the design of Sonic, these questions were essentially answered by the company. I think the biggest message that Paramount is trying to relay to consumers is that they are attempting to do right by the fans and right by the franchise itself. In essence, I believe that Paramount is hoping that fans will see the studio a part of the community rather than just attempting to profit from it and will respects the material that they are working with, as well as the community that has consumed it for nearly 30 years.I personally believe that Paramount's decision to not only listen to feedback from the consumers, but to also implement that feedback, was a very wise move by the company for this film and future films they distribute. Fans will likely look back on the company remembering what Paramount had done for their community as a whole with these changes and that might just convince them to buy movie tickets to other Paramount films in the future.However, this is where I am going to break with my applause for Paramount and admit my own logical and analytical tendencies. I'm not going to lie, I am not sure I would have been as willing to sink more money into changing the design of Sonic. To me, time costs money and no time is more important than right now. Now granted, I also wouldn't have made Sonic's design as ugly as sin in the first place, but regardless of how he looked originally, I cant say that I would have done the same and I admit that I would likely be unwise in doing so. Sometimes there are times to listen to fan backlash but there are indeed times where I believe a company needs to focus on making that almighty dollar more than conceding to fan desires. So again, I am very interested in seeing what happens from here and I do admit that I learned a lesson in meekness and humility within the business setting. Not all business has to involve dollars but sense as well and while the entire story hasn't been told, we do know that by March of 2020, there will be a conclusion to this tale. In the entertainment industry, it ain't over till the fat lady sings. The only thing left to tell is: will fans and non-fans alike come to the theater after raging about something over twitter and other forms of social media a year prior? Will the response of Paramount be justified and will they in the end benefit because of the changes to Sonic's design? I can only speak for myself but I know I will justify Paramount's decision to listen to consumers and buy that ticket. I will be the first one in line. 

Marketing in the News: 2K Games and ads within Video Games

So I love video games. A lot. Maybe even a little obnoxiously. If my friends and family hear me talk about Borderlands 3 again today, I imagine that they are going to harm me, which honestly, I'd deserve. However, recently in the news, the video game industry has come under fire as developers and publishers alike such as 2K Games, Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, and many others, have angered consumers through a vast array of unfavorable decisions. These involve installing predatory gambling mechanisms within games aimed at children, forcing employees to work 80 hour weeks, and most recently within the context of the last few years, having ads play within the games they have published. However, being a newly enrolled  marketing class student, my interest was piqued when I stumbled upon a trending set of articles that dealt with advertisements in video game loading screens.

https://www.ibtimes.com/2k-puts-unskippable-commercials-nba-2k19-2802679

For context, when a video game console is trying to load the next portion of a game, there typically is a loading screen that occurs that will then end once the game is loaded so the player can continue playing the game. It essentially is something for the player to look at or engage with from within the game content as they wait for the game to render. This brings us to the video game publisher 2K Games.

2K Games entire value proposition is that they are currently one of only two video game companies that can make games with the National Basketball Association license and starting in a few years, they will be the sole license holder, so if you want to play an NBA game, you can only play their games. With their annually released basketball series "NBA 2K", they have creatively used loading screens for advertisements as the game loads, something relatively new and pioneered by 2K Games. It makes sense when you hear it at first as there isn't anything else for the player to do but wait, so why not play an ad and make more money in the process. Still, while there are a lot of players who find this very weird and sometimes even invasive (such as myself), 2K Games allows the player to skip the rest of the ad to continue playing the game, once the game is fully loaded. Again, weird, awkward, and a little invasive, but understandable. A company has to make money as best it can.

However, with the latest game in the series, NBA 2K19, the most recent update for the game has caused controversy as the game will no longer let the player skip the ad once the game has finished loading. Instead, the game only proceeds once the ad has finished running, which usually takes about thirty seconds to run. Some players say that they can disable the loading screen to essentially just look like the black void within 2K Game's soul, but many players have said that the option to do so has been disabled entirely. Naturally this move has greatly irritated and upset a rather large portion of the gaming community as a whole as many people already have bought the game for $60 and feel a little cheated that there is more "hidden fees" to play the game.

Now I am aware that what constitutes as a controversy for video game consumers often sounds ridiculous more often than not to people who don't play video games. But if you don't play video games, this is comparable to buying a brand new coffee maker but before you pour yourself each cup of coffee (notice how I said each), you have to watch an unskippable ad before you get to drink that hot cup of joe. Whether that ad is five seconds or thirty minutes long, odds are you aren't buying that coffee maker just out of principle. However, it's important to note that this analogy isn't even a good one as you'll encounter loading screens several times within thirty minutes of playing, whereas coffee you may have only one or two cups a day. Add on the fact that consumers are wary that 2K Games and other developers would incorporate this mechanic into other games and you naturally have a sort of uneasy distrust between consumer and developer.

Naturally, 2K Games needs to make money, and gamers understand this. How else are they going to be able to get games? However, the challenge is trying to figure out when enough is enough and when is it time for the company to stop trying to take more money out of the consumers pocket. To much meddling within a product after the consumer has already bought the product just becomes an annoyance and its akin to hidden fees within the game that cost time and even entertainment of the actual game.

If there's a marketing strategy to start with, it begins with telling 2K Games to simply leave gamers alone once they have bought the game itself. The transactions are done and now its time to move on. They paid the full amount of the game and now its time to get out of the way and stop invading players games. If I'm a marketing consultant for 2K Games, any advice I give essentially equates to just that and recommending to superiors that they actually need to revert this mechanic as it was a genuinely bad business decision that just irritates consumers. If it's annoying to ask consumers to watch ads before each cup of coffee then it's especially annoying to have players watch ads before they can play the game they bought. 2K Games entire marketing position has continually frustrated consumers and convinced the industry that they only care about what more money they can get rather than simply making great games that can be enjoyed by consumers.

All in all, I learned a lot from this article and other articles that were written about this subject on how not to market products rather than an example of how to market to your consumers. I'm pondering if perhaps marketing is more than just your traditional marketing of advertisements. Maybe I am wrong but perhaps marketing also incorporates a sense of public relations and corporate social responsibility as well, something 2K Games and several other developers have struggled mightily at in the last few years.

*Below is a video summing up this topic in a much better way*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSuW6FflYcI

About Brandon

Hello there one and all! My name is Brandon Williams and I am currently enrolled in BA 223 Principles of Marketing here at Linn-Benton Community College. This is my sixth term attending LBCC and currently I am working on finishing my Associate Oregon Transfer Degree. I am excited to be enrolling into this class because it will be one of my first true business classes that I have to take in order to fulfill my degree, which is my main focus. So far, I have predominantly done only the general electives that are required for the degree so I am excited to be rolling up my sleeves and getting to work on what I am ultimately aiming to do. I do not know much about marketing, aside from general information, but I am eager to learn as much as possible to assist in my learning and affect my life for the better.
For myself outside of the college atmosphere, I love the game of baseball, I am a high school and middle school leader for my church, and I also lead an adult bible study once a week as well. I am happily married to the most amazing woman, and have been working at Target Inc. for the last three plus years via the store and distribution center here in Albany.
I have been blessed with much and am aware that I am undeserving of any of it. Without Jesus I am just some hopeless guy without a goal and who is dead in his sin. I have experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows and through all of it, Christ has helped me through it all. I have been blessed with much and I aim to be a blessing, and like Christ, to any and all I come across throughout life.
If you want to know more about my story or simply who I am, feel free to ask at anytime.
God bless,
Brandon Williams