Delivered at Casual Connect Tel Aviv, this session with Oren Todoros, Mobile Marketing Specialist at Plarium, dove into 10 Out of the Box Game PR Tactics that would help game studios generate exposure for their game launches while increasing their brand’s visibility, utilizing services such as Fiverr, Reddit, Product Hunt, YouTube and more. Additionally, Oren talked about how to find and spark relationships with influencers as well as track the outcome of social and PR initiatives. He expressed that PR is very important when it comes to games. The reason for that is, “content and creation is constantly changing. The way people consume content is constantly changing. You want to make sure that your story stands out above the rest.” For more great tips and examples, tune in to Oren’s lecture below.
Oren Todoros is Mobile Marketing Specialist at Plarium.com. Three years ago he began working with them as an independent freelancer and then joined the team. Prior to this, he had his own mobile app marketing company where he created marketing strategies for both large scale development firms and independent studios in the mobile space.
Create a Compelling PR Story
At Plarium, his main focus is working with their global game development studios where he ensures that the game launches are as successful as possible. This involves creating a compelling PR story that emphasizes the unique core values of each title.
From childhood Oren was constantly writing short stories; he thought the ideal job would be screenwriter. As he says, “Getting paid to make up stories? Sign me up!” Perhaps it is not surprising to discover that he believes games are the perfect platform to tell a story. Not only that, he believes PR is all about telling an engaging story. This story may not be about the game itself, it could be about the team behind the game, the process of creating it or it really could be about the success of the title. “But at its core,” he insists, “it’s about bringing journalists and players along for the ride and delivering insights they wouldn’t get anywhere else.” Clearly he has realized his childhood dream of getting paid to create stories; he just didn’t realize they would be PR stories.
A personal trait which has been very useful to him in his career is his curiosity. He is constantly curious about how competitors launch their apps or products and sets aside time every week for competitive research at a high level.
Inspired by the Pace of Change
Oren grew up learning several languages, including English, French, Italian and Hebrew. His first job online was translating website from English and French to Italian. Through this experience, he discovered the global aspect of working online and the opportunities it offered. Eventually he used the experience he gained on the online web to move toward the mobile industry. He was most inspired then and continues to be inspired by the rapid pace of change. It constantly challenges him to find creative ways to work on his goals.
In fact, of the aspects of his job Oren most enjoys is the demand for creativity. But, while he has always felt the need to be creative, he is also very analytical by nature. As Mobile PR Specialist he must bring both these traits together, not only thinking outside of the box, but also following through with execution and tracking of results.
Track Results!
He has now been in the online marketing industry for more than twelve years, beginning with content creation and search optimization, then adding experience in media buying, email marketing and now PR initiatives. Through all these responsibilities he has realized the critical nature of one factor: tracking results. As he emphasizes, “Planning a solid marketing plan is crucial, but it is nothing without the right execution and tracking of results. The same can be said about PR. If you don’t understand what worked, there’s no way to improve and optimize the process.”
Photo by Sasha Paleeva
The challenges his has found in the mobile PR industry are similar to those of other industries. The competition is constantly evolving, pushing the envelope in promoting game titles. More and more games are competing for attention while the medium used to get the message out is constantly shifting. Only a few months ago a write up in one of the leading game sites could have been enough to drive downloads. Today competing media include YouTube, Vine and other social media channels. So determining where to focus PR efforts is a very high priority.
But again he emphasizes that the way to overcome these challenges is to test quickly and track results. It is essential to figure out what works and to understand what type of content will generate the most engagement on each media channel.
Oren’s career has been full of moments that he remembers with pride. Among these are launching his own mobile marketing app business and successfully working with a variety of clients during that time. More recently, at Plarium, he is very proud of each game launch that he is a part of, working on getting the pitch right, making sure it reaches the right media and journalists, and then seeing the story on some of his favorite game sites. He states, “That’s always a proud moment.”
Constantly Improving Games
Mobile game engines are constantly improving, allowing better gameplay and graphics, a trend Oren expects to continue. Although there are those who believe mobile games will overtake consoles, he insists before that can happen there will be seamless connectivity between mobile devices and large screen and console devices.
Video content has also been having a substantial impact on game launches. He points out, “This explosive trend, specifically through YouTube and Twitch, has been massive to say the least.” So any game studio that fails to understand this trend and how to work with video content creators will be at a huge disadvantage.
For the future, Oren is most excited about the opportunities in VR, which he claims will open a new world of engagement unlike anything we have yet seen. This area is still relatively unexplored, but last year Google released a headset that holds a smartphone in front of the eyes and recently Apple patented a VR headset built especially to accommodate an iPhone. Oren feels, “With more mature and complex games on the horizon, the devices we use to interact with our mobile games and the engagement they deliver will have to evolve accordingly.”
As a busy father of three girls, Oren has little free time. But he is committed to going to the gym three or four times each week and has found a side benefit; many of his ideas come while he is working out. And, of course, relaxing at the beach is one of his favorite things about life in Israel.
