It's often said that word of mouth has a premium value for entertainment meda and a study released by Waggener Edstrom Worldwide reinforces just that notion. The agency found that positive reception by friends was three times as likely to lead to a purchase than traditional marketing measures. Other key influences are (in order) retail, online demos, reviews, and advertising and promotion.
The study also affirmed the importance of hardcore gamers, or as the study called them, "Influence Multipliers." While making up only a fifth of the gamers included in the study, these veteran gamers network with friends and family and have a large amount of influence on their video game purchasing decisions.
"Compared to all video gamers, Influence Multipliers are a hyperinfluential subset of friends who are also far more connected to other gamers," said Dan Gallagher, senior vice president, Insight & Analytics at Waggener Edstrom Worldwide. "As a result, Influence Multipliers have an outsized network influence effect on their gaming colleagues. By targeting the media channels that Influence Multipliers rely on, marketers can optimize their marketing spending."
It was recently revealed that although game sales are down in 2009, the sales of core titles are actually up.
