Diablo 3: Appealing to the Casual Gamer

Blizzard,

I am not here to solve all your problems. I won't go into the dreaded "end game" debate that everyone is concerned about, or any other of your seemingly countless difficulties that you must overcome. Rather, I come here to talk about a few things I have not seen brought up that will make Diablo more attractive to casual gamers (like myself) and ultimately help you make more money.


Idea #1: Hidden Items

Pretty self explanatory; consider it a game of hide and seek. The rarer the item, the harder it is to find. These items could be literally anywhere in the Diablo world and you could even make a backstory to it. Hell, you could even use this as your selling point. Maybe some items can only be found during the day (think: objects shining in the sun). Or they can only be exposed from a wall from a certain blast force. What if some hidden items weren't ever visible but you had to rely on a distinct sound made? There are tons of variables that can be considered but ultimately it creates a "holy shit I could be a few feet from the rarest item in the game at any moment" sense.

But the vast majority will not be finding these items, so what about them? I was thinking that when someone finds one of the items, this can be sent out to players on their mobile device letting them know that it was found (does Blizzard have an app? If not, that is a major leak. More on this later.). Not only can they view details of the item, but they can BID on said item. All participants will have until lets say 24 hours after the item is found to place their bid (if the finder wants to get rid of the item) to try to get the item.

I think an element of luck is exactly what's needed in a game like this, where literally the noobest of noobs could stumble upon fortune. I'm pretty much the definition of a casual gamer, and it would be much more appealing if I knew that there was an alternative method in acquiring rare items. Give the casual player something to play for.

PROS:
-Encourages exploration
-It gives casual gamers something to do/work for.
-Adds a "real time" element with participation outside of gameplay, which imo is big. I can't really think of any game where the brand connects with you outside of their game, this provides the opportunity to do so.


Idea #2: User Generated Content

Back when I was playing, one night I was getting stomped on in Vault of the Assassin (I think) and was dying. Fast. I had to GTFO. I started making my escape to find somewhere where I could use town portal, but one of the monsters (I think a doom viper) saw this and started chasing me. I was probably 1.5x faster than him so I ran to where I thought I could get out before he hit and killed me. So I stop, press T, and wait. Halfway through, the thing pops up on my screen and is coming right at me. I had to decide whether to relocate or wait it out, but I'm a gambler, so I rolled the dice. NOTE: once the DV gets to you, he sorta pauses, pulls back his spear, then jabs it at you. So he gets to me, pulls back, and EXACTLY when he went to jab at me, I disappear. He swung at air. I couldn't have timed it better if I tried again a thousand times. I can still picture it to this day. Definitely one of the highlights of my short D3 career. Yes, I did giggle like a schoolgirl.

Anyway, I thought it would make for a great commercial, which brings me to the idea of user submitted content for advertising purposes. I'm sure all types of unique situations pop up to all types of users that would make for great 15-30 second clips for outsiders to watch. Bizarre, funny, sad, perfect timing, whatever. In my opinion, it is perfect for commercial content and theoretically provides an endless stream on content. I came up with this earlier when reading about YouTube being more strict wrt copyright material, but thought YouTube is a great platform to put this on. I don't want to tell Blizzard how to spend its money but this type of content for commercial purposes would be better than 99.9% of the crap I am currently forced to watch. Each clip should basically tell a mini story that the average viewer could understand. Then you can compile all clips onto one channel so people can view on demand. Remember, Content is King! (I encourage all who are reading this to chime in with stories of your own if you have any good ones)

This brings me to the question: can users go back and review their gameplay after they are done? I haven't played for a while but I'm gonna guess no which is a problem. I think I remember this feature being on either Call of Duty or Halo? Not sure, but I think users would appreciate something like this. IF you do implement something like it, there should be a button where it saves that moment so you can go directly to it at a later time.

You can spin this off into so many things if you think about it. Reward participants if their video goes viral/if you use it in a commercial.

PROS:
-Great content
-Appealing to outsiders/potential sales
-Humor/viralability
-encourages participation beyond the actual product


Question #1: Bitcoin

This is purely thinking out loud. I'm a complete noob when it comes to Bitcoin, so maybe someone could chime in, but is it possible to use users' computers for mining purposes (assuming you have consent)? According to this one year anniversary chart, ~2.1 million users are playing on any given day. That's a lot of computing power imo.


Question #2: Diablo 3 Revenue Streams?

I can only think of 1) purchases of the game, and 2) AH commissions. AH must have not brought in that much money if you are discontinuing it, but where are you going to make up for this lost revenue?

So what are the D3 revenue streams?


Question #3: Mobile & Big Data

The only thing I could find about Blizzard using mobile after a quick search was an app for authentication purposes. Which is great and all, but I think Blizzard should consider doing more to interact with the consumer OUTSIDE of the game. Going off my hidden items idea, Blizz could put the Diablo maps within their app so users can search microscopically for the hidden items.

I can think of all types of things that can be done from a mobile perspective so I won't go into this too much, but is the authentication thing really the only mobile product they have out there?

Then there's Big Data. Obviously Blizz collects vast amounts of data and they have great products for  gaining insight to make better business decisions. What are they doing in regard to this? I'm highly interested in analytics and am simply curious about this.



General Thoughts:

Here is a good article I found when doing research:
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2012-09-28-blizzards-success-isnt-magic-just-hard-work-and-open-minds

Blizzard obviously caters to the casuals and that article does a good job explaining why. I still think Blizzard needs to do more things to appeal to the casual gamer, and there is so much potential, but I don't think they see it yet.

Chobani

I love the use of distinct colors for each of Chobani's products, but I think they could make their packaging much more aesthetically pleasing, which will ultimately help sales. I don't like the fact that so much of its retail space is dedicated to the color white. Another gripe I have is that these cups are the most awkward thing in the world trying to hold in the same hand. Don't even THINK about holding 3 in the same hand; not gonna happen. Chobani has lost sales from me simply because I could not carry their product effectively.

There are 2 things, from a packaging perspective that need to be resolved:

-Visual/Aesthetics
-Construction

I see a lot of potential just from a visual perspective. The short answer is that I want them to have less  white and have more color; if they were to simply inverse the colors on their packaging it would look much better. I am fine with each of the specific colors, but I just think that these colors should be more prolific on each cup.

The colors are simply a visual representative of their product. Consumers are currently able to distinguish Chobani products from the rest of the yogurts, why not add emphasis on the colors and really let them stick out from competing products? This leads to the construction of the products:
I like the circular nature of the design, but I definitely hate the fact that there is a huge gap between all cups. It gives off a non-uniform look that ultimately hurts the aesthetics of the brand.

Lining up two cups side-by-side, I found that the gap between the two bottoms of the cups turned out to be 3.4 centimeters. The bottom of a single cup is 5.6 centimeters; meaning that the gap accounts for ~60.7% of the length of a single cup, which seems like a lot in my view. From a geometric perspective: if you were to see two cups side-by-side as a trapezoid, the gap in the middle accounts for roughly ~10% of the area in the trapezoid. Maybe not too much, but it adds up, especially from a real estate perspective.

Anyways, the point is that the gap doesn't look good. There is some great potential for Chobani to really separate themselves from other products if:

1. They use each of their colors as primary colors, instead of the current secondary color look
2. Uniform design was implemented. It is a bonus Chobani product are mostly (or always) placed together; take advantage of this and give your products a "connected" feel.
3. The products are stackable. I'm a poker guy so let me say that this is a "leak" that needs to be plugged.

As I said, as much white as possible should be  eliminated, evidenced by:

In settings like these, nothing about Chobani really stands out.

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That was only looking at your brand from a visual perspective. I have plenty of other considerations that you should look over if you want to keep consumers interested in your brand:

• Rewards system. I personally buy plenty of Chobani cups; it would be nice that if I bought a certain amount, I could be rewarded in some way. Since you have so many flavors, make a game out of it. I think the easiest way for someone to account for all the cups they buy is that once you purchase the product from a store, you can scan each barcode with your phone, and your Chobani app keeps tab of all the product you buy. I just checked my iPhone and see that you DON'T have an iOS app. It's 2013; that should be a crime. 2 clicks: open app, press scan. It's as easy as that. #ChobaniPoints
• Social. I'm sure some great pictures can be made from the visual colors of your products. Chobani should take advantage of this in the social space. Maybe even make a competition where others can vote their favorite picture and winners earn #ChobaniPoints
• I read somewhere that you weren't currently interested in expanding your product line. That's fine, but for future consideration: yogurt parfait & froyo.

"Lunch" break at work. Making my own parfait. Plain @Chobani yogurt w/strawberries 🍓🍓 pic.twitter.com/yCHQDCDszF
— Shelby (@Shelby_TIU) July 29, 2013

When froyo is closed, make your own 👍🍦🍑#chobani #chocolatecoverdalmonds #peaches @chobani http://t.co/85Hv0yFbnD
— Cait (@pieceof_cait) August 14, 2013

MLB Content Idea: Foul Balls

There is no moment quite like a foul ball moment. For that one point in time, nothing in the world is more important than that baseball to the fans who are near it. Heroes are born; cowards exposed. Chaos, confusion, and hilarity are only a few nouns to describe it. While we don't know when, where, and with whom this moment will occur, we do know that it is great content.

Foul ball pictures are a great example of undervalued content. These pictures provide a never-ending flux of variability. Maybe I am just a sucker for these types of candid moments, but it seems like a great opportunity to capitalize on. I see a scenario where MLB captures every foul ball moment and creates an additional revenue stream from it. In this world where one attracts eyeballs for ad dollars, this seems like a no brainer. Product placement has some potential here too.

It is also the perfect type of content for mobile and social media. These pictures provide constantly original material that can also be spun off in alternative ways to engage with the fans.

-Best of the Best (based on 1-10 ratings scale)
-Tagging individuals on Facebook/Twitter (I think people will think it would be pretty cool if they can be tagged in brand pictures; this product provides an opportunity to do so. I bet there would be plenty of people who would even make it their profile picture.) Heck, even make the comments section only available to them so they can share the moment together.


All it really takes is a few strategically placed cameramen at every game whose sole purpose is to capture these moments.

My Letter to Nike+

Nike+,

Digitalizing an entire sport such as golf seems like an incredibly daunting task, but it also sounds really exciting. Imagine having a database of every golfer. Players will be able to track their improvement day by day, and year by year. I was playing golf earlier and came up with a terrific idea for an app that in essence would get rid of the need of a scorecard. When brainstorming ideas for it, I realized that my idea can stretch much farther than I originally expected and began doing research on how technology is being implemented in all aspects of golf. 

In my theoretical app, one would be able to track any and every of information about their golf game, including (but not limited to):

-score
-handicap
-weather conditions
-stats

Say for example a simple statistic noting what % of fairways a golfer hits. There's a problem; how does the app seamlessly know when a ball is hit into the rough or into the fairway? A golfer sure isn't going to input it into their phone every time. Then I thought: well what if the ball had a sensor/gps in it that paired with the phones gps to precisely locate the balls position on the course. Then I'm like: are sensors even in golf balls? 

I was specifically curious whether sensors were being embedded in golf balls or not for this type of idea. I know there is already a company (RadarGolf) that uses sensors which simply locates lost balls for you but there are obviously so many other aspects of a golf ball to consider: spin, velocity, wind, temperature, etc. that players would be interested to see. At first I was looking at Titleist then my attention directed to Nike+ products as it seems you guys are taking Big Data seriously. 

1. Do you imbed sensors into the Nike golf balls?
2. Do you see the massive opportunity in such a product? More and more want to see data regarding their golf game and be able to access it via the cloud. Putting something into your golf balls would not only give you the ability to tell players more information about the game, but it also puts your product way ahead of the others. Then imagine integrating it with your own golf app where players can see all types of info regarding their game. It's a "Big Idea" (get it?) but if executed correctly it can put you miles ahead of competition.

I think there is a big opportunity to get ahead if you were to have the perfect combination of products. Would you guys consider something like this? If yes, I would be very interested in working on this type of project with you guys :). 

Either way I'm curious about how Nike+ is tackling golf in The Digital Age.

School & Team Spirit Yoga Pants

Preface/Intro

The most important thing to keep in mind is that this is less about the product we are selling and more about the story we’re telling to our consumers. The product I talk about is only a shift into something much bigger which, if implemented correctly, has a chance to win over the hearts of the consumers.

I don’t think I need to list the advantages of yoga pants and why they are so popular, especially to a yoga pants retailer. Women & men alike are fond of them (albeit for different reasons).  As popular as they are, I realized that there is a glaring flaw which no one to my knowledge has taken advantage of; they lack variety! Sure, there is a variety of colors to choose from, but on a general level most styles lack a uniqueness that separates itself from the competition. Fashion is as popular as ever and making a differentiated product in this market has fantastic opportunity. The basic idea of my product is to create team based and school based designed yoga pants, where there is no shortage of diversity and promise.

Strategy

This is about much more than the product itself. This is about redefining the user experience and essentially creating a “social” product. Consumers, and especially millennials, want something in exchange for their loyalty (and use of data). Lucy Activewear has a massive opportunity to benefit from this. Creating a service like the one I explain will put you ahead of your competition. Lucy can become a household name that dips into the segment (sporting apparel) where your current products are targeted to. It opens up a lot of doors in terms of opportunities and reach.

My new idea for school and team spirit yoga pants provide a great opportunity to truly connect with the consumer and perhaps most importantly generate brand loyalty. The service is as important, if not more, than the product itself. It is no longer enough to take a customers money and say “Thanks! Come back again!”; no loyalty is built around such a  business model. I want to create an experience where the consumer feels inclined to participate and be a part of what’s going on. With the proper mobile and social strategy, these yoga pants can be a fun and competitive way for consumers to show their support for their respective schools and sports teams. Before I get to these strategies, I will provide the opportunity that lies within the yoga pants themselves.

Contemporary School/Team Spirit Yoga Pants

These are the most “prolific” sports related yoga pants I could find.

That’s it. I challenge you to find better ones than this; I have been looking for everything and anything and have come up with nada. The overwhelming consensus I see when searching for these types of yoga pants is that most are black with the school/team logo on them (like above), sometimes with the school/team spelled out. Almost none are school colored; the ones that are (that I have found) aren’t considered yoga pants by definition. They lack the fundamental aspect of team colors, let alone variations of that aspect.

Yoga Pants & Their Potential

As I said earlier, all types of sports can be included.

-MLB

-NFL

-NBA

-NHL

-Soccer (MLS & International)

-Nascar

-NCAA Athletics

Each sport contains its own ecosystem of competitors and competitive teams, and each team has its own unique style of colors and logos that may be used as a foundation for design. I came up with a few photoshopped examples to show what some options are.

Basic

Pretty self explanatory. Single colored pants based on team colors. Most if not all teams and school have more than one primary color, allowing for more than one option in this category.

Designs/Patterns

There is a ton of potential in this area. I created simple versions of what will be a complex but fun subject.

Themes

There are a variety of themes that professional leagues coordinate each year. Each provides an opportunity to make an array of new products.

-Throwback

-Veterans Day (Camouflage)

-Breast Cancer Awareness (Pink)

-4th of July (Red, White, & Blue)

-St. Patricks Day (Green)

-Other holidays that have a “theme” (Halloween)

Humor

Making light of unfortunate situations also provides potential further connecting with the consumer. While plenty of fans may support their respective teams when they are good, it may be hard to support your teams apparel when your team is in a slump. Creating products like the one above provides a light hearted dynamic for the consumer and for all those who see it.

Logos

Each team has a variety of logos and slogans that can be included, further differentiating a product. We are in an age where consumers want their own little flair in what they wear, and having the option to choose from a variety of team logos should prove to be popular. Personalization is a key component which will be further discussed. There is a ton of variety in the simplest of logos that can and should be utilized:

* * * * * *

Also consider when and where women will wear these. Sporting events, bar and restaurant type settings, social situations, everyday situations, and others. Part of the appeal of watching sporting events is to get together with others and have a great time. These pants can expand one's repertoire in their fashion sense and also it provides a great jumping off point for conversation.

These pants are more than just supporting your team. They are also a fashion statement (which could be more valuable in a womans mind). I noted earlier that most current yoga pants are bland and don’t provide much of a foundation for a woman to mix and match with. Providing an amplitude of design patterns, colors, and styles will solve such a problem, especially in this world where younger women constantly turn to social media as a means to show off their style and fashion. There will also be standard options such as your Hatha pants need it be. Color scheming is important, but we want users to know they can also get standard if needed.

Licensing

The first thing to note on the business side of things is the licensing aspect. We obviously need approval from schools and teams to make this even work. I am a novice in this area so I can’t comment much further than that.

Social & Mobile Strategy

Overview

When a customer decides to hop aboard, we want them to create a profile. Within this profile, there are plenty of things they will be able to do, including:

- sharing their outfits with the world

- mixing & matching product options

- the ability to “try on” their chosen product with camera technology before buying                  product

- earn points & win prizes based on certain criteria

- see other customers’ outfits (and buy/wish list the item)

Buying the Product

When searching for the yoga pants of a users choosing, there will be two ways to view the pants when deciding what to buy via your mobile device. One will be the pants as a standalone with a 360 degree panorama view. Potential buyers can view all angles of all potential designs they come up with. Color schemes/designs/patterns/logos will all be available on hand within the same screen as panorama to avoid unnecessary complexity. Second, the user will be able to take pictures of herself (by mirror) from the front, the side, and the back which will then be used as an alternate way for one to view how the pants would look on them, if technology like this exists. This will enable the user to try on an assortment of pants to compliment the design of the tops being worn. Users will be able to bookmark certain outfits so they can go back to it later.

Another way to buy product will come from the social media aspect of this product. As I said, users will be encouraged to share their outfits with the world. These pictured can be viewed by others who are looking to buy product (but maybe too lethargic to make their own) and if they see one they like, they can bookmark it for later or buy it on the spot. Someone buying the pants shown in your pictures will earn you points, which will be discussed below.

Tablets will be optimal for such a strategy because of its large screen, enabling an enhanced experience, but we also want this to be portable so making it on mobile devices should be of priority too. Screen size will be smaller, but I see no problem with implementing such an idea. Putting this on mobile devices opens up all other types of possibilities as well.

Social Media

Establishing a social media strategy from the inception is imperative to success.

It is important to understand to strength of social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat. They will go a long way in promoting our products, and there are plenty of ways in which to do so. It is just as important to recognize that each platform differs from one another and we need different strategies for each one. I don’t have overall strategies for each platform as of right now but I have thought of scenarios and situations for all where our product would be highlighted.

I said earlier that customers would be encouraged to share their pictures. The idea is to have compilation albums of users which are separated by teams and league (for example, all New York Jets users will be in same album, and so on and so forth). Two points should be addressed about this:

1. I see no reason why users won’t participate, especially when there are rewards/prizes to be won from sharing.

2. Men will love having a large database of women in yoga pants to look at. I don’t know how exactly to tie this into the overall strategy (and potential monetization), but rest assured that this product will be popular with men too, allowing for potential on that side.

Personalization

Allowance for personalization brings a modern approach to our product. It will give users a sense of power and control when choosing from an array of product options.

Here’s one example of the diverse nature of our product:

Notre Dame is a prestigious university whose students take much pride in showing support for their school. They also have a ton of variety for their design schemes. According to this university link, Notre Dame has a combination of 16 primary, secondary, and tertiary colors. This link shows 28 primary and alternate logos. If you were to assume 10 different design/pattern options, that is (16)(28)(10) = 4480 possible combinations to choose from.

Marketing, Advertising & Promotions

There is a ton of room for advertising and promotions through this product. I envision a type of points system for each individual that is based on a lot of characteristics. Every person will have an opportunity to earn points which leads to free product or even other offerings. I also want to attach logo on the pants so that at any angle a picture is taken, our logo is visible so viewers will automatically know whose product it is. This will go a long way when someone on social media who is not familiar with our product can figure it out on their own.

Some collective thoughts:

• If a user were to buy a product, upload their picture in it, and someone else looks at their picture and eventually buys those pants, the original user rewarded.
• Through social media, find “popular” users with many followers who would be willing to showcase our product. Offer them a free pair or two in exchange for advertising (in a native sense) our products.
• Ratings system. Uploaded pictures can be rated by viewers either through 1-10 system or thumbs up/thumbs down system or something similar. This will eventually be used as a tool for “competitive” rankings grouped by team/school.
• Collective users (say Notre Dame product buyers) will be rewarded if they as a whole are rated above other schools or teams, giving them rewards.
• Cheerleaders and female athletes. These individuals in my opinion are underrated. From a college and professional perspective, these athletes don’t get as much attention as they deserve. Getting them on board to showcase our product could go a long way in getting the public more interested in them.
• Verified accounts. College athletes, cheerleaders, celebrities, and potentially others have influential faces that should be utilized. Others such as athletes’ significant others could have possibilities also. This product should be tied heavily with the sports world and all of the people in it.
• “Subscribing” to a user (that user will be rewarded based on # of subscribers)
• Real time marketing. I can see scenarios where real time marketing can be implemented. Will comment on further if needed.

The best part about this product is that through sharing ones adventure, they will be eligible for all types of rewards. In essence, we want to “gamify” the product. There is a competitive spirit to our product so providing a gamification type experience should be considered.

Gamification: the application of typical elements of game playing (point scoring, competition with others, rules of play) to other areas of activity, typically as an online marketing technique to encourage engagement with a product or service.

• Who is your audience and what motivates them?
• What kind of rewards appeal to your customers?
• How will the game mechanics work in your overall strategy?
• How will you measure the success of your program?

All of these questions need to be answered and I can definitely provide further interpretation on the answers, but it is currently go in depth considering no plan is set in stone.

Design

Users will be able to submit their own design ideas, either through the app or website or other. There really is no shortage on this area and we want our users to know that if they have a creative idea, they can submit it for approval. If eventually it is used, they will reap the rewards based on how many people buy their designed product.

Design can also be outsourced. Who knows more about a college more than its students? I’m sure fashion majors would be more than happy to take on such a project, especially if they know their designs will be commercialized,  which can be put on a résumé.

Markets

• Professional sporting teams and their fans. I think almost everyone in this world likes at least one sporting team so the outreach of these products could be substantial. Sports such as soccer provide an opportunity for international market presence.

• College. I believe this will be the most popular segment. College women often show their school spirit and getting this market on board is a no brainer. I think this type of product could spread like a wildfire in the college segment. Ultimately millennials will appreciate this kind of product just as much as anyone and they are the target market we are hoping to grab the attention of.

• High schoolers are another segment to think about. Even if we don’t get into the whole high school category, these students nonetheless have favorite sporting teams and most will go to college so opportunity is definitely there.