Week 14

This ad is a VoD for a match I recently streamed. I didn't include a call to action button because none of them really matched what would happen if the viewer clicked the link, which of course is take them to YouTube. It would actually be better the way this ad appears since it is honest and offers only a YouTube video. The thumbnail is of course showing the viewer a general idea of what they are about to see: Kid Cobra fighting Max Brass with really long arms. If the thumbnail weren't there, the viewer would much more likely be confused as to what ARMS is and probably distrust this ad and move on.

This ad is of course a link to my YouTube channel. Since I am the creator of the X-Tension Gaming business, I might as well advertise my channel. What's most effective here in this ad is the description. I am pretty well-known in the ARMS community already and have a decent following on my channel. If I use myself as a way to advertise my business, the people who recognize me will be more likely to check out my page. My call-to-action button was of course a subscribe button since it is a YouTube channel I am advertising.

This ad more so advertises an event rather than the page. However, people can trust this page as long as I keep notifying players what tournaments they can sign up for and credit my page as reliable source for advertising upcoming events. In the description, I advertise not only a chance to play ARMS offline, but also a chance to help raise money charity. There are people out there who want be helpful and kind and reaching out to that demographic could improve the numbers. To show how legitimate this event is, I also name one of the specific charities that this event is working with. To show what players can experience at the event, I use a clip from last year's Smash Out to demonstrate what it can look like. My call-to-action button is simply "learn more," because I don't detail it as much as the link I give here. It encourages the viewer to get more info on the event and makes them more likely to sign up rather than scroll down and be indifferent about this ad. 

An objective for advertising is simply a goal to help grow a business. My best objective for my business is brand awareness since my brand is small. I advertise ARMS content, events, streams, etc. I want people to be aware of my page and rely on it as a good source for what I advertse. If my business were bigger, my objective would simply be traffic to keep the business afloat. Business can't run without good traffic otherwise they shut down. Either way, the goal is to get attention and attention for businesses equal money.

Week 13: Part 1

2GGaming, Level Up Live, VG BootCamp, CEO Gaming, and Most Valuable Gaming all tend to use Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube for advertising. The only times any of these businesses use YouTube for advertising is usually to announce a new upcoming major tournament event. They usually present in an epic style with epic music playing with it announcing the games that will have tournaments there. This is definitely effective as it can create excitement and an urge to go for the consumer. 

On Twitter and Facebook, they tend to announce upcoming tournaments but through a less exciting post since it is usually just text and a picture. The pictures are usually very well-designed and appealing to draw basic attention, but what matters more is what is the picture or post about. The posts should be able to answer questions like "Where is this event held? What games will be there? Can this game be there? etc." The businesses can also create polls to see what the consumer wants to see. These polls are usually to add different games in future tournaments whether they be regular or annual. Sometimes, these business will even share clips of amazing high-level play from one of their players to showcase what the business is all about. If the business doesn't promise high-level gameplay, there's no point in being a high-level competitive gaming business. All of these ways of marketing are the best way to advertise a gaming business whether it'd be a tournament organizer or eSports team.

Week 12: Part 2

Twitch would easily be the best source for my business. Twitch is a video broadcasting platform usually used by gamers. Here, streamers can stream themselves playing any game they want and get in touch with random users in a chat box. Those users can also financially support the streamers through paid channel subscriptions, giving bits (Twitch's digital currency), or even just donating money. However, you will need a good amount of average viewers in order to gain any revenue, even advertisements. Businesses like mine use this platform as one of the many paths of revenue for them. Gamers want to see high-level gameplay and Twitch allows us to catch potential excitement live without any spoilers otherwise. While the amount of live viewers will generate enough money as it is, the extra options to support financialy through subscriptions and donations are certainly more beneficial.  YouTube's live streaming can work the exact same way, though donations are accepted through Twitch. Some streamers use both at the same time potentially doubling the revenue. Either way, Twitch is definitely the best source of revenue for eSports businesses like mine.

Week 12: Part 1

There aren't a whole lot of useful platforms for my business, but I know one website that businesses like mine use a lot, and that's smash.gg. This website allows businesses to create an easy way for players to register for an event, see who's going to it, and what's going on in the bracket. Businesses will use this to advertise an upcoming event and list details of where and when it will be held, and charge a certain price for each individual game/tournament, such as $10 for Smash Bros. or $5 for ARMS. Each tournament shows how many people have registered and are supposed to be going. While I can't necessarily control who comes to my tournaments, this feature is still useful since it can actually convince more players to come. If top Melee player HungryBox decided to come to my tournament, this would encourage Melee fans to come too just to meet HungryBox, creating more revenue. I personally have been to tournaments where players used this website to also see who's where in the tournament bracket. It's definitely a very useful website for both the business and the players. The players can register for a tournament very easily and it creates an easy path for registration sales. And while it doesn't have any communication like other social platforms, it still is the go-to website for competitive gaming businesses.