Marketing Lessons from Grand Theft Auto

Grand Theft Auto is one of the biggest franchises in the video game industry. With sales at 124 million+ copies all-time, the series has create a profound impact both in terms of revenue and culture. While one can debate the ethical merits of the game’s content, there’s no denying that Rockstar Games have done a masterful job of building an incredible marketing engine around the release of each game. Let’s take a deeper look at what they do and why it’s so effective.

Hype works – but only when people give a damn.

Rockstar is notorious for its secrecy around each GTA project.As of this morning, Grand Theft Auto V has just been revealed. While many speculated on the development of GTAV, this reveal will now fuel another media cycle and drive content marketing around the GTA series – much of which Rockstar won’t even have to generate on their own. Fans and games journalists will do this for Rockstar simply because the mystique and hype of the series is enough to to be the story. Of course, this particular method only works if you have a very consumer-focused product offering with the appropriate audience, but it’s impressive nonetheless.

Know your audience really, really well.

The video game purchasing audience is growing up, fast. Previously, one could make the claim that the audience for a game like the GTA series would be males in their late teens to mid-twenties. With a generation weaned on Nintendo and Sega now in their thirties, the revenues for games have grown exponentially.

The audience is also very internet-savvy and very likely to spread hype via forums, social media, and blogs. Much of the work is done for Rockstar – they simply provide the media (videos, screenshots, etc) and their fanbase spreads their content marketing like wildfire. Rockstar could not achieve this level of media saturation without a rabid, dedicated community like the typical gamer.

How well do you know your own audience? Do you have a profile of your alpha customer? Is your content marketing built for their needs?

Give potential customers enough information to validate their purchase.

Last year, Rockstar released Red Dead Redemption, which was a critical and commercial smash hit. One of the best marketing moves that Rockstar made was to release information via long videos previewing the various features and gameplay elements. In an industry where a thirty second CGI trailer is considered big news – Rockstar was giving its potential customers an in-depth examination of the game that went beyond brief preview videos. This level of information was well-received online and fans were extremely appreciative. Consider your own messaging. Is it meeting the expectations of your audience? Remember, customers want you to show them – don’t just tell them.

Rockstar knows the value of its product and how to communicate this fact to an audience that it truly understands.