Has anyone tried using coupons or rebates when introducing a new game? If so, how did it work out for you?
Chip
Has anyone tried using coupons or rebates when introducing a new game? If so, how did it work out for you?
Chip
I don't know if I have any right to respond to this post, since I havn't sold any games yet, but i'll do it anyway :)
As far as advertising goes, I would say that the only bad advertising is no advertising. if coupons, rebates, sales, etc... pull in sales then go for it. I'm sure no one would complain about having a coupon that gets them 10% off a game.
I've been working on an idea to get one of my initial games sold that involves a charity. When I do sell, i'll be donating every cent (even costs of making the game) to a charity (a local animal charity in my area). I figure that if a person was on the line about buying my game, they might not feel so bad to just go ahead and give it a shot since the money is going to a good cause.
Sales, rebates, coupons! If it gets people to purchace the game then do it! The more people that buy, the more people will talk. If you have a good product, the game will then sell itself from there.
If at all possible but some sort of tracking number on your coupons. Meaning if you are having coupons or rebates available to sy 5 stores, see if you can have each store get a coupon with a different number on it.
The number doesn't have to mean anything (put a number in the corner, small, or make it look like something official).
This way, when people use them, you'll know which coupon came from which store, so you'll have a better idea of where your customers are coming from.
Hope that explanation makes sense.
If at all possible but some sort of tracking number on your coupons. Meaning if you are having coupons or rebates available to sy 5 stores, see if you can have each store get a coupon with a different number on it.
The number doesn't have to mean anything (put a number in the corner, small, or make it look like something official).
This way, when people use them, you'll know which coupon came from which store, so you'll have a better idea of where your customers are coming from.
Hope that explanation makes sense.
I haven't put Coopetition on retail shelves yet (that will come during the next couple months). But for all of the direct sales that I did since last holiday season when Coopetion was first introduced, a coupon was attached to each individual game ($5 off next game). For the most part the original set of games were purchased by friends, family, and friends of friends, etc. And a few coupons were redeemed (many of the original games were given as gifts during the holidays and thus made their way throughout the country). Each coupon had a two digit code corresponding to the original purchaser. I was thus able to see how information and word of mouth flowed.
My plan at the moment is to use a "mail-in rebate" when Coopetition hits retail stores later this fall. By its very nature I'll be able to determine the store at which the game was purchased. But I'll likely code the forms to determine also where the form was discovered (i.e. on the web site, from the store, from a flyer or direct mail piece, etc.) I'll be interested to see if any interesting info comes from it.
Chip
*resurrects yet another old thread*
I put rebate cards in Employee of the Month for FraudSquad and Nobody But Us Chickens.
I have gotten NONE back. Not a single one.
Whether this is because the people who bought EOTM already owned the other games or because they weren't interested in the other games or they just plain forgot to use the rebates, I have no idea.
I included the fact that rebates were included in the game with my marketing to retailers and distributors in hopes that they would see this as a good way to move the older titles as well - but I rarely get any sort of response directly from them so I don't know if their decisions were influenced by this. I do know one retailer made a point of posting about the rebates and how cool they were in an industry-only forum, but whether anyone took notice I can't say.
I would still do it again in a heartbeat - they cannot hurt, they can only help. And rebates have the advantage of requiring no work on the retailer's part, whereas a coupon usually requires they do something (send the coupons back to me for their refund). I specifically chose rebates vs. coupons to put the onus on the consumer instead of the retailer.
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It's interesting that you mention the charity approach. I actually intend to do that just before I do my second production run of Coopetition. I haven't picked the charity yet. I'm thinking I might actually use Ebay when the time comes to get the word out on a national level. (To date, I have provided and/or will be providing a few games for doors prizes at some local charity events. The issue with this type of promotion is that I can't measure or see the direct effect of the action.)
As for coupons/rebates, I'm leaning at the moment of doing a mail-in rebate when the game hits retail shelves. That way the retail stores don't need to hassle with the economics of the situation (or rather I don't need to hassle with the retail stores about the economics of the situation). I would take care of it directly. I'll simply make stores aware of the rebate so they can tell their customers (and perhaps provide a few forms to the stores), and have the rebate form available on our web site. Using mail-in I can track the effectiveness of the campaign. Depending on how you set it up, it would likely be more difficult to track coupon use.)
Chip