Integrated Marketing Communications Plan (Tomb Raider 9)

Prepared for: Crystal Dynamics (Darrell Gallagher, Karl Stewart, Matt Knoles) By: Katie Fleming October 2010

i Table of Contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY SITUATION ANALYSIS Company Consumer Market Competition SWOT Analysis Problem Identification TARGET AUDIENCE PROFILE Overview Demographics/Psychographics Video Game Platforms/Games Tomb Raider Data Purchase/Subscriptions to Game Magazines Tomb Raider Events Activities, Television Networks Watched Popular Suggestions OBJECTIVES Marketing Communications Advertising MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY Positioning IMC Tools Interactive Marketing Sales Promotion Sampling Premium Contest #1 Contest #2 Contest #3 Public Relations Direct Marketing Direct Marketing #1 Direct Marketing #2

_____

_______ ___
1 2 2 2 3 4 5 8 9 9 10 13 14 18 19 20 21 22 22 22 22 23 23 23 24 25 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 31 33

ii
Event Marketing Event #1 Event #2 Event #3 Event #4 Advertising Magazines Broadcast Internet MEDIA OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGIES Media Objectives Media Strategies Media Distribution Print - Magazines Broadcast Television Broadcast Television (Outdoor) Online CAMPAIGN SCHEDULE Month-by-Month Blocking Chart TOTAL CAMPAIGN INVESTMENT EVALUATION CONCLUSION APPENDIX 34 34 35 37 39 41 41 41 41 42 42 42 42 43 45 49 50 55 55 55.2 56 57 60 61

1 Executive Summary _____ _______ ___

Crystal Dynamics is an award-winning, San Francisco-based video game development studio. Founded in 1992, Crystal Dynamics was best known for the Legacy of Kain and Gex series, now, for having acquired and developed three titles in the Tomb Raider series. Crystal Dynamics is now focusing solely on the Tomb Raider franchise, having sold more than 6.7 million copies of the three titles combined. Crystal Dynamics is in a highly competitive market with other game developers releasing AAA titles. Comparable competition stems from companies such as Ubisoft, Capcom, Electronic Arts, and Konomi. Crystal Dynamics stands out from competition with their history, talented staff, and the exclusivity of the Tomb Raider series. Since the recent takeover of the Tomb Raider series, there is still negativity from some of the fans due to the loss of Core Design. Crystal Dynamics has several strengths, as mentioned above, including the awards they've won, nearly two decades of experience, their quality image for AAA game titles and talented team. Some internal weaknesses that advertising can address include engaging the community to build a relationship with fans, and selling more titles for the next game. They face many opportunities as well, selling more copies than some of their competitors, the video game industry expecting to take a leap in sales, and the opportunity to increase awareness and interest for the Tomb Raider series. The major threats facing Crystal Dynamics are competitors selling more titles than Tomb Raider, negativity towards them (due to Core Design's absence) and current economic conditions. Research into the target demographic show that these individuals have been long-time fans of the series (11-14 years), are in school or working, and enjoy playing video games such as Uncharted, Resident Evil, and Prince of Persia. They are predominately male under the age of 18, and female, 18-24, living in the United States or United Kingdom. The target demographic enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading/writing, and photography or drawing. They also enjoy music, TV, and other forms of entertainment. A large percentage of this group do not read gaming magazines, with a vast number spending time online on various gaming websites and Tomb Raider websites looking for news, updates, and official releases. A strategically planned integrated marketing communications plan was developed to increase sales, image, brand awareness, and excitement using a variety of tools. A combination of interactive marketing, sales promotion, public relations, direct marketing, event marketing, and advertising were used, for a total campaign investment of $1,000,000. Should Crystal Dynamics follows the recommendations outlined in the body of the plan, which are all based on the research conducted and presented, the objectives of increasing sales, brand image, brand awareness, and excitement will be successfully met.

2 Situation Analysis Company Crystal Dynamics is an award-winning, San Francisco-based video game development studio. Founded in 1992, Crystal Dynamics was best known for the Legacy of Kain and Gex series, now, for having acquired and developed three titles in the Tomb Raider series. Crystal Dynamics is now focusing solely on the Tomb Raider franchise, having sold more than 6.7 million copies of the three titles combined. _____ _______ ___

Consumer Demographic Description Psychographic Description

Gender: Male (predominantly), and female Lifestyle: This audience enjoys video games and entertainment. They are loyal Age: Under 18, 18-24 fans to their favourite games and enjoy sharing their gaming experiences with friends. They are either in school or Work Status: Student and/or working working full time. Psychological Variables: The target has a desire to stay connected with family and friends. Personality: A large portion of this group are now making decisions for themselves about their future (where to go to school, which career path they would like to take) as well as decisions surrounding their families. They are very receptive to media and actively seek out new sources to ensure they are getting as much information as possible. They seek pleasure in social activities, and are very creative. They enjoy spending money on entertainment. Self-Image: These individuals are comical and like to have fun. They enjoy music, arts and crafts, reading/writing, engaging in social activities, and entertainment.

Purchase Behaviour: These individuals enjoy spending money on new games and

3 entertainment products. They are willing to save for future purchases and enjoy adding to their collections. Product Purpose: Entertainment Geography Country: Primarily United States/United Kingdom Region: Mostly urban Population Density: Mostly high densities Climate: Varies based on location Usage: Tomb Raider 9 can be played on a daily basis for however long as the player likes typically a couple of hours. They will be able to replay the game at will. Benefit Consumers of Tomb Raider 9 will have an enjoyable and stress-free experience when they play the game. They will escape from their daily lives for a few hours while they enjoy being entertained. They will share their experiences with friends via word of mouth, blogs, forums, and websites.

Market The video game industry is one of the largest industries in the world. The music industry was surpassed in 2007 by the gaming industry, and even more surprising, global video game sales surpassed the movie industry in 2008 (Ferry). The industry is clearly booming, and in the lead. According to a research article from WomenGamers.com, 65% of American households play computer games, 38% own a game console, and 41% of Americans expect to purchase one or more games this year. Several sources indicate the industry will reach $48.9 billion by 2011. As seen in Figure 1, sales from 2006 to 2007 took a $11.4 billion jump. However, from 2007 to 2008, sales rose by only $2.6 billion. Evidence of a tough economy was evident come 2009 when sales took a plunge by $1.7 billion. Perhaps those who projected $48.9 billion were being overly optimistic, as reports for 2010 have indicated a slow start to the year, already 5% lower than the previous year.

VideoGameIndustrySales
60.0 50.0 (Billions) 40.0 30.0 20.0 10.0 0.0

20 06

20 07

20 08

20 09

(Figure 1 Video Game Industry Sales by Year)

With 2010 having a slow start, it is imperative for developers and publishers to properly target their consumer base, speak the right language, and build a relationship with fans. Creative advertising is needed more than ever to break through the clutter from the rest of the industry, and other competitors, to capture the audience, and in turn, increase sales.

Competition The Tomb Raider series has immense competition. It is important to understand Tomb Raider's place in the marketplace to develop strategies to overcome this competition. Direct Competition Other top game development companies (AAA titles) including those in direct competition to Tomb Raider (see Target Market Profile, "Top Games Played") include: NaughtyDog (Uncharted 2) Ubisoft (Assassin's Creed, Prince of Persia) Capcom (Resident Evil) Activision (Call of Duty) Electronic Arts (The Sims) Square Enix (same publisher as Tomb Raider, but keeping in mind the Final Fantasy series is still competition) Konami (Silent Hill) Blizzard Nintendo Sony LucasArts

20 11

5 Indirect Competition Movie theatres Movie rental stores Free game websites Other entertainment-related services Television Internet

Alternative Gratification Consumer spending is still lower than normal due to the economy. Some individuals are either waiting for the prices of games to drop, shopping on eBay (or other related websites), buying pre-owned games, or passing on purchasing the game altogether.

SWOT Analysis Strengths Internal Award-winning studio 18 years experience (stability, prosperity and success) Tomb Raider Legend was the fastest selling Tomb Raider game Quality image (AAA games) Studio devoted entirely to Tomb Raider series (Know the brand the best, complete focus on games) Have sold 6.7 million copies of the three Tomb Raider games developed (see Figure 2)
TombRaiderSeriesSales
8.0 7.0 6.0 (Millions) 5.0 4.0 3.0 2.0 1.0 0.0

TR AE

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(Figure 2 Red bars indicate Crystal Dynamics' Tomb Raider games)

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6 Weaknesses Internal Recent game (Tomb Raider Underworld) did not sell as planned Not engaging the community to build a relationship Sold 2 million copies fewer (Legend, Anniversary, Underworld) than Core Design's last three games combined Underworld sold approximately 200,000 fewer copies than Tomb Raider Legend Tomb Raider Underworld ranked 6th for entire Tomb Raider game sales history (see Figure 3)
TombRaiderGameRankings (HighesttoLowest)
8.0 7.0 6.0 (Millions) 5.0 4.0 3.0 2.0 1.0 0.0

(Figure 3 Red bar indicates Tomb Raider Underworld's ranking by sales)

Opportunities External Tomb Raider Underworld sold 0.4 million copies more than Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands (competition) Video game industry is expected to jump from $32.6 billion (2005) to $65.9 billion (2010) ABI Research (source) AAA games are seen as more prestigious, worth the money, and more glamorized Opportunity to increase awareness, interest, and build a stranger bond with the Tomb Raider community while increasing brand image Large, established fan base of long-term fans Several successful fan sites need to be taken more advantage of, and utilized as part of marketing communications strategy Tomb Raider Underworld had 706 more threads on the Eidos boards than Tomb Raider Legend, and 38,109 more posts (see Figure 4) On tombraiderforums.com there were 230,373 more posts than Tomb Raider Legend

TR AE

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TombRaiderForumStatistics
500000 450000 400000 350000 300000 250000 200000 150000 100000 50000 0 Eidos Official Forums Tombraiderforums .com

Po st s

Th r

Th ea ds

TR 7

(Figure 4 Tomb Raider forum statistics, as of July 21, 2010)

Threats External Several competitors sold more units than Tomb Raider Underworld (see Figure 5). A small handful of direct competitors (according to survey) include: o Uncharted 2 sold 0.9 million copies more o Resident Evil 5 sold 2.3 million copies more o Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 sold 12.4 million copies more o Assassin's Creed 2 sold 3.4 million copies more Negativity toward Crystal Dynamics due to Core Design's absence Current economic conditions (people are still saving more and spending less) Competition within the video game industry and related industries There were 2,636 fewer threads for Underworld than Legend, on tombraiderforums.com (See Figure 4)

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Po st s

ea ds

TombRaidervs.MainCompetition
16.0 14.0 12.0 10.0 8.0 6.0 4.0 2.0 0.0

(Millions)

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(Figure 5 Tomb Raider Underworld versus main competition, in sales)

Problem Identification Crystal Dynamics is an award-winning development studio located in the San Francisco Bay area. The company's current main challenge is to address poor sales, as the latest game only ranked 6th overall in the series. The goal of this integrated marketing communications plan will address better advertising and marketing techniques, which in turn will generate awareness of the Tomb Raider brand, increase brand image, and increase sales. Crystal Dynamics will be better positioned as a prestigious game development studio offering top AAA Tomb Raider titles.

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9 Target Market Profile Overview A thorough analysis of the Tomb Raider community was conducted July 14th, 2010 through until August 16th 2010. During this time-frame, a detailed non-biased survey was posted on Katie's Tomb Raider site, asking members of the community to complete and submit the questionnaire. A copy of the questions asked can be found in the Appendix section (see "Tomb Raider Community Survey"). To help entice members to take their time to complete the survey, a variety of prizes were offered. Members who completed the survey were entered into a random draw, and the prizes included: 1 Tonner Lara Croft Doll (value of $150 US), 1 free download of Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light (value $15 US), and 3 copies of Lara Croft Lethal and Loaded DVD (value $15 each). Total value of prizes: $210.00 US. In total, 455 community members participated in the survey. I believe this is a high percentage of participants, and therefore, is an accurate reflection on the Tomb Raider community. To ensure fairness, IP addresses were checked to ensure members could not submit more than one entry. Multiple entries were removed to 1) make the contest fair for everyone, and 2) ensure accurate data collection. Advertisements were posted on the following websites to promote the survey, and raise awareness to as many community members as possible: Katie Fleming's: o Twitter o Tomb Raider site o Tomb Raider forums Stella Lune's: o Twitter o Facebook o Tomb Raider site/blog Official Eidos forums (GOL general chat and Tomb Raider general chat) Crystal Dynamics Twitter Justin's forums (tombraiderchronicles.com general chat) Several fans also helped by posting links on their Twitter accounts _____ _______ ___

Below are the results gathered from the survey.

10 Male vs Female

MalevsFemale

35%

Male Female

65%

As displayed in the above graph, 65% of the audience are male, and 35% female.

Age and Gender

Gender&AgeGroups
100.0% 80.0% 60.0% 40.0% 20.0% 0.0% 36.0% 27.8% 44.9% 34.0% 13.0%13.3% 16.5%13.9% Male Female

er 18

The above bar graph illustrates the age brackets and gender. Males under 18 represent the primary target (36%) while females 18-24 represent the secondary target (44.9%).

Un d

18 2

25 3

35 +

11 Top 5 Countries of Residence

Top 5 Countries of Residence

United States
30% 35%

United Kingdom Canada Australia Portugal Other*

3% 4% 6% 22%

Tomb Raider players are located in many countries. The top five countries for fans include: United States (35%), United Kingdom (22%), Canada (6%), Australia (4%), and Portugal (3%). The remaining 30% reside in 49 countries.

12 Other Countries of Residence The other countries where Tomb Raider fans reside and the percentage of those playing there are as follows (sorted alphabetically): Argentina 0.2% Austria 0.2% Azerbaijan 0.2% Bosnia 0.2% Brazil 1.5% Bulgaria 1.5% Croatia 1.3% Egypt 0.4% Finland 0.7% France 1.5% Germany 2.2% Greece 1.1% Guatemala 0.2% Holland 0.2% Hungary 0.7% Iceland 0.4% India 0.9% Iran 0.2% Ireland 2.0% Israel 0.2% Italy 0.2% Japan 0.2% Kosovo 0.2% Latvia 0.2% Lebanon 0.7% Lithuania 0.4% Macedonia 0.4% Malta 0.2% Mauritius 0.2% Mexico 0.2% Netherlands 2.0% New Zealand 0.2% Norway 0.4% Pakistan 0.2% Philippines 0.2% Poland 0.4% Puerto Rico 0.2% Romania 0.7% Russia 0.2% Scotland 1.8% Singapore 0.2% South Africa 0.9% Spain 0.2% Sri Lanka 0.2% Sweden 0.7% Turkey 0.2% Ukraine 0.2% Venezuela 0.4% Vietnam 0.2%

13 Preferred Platform
Platform
40.0% 35.0% 30.0% 25.0% 20.0% 15.0% 10.0% 5.0% 0.0% 3.6% 1.6% 10.5% 25.5% 21.5% 37.4%

PC

XB OX 3 60

ii

PS

PS

According to the survey results, 37% of Tomb Raider fans play on PC, with PS3 coming in second at 25.5% and XBOX 360 at 21.5%. The least popular platform to play on is PSP with 1.6%.

Top Games Played

Most PopularGamesPlayedBesidesTombRaider
100.0% 80.0% 60.0% 40.0% 11.9% 20.0% 12.2% 8.3% 7.6% 5.7% 1.7% 9.3% 4.6% 4.0% 2.8% 7.1% 2.4% 2.8% 0.0% 19.8%

Fans were asked to list other video games they enjoyed playing besides Tomb Raider. The most popular game was the Resident Evil series (12%) with the Prince of Persia series coming in at second with 11.9%, Uncharted (9%), Assassin's Creed (8%), The Sims (7.6%), and Final Fantasy (7.1%). Other was built up of a total of 19.8% with games that were between 0.3 1.5%.

As nt sa Ev ss il in 's Cr ee d Th e Sim s Le ft 4 De Fin ad al Fa nt as y Go d of W ar M Pr ar in io ce o fP er sia Sil en M t H et al ill Ge ar So lid Un c Gr ha an rt e d d Th ef tA ut Ca o llo Ot f D he ut r* y (0 .3 1 .5 %)

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14 Number of Years Playing Tomb Raider

NumberofYearsPlayingTombRaider
100.0% 80.0% 60.0% 40.0% 20.8% 20.0% 0.0%
1 1 3y ea rs 4 7y ea rs ye ar s an 11 1 4y e
12.6% 10.2%

45.3% 23.8%

2.0%

8.2%

Le ss th

Fans of Tomb Raider are loyal and long-term. This graph shows that almost half of the community have been playing for 11-14 years the entire lifespan of the series. Nearly 24% have been playing for 8-10 years and 20% playing for 4-7 years. This shows that fans have been playing the series for a long time, and are very dedicated. This illustrates their knowledge of the series having playing all or most of the games, and shows a possibility for growth with 8% having been playing only 1-3 years.

Favourite Tomb Raider Game

FavouriteTombRaider
100.0% 80.0% 60.0% 40.0% 20.0% 0.0% 11.1% 17.9% 9.5% 9.3% 3.5% 8.6% 17.3%

10

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Fans were asked to indicate which Tomb Raider game was their favourite. Tomb Raider 2 came in first at 17.9% followed very closely by Tomb Raider 7 (Legend) at 17.3%. The

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15 third favourite was Tomb Raider Anniversary at 12.6%, and fourth, Tomb Raider 1 at 11.1%. This data shows that fans enjoy a mix of the classics and a mix of the new games.

Least Favourite Tomb Raider Game

LeastFavouriteTombRaider
100.0% 80.0% 60.0% 40.0% 20.0% 0.0%
TR AE TR U TR 4 TR 5 TR 3 TR 6 TR 1 TR 2 TR 7

34.0% 12.4% 7.6% 11.0% 14.0% 3.7% 9.4%

4.6%

3.4%

Fans were also asked to list their least favourite Tomb Raider. The results show that 34% of the community disliked Tomb Raider 6 (The Angel of Darkness) the most, followed then by Tomb Raider 7 (Legend) at 14% and Tomb Raider 5 (Chronicles) at 12%. The game that had the least number of votes was Tomb Raider 2 with only 3.4% saying they disliked it proving the previous results of the favourite game to be true. However, Tomb Raider 7 had 14% of votes saying it was their least favourite, but still enough to rank second for favourite overall.

16 Visits to Tombraider.com
VisitstoTombraider.com
100.0% 80.0% 60.0% 40.0% 20.0% 0.0% 13.4% 2.7% 47.0% 22.8% 5.4% 8.7%

er

f t im es /m on

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w m on

On ce a

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According to the data collected, nearly half of all fans visit tombraider.com a couple times per month. Nearly 23% say they visit every few months, and 13.4% say they visit once a month. This clearly indicates traffic to the official website is steady and fans consider this a viable source for Tomb Raider new, information, and look to it on a regular basis to collect this news. Only 2.7% said they visited once a year and 5.4% said never. Nearly 9% indicated 'other' which could be interpreted as more than a couple times per month.

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17 Top Sources for Tomb Raider News

Look for Tomb Raider News

7.6% tombraider.com Eidos TR forums Justin's Site (TRC) Justin's Forums tombraiders.net Planet Lara Croft Generation Tomb News Katie's Site Official Twitter Kotaku IGN Game Trailers Google News Gamespot Gamefaqs 1-Up Other* (0.09 - 0.7%)

13.6%

11.0%

13.6%

14.7%

Rather than the official Tomb Raider website, it is important to see where else fans are going to find Tomb Raider news. Tombraiderchronicles.com ranked in at a total of 27.2% for Justin's website/forum, clearly indicating this is the top source for fans. Tombraiders.net ranked at 14.7% which fans indicated included Stella Lune's website, Twitter, Facebook page, as well as her blog. The next most popular site is IGN.com with 11% of votes, followed by tombraider.com at 7.6%. The remaining websites and their rankings are as follows: Eidos TR Forums 3% Planet Lara 1% Croft Generation 1.1% Tomb News 2% Katie's Site 5.4% Official Twitter 3% Kotaku 4% Game Trailers 4.2% Google News 2.7% GameSpot 8% GameFaqs 2.3% 1-Up 1% Other* - 2.6%

Other* included websites with 0.09 0.7% traffic.

18 The total percentage of all other websites, excluding the official Tomb Raider site/forums total an impressive 86.4% - clearly it is useful to utilize all of these websites to communicate with fans.

Magazines: Subscriptions and Purchases

Buy/Subscribe to Game Magazines

26.2%

Yes

No

73.8%

As indicated from the graph, 73.8% of Tomb Raider fans do not buy or subscribe to gaming magazines, while 26.2% do. It is therefore important to utilize the magazines that are read to reach the audience that do read them, and do so in a way to be smart with advertising dollars and ensure this part of the audience is reached.

19 Specific Magazines
TopMagazinesPurchased/Subscription
100.0% 80.0% 60.0% 40.0% 20.0% 0.0%
XB OX Ed ge fo 4 .3 %) Ot he r* (0 .8 rm er ta t io n

13.9%

24.3%

23.5% 8.7%

29.6%

eI n

Those who read or subscribe to gaming magazines have a preference for Game Informer (24.3%) followed very closely by PlayStation magazine at 23.5%. XBOX ranked third at 13.9% followed by Edge at 8.7%. The rest of the magazines totalled 29.6% however each only ranked in at 0.8 4.3%. Therefore, it is recommended to purchase advertising space in Game Informer and PlayStation to best reach the 26% of the target who do read/buy these magazines.

Interest in Attending a Tomb Raider Event

AttendTombRaiderEvent
100.0% 75.0% 55.1% 50.0% 25.0% 6.4% 0.0% 38.4%

Ga m

Ye s

Pl

ay S

No

Fans were asked if they would be interested in attending a Tomb Raider related event. It is evident that more than half of the fan base is definitely interested, with 38.4% saying

M ay b

20 'maybe' (dependant on location, cost, etc) with only 6.4% saying they would not. Clearly the target is interested in being involved in an event and is definitely recommended.

Hobbies and Activities

Other Activities
5.30% 9.00% 9.30%

School/Studying
12.40%

Friends/Family TV/Movies Music Reading/Writing

10.20%

12.90% 12.50%

Computer/Internet Working Photography/Drawing

7.20% 21.10%

Sports/Exercising

Other than playing video games, the target keeps busy with a variety of other activities. The large majority enjoy reading or writing (21%) followed by watching TV or movies (12.9%) and spending time on the computer (12.5%). They enjoy spending time with friends and family (12.4%) as well as holding down a job (10.2%). Other popular activities include school (9.3%), photography/drawing (9%), listening to music (7.2%), and playing sports/exercising (5.3%).

21 Top TV Networks Watched

Top TV Networks

9.6%

FOX Comedy Central

6.8%

21.1%

MTV Discovery
6.1%

BBC
6.1% 9.2%

ABC Other* (0.23 - 6%)

12.9%

A large percentage of the target enjoy watching TV/movies and they were asked to list the TV networks they watch most often. The most popular network is BBC in the UK (12.9%) followed by FOX (9.6%), Discovery (9.2%), Comedy Central (6.8%), MTV (6.1%), and ABC (6.1%). The remaining 21.1% falls under networks with only a popularity of 0.23 6%. Therefore, it is suggested to utilize advertising dollars on BBC's network, FOX, Discovery, and perhaps Comedy Central if the budget allows.

Top Suggestions for Future Games Participants of the survey were asked an open-ended question: What is one suggestion you have to improve the future Tomb Raider games? Answers varied, however, there was certainly an overall agreement with the following top suggestions that appeared in nearly every survey: Larger, more open environments, similar to those in the original games Feeling of solitude no help from gadgets Longer playtime (more levels/longer levels) More complex storyline / bringing Lara's classic braid back Improved control system (combat, being able to control Lara more easily and not being so "automated")

22 Objectives _____ _______ ___

The marketing, communications, and advertising objectives for Tomb Raider 9 are as follows: Marketing To achieve an increase in website traffic to tombraider.com by 15% To achieve an increase in Twitter followers by 20% To achieve an increase of forum threads by 11% To achieve an increase of forum posts by 8% To achieve an increase of tombraider.com mailing list subscribers by 5% To achieve an increase in sales by 9%

Communications To generate a preference for Tomb Raider over competition Encourage users of the game to play it more frequently (replay) Encourage consumers who have never played Tomb Raider to try it To achieve an increase of awareness among 90% of the target audience (Use repetitive advertising in magazines, TV with a simple message) To achieve an increase of interest of Tomb Raider 9 among 70% of the target audience (Communicate information about the features and benefits) To achieve positive feelings about Tomb Raider 9 among 40% and preference among 25% of the target audience (Create favourable attributes by conveying information, promotions, etc.) To achieve a trial among 20% of the target audience (Downloading a demo)

Advertising To inform past and new consumers of Tomb Raider 9, and generate excitement To alter impression and reputation of Crystal Dynamics (address issues with Core Design removal)

Integrated Marketing Communications Plan A mix of IMC tools will be utilized by this campaign in order to effectively meet the set forth objectives. To best reach and appeal to the target audience, the campaign will combine advertising, sales promotion, public relations, direct marketing, event marketing, and interactive marketing. In addition, a guerilla-marketing event will also be incorporated to really make a lasting impact on the target audience, and garner media attention. Advertising will support all integrated marketing tools while conveying a unique and compelling message.

23 Marketing Communications Strategy_____ Positioning Tomb Raider 9 will be positioned as the must-have AAA title of 2011, with a promise of a great adventure and stunning graphics; all encompassed in an exciting campaign. _______ ___

Integrated Marketing Communications Tools A strategic integrated communications plan was developed using a mix of IMC tools. The specific tools were chosen to best meet Tomb Raider 9's objectives and were designed in a way that further establishes the above-mentioned Tomb Raider 9's position within the marketplace. A total of $180,167.65 was allocated to IMC.

24 Interactive Marketing Objective: Create a portal site within tombraider.com for Tomb Raider 9 for fans to get news on the game, enter contests, learn about upcoming events, download a demo of the game, and more. Strategy: Develop a micro-site. Extras: Photo shoot with official TR9 model to include photos on website, and send out to fan sites. Tactics: A micro-site within tombraider.com will be created for Tomb Raider 9, as been done in the past for Tomb Raider Legend, Anniversary, and Underworld. The website will be updated on a bi-monthly basis, or as needed with: Screenshots/concept art Developer diaries (uploaded to Tomb Raider 9 YouTube channel with a widget linking into the site) Trailers Game videos Fan page (links to fan sites) Link to official Tomb Raider forums Contest information (x3), ability to enter All event information Demo info/downloads Mailing list subscription ability

The photo shoot with the official Tomb Raider 9 model will take place at 8443 Warner, a 2500 sq. ft studio with a shooting area of 1450 square feet, and a 20'x20' cyclorama. The photo shoot time set at 3 hours including hair and makeup. Sharon Tabb is an LA hair and makeup artist with a portfolio featuring Paris Hilton, In Touch Weekly, Vogue, LA Fashion Week, Access Hollywood, and more. The photography will be shot by Jo Liu (Jo Liu Photography) with clients ranging from CoverGirl, Proactive, JC Penny, CAbi, Walmart, and Bamboo. Budget: Website (company tbd): $10,000 Model (Q Management): $900 Hair and makeup (Sharon Tabb): $500 Photographer: $5,000 Studio: $750 Studio economy lighting kit: $250 Total: $17,400

25 Sales Promotion Sampling Objective: Drive traffic to tombraider.com and have fans download a demo of Tomb Raider 9 Strategy: Advertising and direct marketing. Tactics: One month before the release of Tomb Raider 9, a demo will become available for download from tombraider.com. The demo will be available month #5 of the campaign, and will be advertised via direct marketing (tombraider.com e-mail newsletter), official forums, Twitter, and Facebook page. Fan sites will be encouraged to spread the word and will be given creative to do so. The demo will be available simultaneously for all platforms. This is a great way of building excitement more-so, one month before the release. Fans will be able to test out the game, which will increase forum threads/posts and media attention. Gaming websites will want to feature reviews on the demo which will increase awareness. Budget: Total: $0 hosted on tombraider.com Direct marketing: Will be incorporated into month #5's direct marketing piece

26 Sales Promotion Premium Objective: Encourage pre-orders of Tomb Raider 9. Strategy: Offer consumers an incentive for pre-ordering the game. Tactics: Fans will be offered a premium for pre-ordering Tomb Raider 9. During month #5 fans that pre-order will be given a Zinc Alloy plated 2-D keychain. The keychain will be 2"x 0.75" and will read: Lara Croft. Fans that pre-order online/in stores will be eligible. A premium will encourage pre-orders, and fans will enjoy a new addition to their collections. A limited number of 20,000 key chains will be available and purchased from PromotionalKeyChains.biz. Budget: 20,000 key chains: $1.82 ea Total: $36,400

27 Sales Promotion Contest #1 Objective: To drive traffic to tombraider.com (Tomb Raider 9 portal) and encourage fans to enter the contest, and view the rest of the website. Strategy: Using direct marketing and online advertising to inform fans of the contest. Tactics: Fans that are already registered on the tombraider.com mailing list will receive an e-mail informing them about an upcoming contest. The e-mailer will drive them to tombraider.com where they will learn more about the contest, and have a chance to enter. The contest will run for a period of 1 month (4 weeks) and the winner will be announced the following week on the tombraider.com website. Fans will be able to enter one ballot per week, answering a different skill-testing question (related to any of the Tomb Raider games) each time. If they answer the question correctly, their ballot is entered. If not, their ballot is not entered. Therefore, the maximum number of ballots each participant can have in the contest is four. At the end of the contest, one winner will be randomly selected. The contest is winning a trip to the Crystal Dynamics studio in San Francisco for a day to meet the team, tour the studio, play-test Tomb Raider 9, winning Tomb Raider merchandise, and enjoying a pizza lunch. The winner will be able to bring along one friend at least one must be above the age of 18. This contest will start week 1 of month #2 in the 6-month campaign and will be a great kick-off. Not only will it drive more traffic to tombraider.com, it will also encourage new mailing list subscribers, raise awareness of Tomb Raider 9, build a relationship with the fans and get them excited about Crystal Dynamics. It is expected that fans will be talking about it on forums, blogs, and Twitter accounts. It will also praise long-time fans since they will be able to answer the skill-testing questions with confidence and will be fun to participate. The winner and their friend will be flown to San Francisco, and will have a one-night stay at a hotel. The visit to Crystal Dynamics will occur during month #3 of the campaign. This will also be a great way to create buzz, since after the winners return home, they will be able to document their visit online and tell their friends. Budget: Roundtrip for two: $4,000 Hotel: $500 Merchandise: $300 Food: $100 Direct marketing: Will be incorporated into month #2's direct marketing piece Total: $4,900

28 Sales Promotion Contest #2 Objective: To drive traffic to tombraider.com (Tomb Raider 9 portal), visit the Tomb Raider 9 YouTube Channel, submit a video, and create buzz. Strategy: Using direct marketing and online advertising to inform fans of the contest. Tactics: Fans registered on the tombraider.com mailing list will receive an e-mail about the contest, as well as seeing advertisements on the official Tomb Raider forums, Twitter, and Facebook page. They will be taken to the tombraider.com website to the contest page to learn more about the contest, and how to enter. The contest is for a trip to Egypt on an 8-day tour via Tour Egypt. The winner will be able to take 1 friend and most must be at least 18 years old. The tour, "Drift Down the Nile" features tours of the Pyramids of Giza, Cairo museum, Old Cairo, Khan El Khalily, a Nile cruise to each location, High Dam, Temple of Philae, Unfinished Obelisk, Elephantine Island, Luxor/Luxor Temple, and the Karnak Temple. Fans will be very excited to enter this contest, and the value of the contest alone will entice them to enter. In order to enter the contest, fans will have to upload a short video of their most memorable Tomb Raider experience. They can use video from the game, audio, act something out, etc. It will be uploaded to the Tomb Raider 9 YouTube Channel where other fans can view the videos. This is a excellent way for building up a collection of positive feedback about the games, and garner excitement and buzz for the contest. The most creative video will win. Fans will be encouraged to share their video via Twitter, Facebook, and the Tomb Raider forums. The contest will start week 1 in month #4 of the campaign, and will run until the end of month #5 giving fans ample time to shoot/edit their videos. The first week of month #6 will be when the winner is selected. Budget: Roundtrip for two: $4,000 Egypt tour for two (TourEgypt.net): $2,600 Direct marketing: Will be incorporated into month #4's direct marketing piece Total: $6,600

29 Sales Promotion Contest #3 Objective: Brand awareness, increase excitement, increase hits to tombraider.com Strategy: Hold several contests to win a copy of Tomb Raider 9. Tactics: During month #6 of the campaign, tombraider.com will host a contest where fans can enter to win a copy of Tomb Raider 9. They will be able to enter directly on the website, and 10 random winners will win the game, platform of their choice. In addition, seven selected Tomb Raider fan sites will be given 3 copies of the game to give away as a contest (see direct marketing #2). Crystal Dynamics will mail out the games to the winners, ensuring zero cost to these websites. Budget: Games for websites (21 total): $1,050 Games for tombraider.com (10 total): $500 Shipping (31 games): $465 Total: $2,015

30 Public Relations Objective: Raise awareness of Tomb Raider 9 and drive traffic to tombraider.com. Strategy: Submit written press releases and videos to the media. Tactics: In week 1 of each month of the campaign, press releases will be written and sent to major gaming websites and magazines. The press releases will inform these companies of Tomb Raider 9, upcoming contests (visit to Crystal Dynamics / Egypt Tour), demo availability, and events (see event marketing). The following websites will receive these press releases/videos: Kotaku IGN Game Trailers 1-Up Gamespot Game Faq's Joystiq

The following magazines will receive press releases in hopes of being featured in the forthcoming issue and/or on their website: Game Informer PlayStation XBOX Edge

The most popular fan sites will also receive these press releases in hopes they will advertise them on their websites. Photos from the official photo shoot with the official TR9 model will also be sent out. The following have been chosen based on the community survey: tombraiderchronicles.com tombraiders.net tombraiders.net/katie croftgeneration.com tombnews.com

Budget: Total: $0 will be written/developed in-house and sent via e-mail.

31 Direct Marketing - #1 Objective: Inform fans of Tomb Raider 9, drive traffic to tombraider.com, inform of upcoming events, contests, and game news. Strategy: Use tombraider.com's existing database of subscribers to send an e-mail newsletter to. Tactics: An e-mail newsletter will be delivered to tombraider.com's database (100k + subscribers) the first week of all 6 months of the campaign. Each newsletter will inform the fans of specific Tomb Raider 9-related news. A link to Crystal Dynamics' Twitter account will be available on every e-mail, as well as a link to tombraider.com, and the Tomb Raider 9 YouTube channel. Month #1: Press release for Tomb Raider 9 Tomb Raider 9 new website on tombraider.com Screenshot/art from TR9 Contest #1 announced (Crystal Dynamics visit) with direct link to page on tombraider.com Month #2: Contest #1 YouTube Channel Developer diary #1 (available on tombraider.com and YouTube channel) Month #3: Contest #1 winner announced Contest #2 announced (Egypt Tour) with direct link on page on tombraider.com Developer diary #2 (available on tombraider.com and YouTube channel) Event #1, 2, 3 Month #4: Contest #2 Event #1, 2, 3, 4 Developer diary #3 (available on tombraider.com and YouTube channel) Release date of demo / game Month #5: Contest #2 continues Events (#1 and 2) Developer diary #4 (available on tombraider.com and YouTube channel) Download to demo Premium information (see sales promotion)

32

Month #6: Event #4 Contest #2 winner announced Contest #3 Developer diary #5 (available on tombraider.com and YouTube channel) Release date reminder Budget: MailChimp.com 6000 credits (for 200,000 subscribers) $6000 Total: $6,000

33 Direct Marketing #2 Objective: Inform top fan sites of new TR9 content. Strategy: E-mail top fan sites content to post on their sites. Tactics: Based on the data collected from the Tomb Raider community survey, the following fan sites will be included with this direct marketing campaign: tombraiderchronicles.com tombraiders.net tombraiders.net/katie croftgeneration.com tombnews.com croftgeneration.com

The owners of these websites will be e-mailed on a frequent basis with updates to Tomb Raider 9's website, new screenshots/concept art, developer diaries, etc so they can add it to their websites and help spread the word. These websites will most definitely post the information (based on prior years of doing so) and will help build brand awareness, excitement for Tomb Raider 9, and an increase of traffic to tombraider.com. These websites will also be sent exclusive community material screenshots, etc. Each of the above mentioned websites will be allowed to host a contest to win 1 of 3 copies of Tomb Raider 9 (platform of winner's choice). Crystal Dynamics will mail out these games. This will aid in increasing traffic to their websites and build excitement. Budget: E-mails: $0 Games: See Sampling Contest #3

34 Event Marketing #1 Objective: Increase awareness, build excitement, and involve fans. Strategy: A community day hosted at Crystal Dynamics to play Tomb Raider 9. Tactics: In order to generate more excitement, a community day will be hosted at Crystal Dynamics where fans can come and play Tomb Raider 9, meet the team, have lunch, and leave with some merchandise. Fans will already have a taste for visiting Crystal Dynamics since the first contest will have already passed. The community day will take place during the first week of month #4, one month after the contest to go to Crystal Dynamics has occurred. Fans will be invited, free of charge to play the game during the day. Anyone living within the area or willing to travel (at their expense) will be welcome. This is a great way to get fans excited and know that if they didn't win the contest, they are still able to visit the studio. During their visit, the fans will receive a quick tour of the studio before being invited to play Tomb Raider 9 with a few members of the team. They will be treated to a pizza lunch and given some merchandise to take home. This is an excellent way to build excitement, awareness, and connect with the community. The fans will be able to interact with employees by asking them questions, playing the game, and building a relationship. These fans will return home and post on their blogs, Twitter accounts, and Tomb Raider forums about their experience which will be available to the rest of the community to enjoy. A total of $500 worth of merchandise will be given away a free copy of the game once it comes out, a t-shirt, buttons, stickers, etc. (Whatever is possible to ensure everyone walks away with something) Furthermore, video will be taken throughout the event and later edited and posted to the official Tomb Raider YouTube channel. This will further building the brand image, studio image, and is an excellent way to share with the rest of the community if they were unable to attend. Budget: Merchandise: $500 Food: $200 Total: $700

35 Event Marketing #2 Objective: Generate awareness and build excitement for Tomb Raider 9 before the release. Ensure TR9 is top of mind. Strategy: Media and fan event at an upscale night club. Tactics: During the third week of month #4 of the campaign, the upscale and popular night club, Les Deux, in Los Angeles (1638 N. Las Palmas Hollywood, CA 90028) will be rented on a Thursday from 7pm 11pm. Tickets will be sold to a maximum of 100 fans at $50 each (available through tombraider.com) and the media (major gaming websites and TV) will be invited (free entry). A number of Crystal Dynamics employees will be attending, as well as the official TR9 model. Legal drinking age will be required as there is an open premium bar. The venue is an indoor/outdoor space that is decorated with chandeliers, plush leather booths, stone tiled floors, with red fabric wallpaper and red velvet booths inside. The sidewalk will be available with red carpet for photographs. Throughout the course of the 4-hour event, event-goers will be provided with trays of appetizers and desserts with an open premium bar. The first event of the night would be opening remarks from head of studio (Crystal Dynamics) welcoming everyone to the event. The official model will perform a routine on stage (gymnastics, etc) and will be available for photo opportunities afterward. From here-on-in, fans and the media will be able to play test Tomb Raider 9 on various large screens in the venue while employees from Crystal Dynamics give interviews. Custom Tomb Raider car decals (x1000, via Dilco printing) will be handed out (free) during the event and five 27x40" posters (via largeformatposters.com) will be on the walls of the club (later given away at random at the end of the event). Video will be taken throughout the event and posted on the official Tomb Raider 9 YouTube channel. Fans who were unable to attend the event will be able to view the video/photos and pass along. A DJ will be available throughout the event, security and staff, gratuities, and exclusive use of the venue. This will be a great event to include fans in the area (and those who wish to travel to attend the event) to play the game and meet the team. Media will want to do exclusives on TR9 and will garner press attention just before the release. Les Deux is a hot spot in Hollywood and will be sure to grab attention. Note: two XBOX's and three PlayStation 3's will be brought to the venue. They will be used during the fourth event as well, and have been budgeted into the cost for that event. Budget: Model (Q Management): $1,200 Hair and makeup (Sharon Tabb): $500

36

5 High gloss posters: $267.50 1,000 Tomb Raider car decals: $400 Les Deux (venue, taxes, food, security, DJ): $15,000 XBOX (x2), PS3 (x3): Included in event #4 budget Total: $17,367.50 Note: Assuming fan slots sell out, 100 fans x $50 per ticket = $5,000 Total with fans attending: $12,367.50

37 Event Marketing #3 Objective: Generate awareness and build excitement for Tomb Raider 9 before the release. Ensure TR9 is top of mind. Strategy: Media and fan event at an upscale night club. Tactics: Studies into the target market show that 22% of the players are located in the United Kingdom. In order to generate more awareness and really create excitement, an event similar to Les Deux will be held. This event will be held the following week of the Les Deux event, week #4 of the fourth month of the campaign at The Penthouse in London, England (1 Leicester Square, WC2H 7NA) care of Function Fixers venue planning company. This event will take place on the 7th floor with a maximum capacity of 250 attendees. The venue is elegant with a neutral colour scheme of grey, silver, and white. There are sheer glass walls on two sides of the room allowing for natural light and panoramic views of London. The event will be held on a Thursday from 7-11pm, allowing for a perfect night-time backdrop of the city. The room is outfitted with a DJ booth, PA system, dance area, and secluded seating. The dance area (raised) will be used to host the five flat-screen TV's where 3 XBOX's and 2 PlayStation 2's will be set up. Food and drink will be served throughout the event, with music from the DJ to keep everyone entertained. A few employees from Crystal Dynamics will be available to showcase the game, talk to the press, and meet the fans. Media from major gaming magazines, websites, etc will be invited to attend the event which will generate free advertising and media coverage. Video will be taken throughout the night which will be later edited and put on the official Tomb Raider 9 YouTube channel. Media will certainly want to record parts of the event and include on their websites/networks as well. The raised area will also be perfect for the media to interview Crystal Dynamics employees and fans while they play the game. A total of 150 fans will be welcome to attend the event, and they will have to purchase tickets (available through tombraider.com) at a cost of 30 pounds (equivalent to $50 US). Fans who were unable to attend the event will be able to view the videos/photos and pass them along. As with the Les Deux event, five 27 x 40" posters will be displayed throughout the venue, and later given away as prizes. One thousand car decals will be handed out throughout the event as well. The official model, or a look-a-like will be present at the event, available for photo opportunities. These photos will be uploaded to tombraider.com and given out to the Tomb Raider community via the official Tomb Raider forums. Fans attending will certainly want a photo/autograph with the model and will be posting these on their websites/blogs/forums. Media will also engage in the photo opportunity.

38 The Penthouse offers a lavish menu of food and drink options for attendees to choose from which is included in the total investment for the venue. The media and fans will be treated to a night of a hands-on look at Tomb Raider 9, photo opportunities, interviews, food and drink. It will most definitely be the talk of major gaming websites and local media which will increase awareness, brand image, and studio image. It will also be the first time any such event will have taken place in Europe to promote Tomb Raider and fans will certainly want to be a part of this special event. Budget: (Converted from British Pounds) Model: $1,200 Hair and makeup: $500 Flights for employees: $4,000 Hotel for employees: $700 5 High gloss posters: $267.50 1,000 Tomb Raider car decals: $400 The Penthouse (venue, food, drink): $14,800 Rental of XBOX (x3): $69.54 Rental of PlayStation 3 (x2): $61.81 Rental flat screen TV's (x5): $1,159.20 Total: $23,158.05 Note: Assuming fan slots sell out, 150 fans x $50 per ticket = $7,500 Total with fans attending: $15,658.05

39 Event Marketing #4 Objective: Increase awareness, build excitement, involve fans, increase media attention/coverage. Strategy: Tour 6 major US cities and let people play-test Tomb Raider 9. Tactics: A limousine bus and driver will be hired to embark on a six-city tour (month #5, and first week of month #6 total of 5 weeks) of the United States. During the tour the bus will stop in the following cities: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Los Angeles (start) San Diego Atlanta Miami New York City Chicago (end)

The limousine bus, care of USA Bus Charter features leather seating (curved sofas), fiber optic lighting system, tinted windows, ice/glasses/napkins, CD stereo system, plasma TV's, restroom with sink, and can seat up to 44 individuals. Four employees from Crystal Dynamics will be on tour, including the Senior Brand Director, Brand Manager, Head of Studio, and a Producer. They will fly from city-to-city while the bus drives to the next location. Two XBOX's and two PlayStation 3's will be purchased and hooked up to the plasma TV's so fans can play-test Tomb Raider 9. The bus will be wrapped with a vinyl skin (via Dilco Printing) to promote the tour, boasting bold images from Tomb Raider 9, the logo, and the tour name. While the bus is driving to the next location, it will be advertising the game non-stop as the vinyl will cover both sides, and the back of the bus. It will certainly grab attention, and fans will be checking to see where it's visiting next. To advertise these great events, a press release will be released to major gaming websites and the media, encouraging them to meet up with the tour bus at one of the stops to check out the game. These events will also be on tombraider.com so fans can check the tour route/dates and come out for a visit. The Tomb Raider 9 YouTube channel will have videos advertising the tour and giving fans information about it. It will also be advertised on Crystal Dynamics's Twitter page, and Tomb Raider Facebook group. Furthermore, it will be advertised on the official Tomb Raider forums as well as online via banner ads (see Advertising Internet) In order to reach as many people as possible, this 6-city tour is hitting the major US cities where population density is high. Small appetizers and drinks will be available for participants inside the bus, and everyone who play tests the game or comes out to the event will be given a Lara Croft car decal. A maximum of 50,000 car decals (same as the

40 LA event black silhouette of Lara Croft printed on clear vinyl) will be on hand, ready to hand out approximately 8,333 per city. Video and photos will be taken at each stop to help promote the event and will be uploaded to the official Tomb Raider 9 YouTube channel. This is another great way of advertising the event, free of charge. Furthermore, this will be the first time anything like this has happened with Tomb Raider, and not only will the company be recording, but local media and fans all adding to their networks, websites, blogs, etc. This tour is a great way for Crystal Dynamics to further advertise the game, and create relationships with fans in the six cities. It will increase the reputation of Crystal Dynamics while increasing the brand image for Tomb Raider. Budget: Bus/driver (5 weeks): $52,500 Bus wrap: $8,000 XBOX (x2): $800 PlayStation 3 (x2): $600 Food/drinks: $2,000 Flights for x4 employees (coach): $4,727.10 Hotel: $3,000 50,000 vinyl car decals (via Dilco Printing): $6,500 Total: $78,127.10

41 Advertising Objective: Increase top of mind awareness for Tomb Raider 9 while strengthening the brand's image. Tactic/Example: Magazines (Full page ad) o Game Informer o PlayStation TV (TR 9 trailer) o BBC o Discovery Channel o Comedy Central o MTV 44 (Outdoor) Internet (Banner ads) o IGN o GameSpot o Game Trailers o Kotaku o GameFaqs Internet (Free of charge banner ads, videos, screenshots) o tombraiderchronicles.com o tombraiders.net o tombraiders.net/katie o croftgeneration.com o tombnews.com

Budget: See Media Objectives and Strategies

42 Media Objectives and Strategies Media Objectives To deliver the message to Tomb Raider fans Reach the demographic with a low CPM classed media to maximize budget use Reach the target audience in the top countries (for number of fans): US, UK, Canada Expose the demographic to the message at least once a day _____ _______ ___

Media Strategies Communicate to our target audience through print, broadcast, and online, in an overall continuous fashion over the 6-month campaign.

Media Distribution A total of $815,662.40 was allocated to achieving media objectives by employing three main media categories: print, broadcast, and online. The media was chosen based on how effectively it would reach the target audience while maintaining synergy with the consumer insight and objectives.

43 Print - Magazines Strategy: Magazines will be used in a flighting strategy to ensure cost-effectiveness. Tactics: The first magazine ad will run during month #3 of the campaign, and the second in the fourth month. Rational: According to the Tomb Raider community survey, the two highest ranking game magazines this target buys/subscribes to are Game Informer and PlayStation. Those who read/subscribe account for 26.2% of the community. Since the percentage isn't extremely high, only two magazines will be advertised in to ensure this percentage of the target are reached, and not wasting advertising dollars for those who don't read/subscribe to gaming magazines. Game Informer: The first ad will run in Game Informer during the third month and will be a full page, full colour ad. This particular magazine had over 3.6 million paid subscribers in 2009 and was ranked most popular in the survey. The magazine reaches the following demographic: Male 91% 25 years old (median age) 12-17 (19%) 18-24 (31%) 18-34 (62%)

Based on the results obtained from the survey, it is recommended to use Game Informer to reach the audience. PlayStation: The second ad will run in PlayStation magazine at the same time as the Game Informer ad (month 3), as well as month #4 and month #6. Since Game Informer is approximately twice as expensive to advertise in, more ads will run in PlayStation magazine to further advertising dollars and save money, while reaching a large number of the audience. PlayStation magazine has a circulation of 192,407 with the median age being 26 years old. According to their media kit, 87% of PlayStation magazine readers purchased a game after reading an article/seeing an ad in their magazine. In total, three full-page, four-colour ads will be purchased in the above mentioned months, with a guaranteed premium placement inside the front cover. By purchasing three ads, this is a savings of $1,155. Since PlayStation's circulation is less than Game Informer, it is important to advertise more than once to ensure it reaches the target.

44 Magazines are a great way of reaching this target as they have an extended shelf-life, and fans will scan articles and post on their websites/forums which will in turn, garner further attention and interest. By having two magazines feature advertisements in the same month, it is a great way to ensure the target picks up a copy and sees the ad. Reinforcement and repetition is used with the following month featuring another ad, and finally, in month #6 when the game is being released, it will reinforce purchase behaviour and remind the consumer the game is available. Furthermore, with the game being close to release, these magazines will be featuring reviews and previews, therefore ensuring multiple references to Tomb Raider, ensuring visibility to the target. Please note: each magazine advertisement will be different from the past one(s) to prevent wear-out. The fifth month does not have any magazine advertising for strategic purposes: with the game being released the following month, these magazines will definitely be informing their readers of upcoming games and will be featuring news about Tomb Raider 9. Furthermore, during this time there will still be online and broadcast advertising as well as the second event which will be ensuring Tomb Raider 9 is top of mind. Budget: Game Informer (x1 month): $111,080 PlayStation (x3 months): $39,252 PlayStation (x3 months premium position): $17,663.40 Total: $167,995.40

45 Broadcast Television Strategy: 30 second spot television commercials will be used in a continuous strategy to saturate the audience and ensure they have seen it at least three times. Tactics: Spots will be purchased on various networks during the fifth and sixth month of the campaign. Rational: In order to reach as many people in the target as possible, a continuous strategy is going to be used. The goal is to saturate the audience to ensure they have seen the commercial at least three times. They will see it once to know it exists, a second time to remind them, and a third time to instil it in their minds. Since the Tomb Raider audience is vastly spread out over the world, focus will be put on the countries where most of the fans reside. To reach everyone else, the commercials will be uploaded to the tombraider.com website as well as the Tomb Raider 9 YouTube channel to ensure everyone sees it and re-tweets/e-mails/shares with their friends. This also will stretch advertising dollars as broadcast is expensive. According to the results of the community survey, the most popular networks fans watch are BBC (12.9%), Fox (9.6%), Discovery Channel (9.2%), and Comedy Central (6.8%). Due to high advertising costs for television, the top US network and top UK network were selected to advertise on. Furthermore, since there are more of the target living in the United States than the United Kingdom (by 22%), more advertising dollars were allocated to the US networks. BBC News: During the first two weeks of the sixth month, spots will be purchased on the BBC News network. These spots will be specifically targeting fans living in the UK. The BBC World News EMEA feed airs across Europe and within that feed, reaches 1.3 million households. Furthermore, the ad would run in all other European countries. According to the survey, 12.9% of fans said they watched this network the most, however, some people were writing BBC1 and some were writing BBC. There is in fact no advertising space available on BBC1 since UK citizens have to pay an annual license fee to the government to get their BBC programming and the best quality BBC content advertising free. Therefore, ads will be purchased on BBC World News. Since it was unclear if fans who wrote BBC as an answer watch BBC News, a smaller budget has been allocated to this network. A total of 30 spots will be purchased over a two week period. The spots will be purchased through the weekday at peak time (7pm-12am). Since the target are either in school or working, it is best not to purchase any other time slots since they won't be at home, and most likely won't be staying up past midnight watching TV when they have classes/early work schedules. Each of the spots will be a 30 second spot of the trailer for Tomb Raider 9 with a release date. Since these spots are running one month before the campaign, it is a

46 great way to generate more excitement and drive traffic to tombraider.com where fans will be able to download the demo. Weekend spots will also be purchased, with a total of 10 over the two week period during peak time. The chart below illustrates the spots being purchased.
Times Duration # Spots Total Investment Discounted Rate (15%) Week 1 Week 2

Weekday Dayparts Peak Time Weekend Dayparts Peak Time

1900-2400

30 sec

20

$62,900

$3,145

10

10

1900-2400

30 sec

10

$19,125

$1,912.50

Total

15 min

30

$82,025

15

15

A total of 30 spots will be purchased with a total investment of $82,025 with an estimated 3 million impressions. The blocking chart below indicates when they will run.
Month 6
Week 1 Week 2

S Weekday - Peak Weekend - Peak

TH

TH

Fox: The results from the community survey indicated that Fox was second in popularity for TV networks. However, due to their expensive national broadcast rates, there won't be any spots purchased on this network. While the cost per impression was cheaper than some of the other networks, one spot was too costly. Therefore, more spots will be purchased on the other top networks (generating more impressions altogether than one spot on Fox, for approximately half the cost). Discovery Channel: Discovery was ranked third for popularity among the target audience. According to Nielsen Media Research, there are 100.1 million subscribers to the Discovery Channel, ranking in at #5 for males 18-49. Furthermore, it ranks #6 for adults 18-49 with an audience of 713,000. A total of 10 spots (nationally) will be purchased throughout month #5 and month #6 (see blocking chart below).

47 When selecting the programming to advertise during, the number of impressions for the target (18-24) was the most important factor. The least expensive shows are not recommended to make a purchase on since the impressions were very low for this target. The table below indicates the shows spots will be purchased on, when they will air, how long, the total number of spots purchased, number of target impressions, total household impressions (remaining target) and finally, the total investment. Note: Shows in the late evening (starting at 8 pm onward) have a repeat at a later time (indicated below). The number of target/household impressions reflects the spot airing at both of these times. Example: Two spots are being purchased on Myth Busters, therefore two will run during 8-9pm slot, and two will run during the repeat at 11pm-12am slot for a total of 392,000 target impressions and 3,396,000 household impressions (for all four spots).
Show Times Day Duration # Spots # Target Impressions 1,350,000 Total Household Impressions 12,324,000 Investment

Discovery Classics 2 Sci Trek

1-2pm

M-F

30 sec

$15,618

10-11pm & 1-2am 8-9pm & 11pm-12a 8-9pm & 11pm-12am

30 sec

158,000

1,322,000

$29,796

Myth Busters 2

30 sec

392,000

3,396,000

$80,106

Dirty Jobs 2

30 sec

151,000

1,629,000

$40,204

Total

5 min

10

2,051,000

18,671,000

$165,724

A total of 14 spots will run (including late night repeats) with a total of 2,051,000 target impressions and 18,671,000 household impressions for a total investment of $165,724 A blocking chart of when these spots will be running is as follows:

48 Comedy Central: Comedy Central has 95.1 million subscribers, targeting men 18-49. Research conducted by MRI Doublebase indicates this audience has significant spending habits, and on average viewers spent 37% more on video game systems/video games in the past year. A total of four spots will be purchased (nationally) on Comedy Central during month #5 of the campaign in weeks 3 and 4 (see blocking chart below) to carry on with the continuous strategy. The following chart illustrates the buy on this network.
Show Times Day Duration # Spots # Target Impressions 407,000 Total Household Impressions 2,247,000 Investment

South Park Prime (Premiere) Ugly Americans TOSH .0 Prime South Park Late Night Premiere

10-10:30pm

30 sec

$62,430

7-11pm

M-S

30 sec

394,000

1,277,000

$35,966

7-11pm

M-S

30 sec

264,000

1,234,000

$31,180

12-12:30am

30 sec

254,000

1,136,000

$27,542

Total

2 min

1,319,000

5,894,000

$157,118

A total of 1,319,000 target impressions will be purchased and 5,894,000 household impressions, for a total investment of $157,118. The following blocking chart indicates when the spots will run.
Month 5
Week 3 Week 4

M South Park South Park LN TOSH Ugly Americans

TH

TH

Budget: BBC News (Europe): $82,025 Discovery Channel: $165,724 Comedy Central: $157,118 Total: $404,867

49 Broadcast Television (Outdoor) Strategy: Outdoor television spot will be used in a continuous strategy to reach the target quickly, and gather media attention. Tactics: The first two weeks of month #6 in the campaign will feature the spots. Rational: There are over 30 million tourists that visit Times Square in New York annually, with 80% of these visitors going to Times Square. 42nd Street and Times Square stop is the most trafficked stop in the city, with over 160,000 people passing through daily. MTV has a great advertising opportunity, located halfway between 44th and 45th streets in New York City. They offer a Mitsubishi 21' 5" x 37' 9" wide screen over 800 square feet of 1,200 lighting modules. It is the largest HD screen available in Times Square. To the left and right of the HD screen are static vinyl boards, the left measuring 12' x 25', and the right, 25' x 26'. For two weeks a 30 second spot will run on the screen 5 times per hour for 20 hours a day, and posters will be displayed on both static boards for the full two weeks. Buying two weeks in a row of static boards saves a total of $4,000. The HD screen is an excellent way of reaching this target when perhaps, they least expect it. Advertising Lara Croft on the largest HD screen in Times Square will certainly attract visitors who will take pictures, and post online. Furthermore, having two static boards constant for two weeks will gather even more attention, and fans will want to wait for the next spot to appear to record, and take pictures. Having the worlds most recognizable video game character on the largest screen will certainly have an impact, and with the game being released the same month, it is sure to be an aid in sales. Budget: 2-week video sponsorship: $12,600 2-week static boards: $38,000 Total: $50,600

50 Online Strategy: Online banners will be used in a pulsing strategy to serve as: a constant reminder to the consumer, covers the entire buying cycle, allows for media priorities (discounts), ensures cost efficiency.

Tactics: Various-sized banners will be placed on the most popular websites (according to the Tomb Raider community survey) during the course of the six months, in a pulsing strategy. When a viewer clicks on the advertisement, they will be directed to the tombraider.com Tomb Raider 9 portal site. In order to reach this target continuously throughout the campaign, various advertisements will be created to catch their attention, update them, and prevent wear out. Rational: According to the Tomb Raider community survey, 12.5% of the target spend time online. They indicated the top sites they look for Tomb Raider news on, in order of popularity, include: tombraider.com, tombraiderchronicles.com, tombraiders.net, IGN, GameSpot, Game Trailers, Kotaku, and GameFaq's. (refer to Target Market Profile Top Sources for Tomb Raider News). IGN: IGN ranked highly in popularity on the survey, and is an excellent source as they receive nearly 14 million unique monthly views and 237,000,000 monthly page views. Sixtyeight percent of their audience is male, and 29.8 is the average age. A total of seven sections on the IGN website will be purchased, including: Heat Seeker, PC Channel, Team Xbox Homepage, Genre Game Object Page, and X360/PS3/PC Channels. Three ad sizes will be purchased: roadblock (takeover of the homepage when a user clicks on an article from any search engine/within the website) 970x66, 300x250, interstitials (600x400), and medium rectangles (300x250). The results from the survey indicated PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 were the most popular platforms of choice, and therefore, several ads were purchased on these channels on IGN's website. Furthermore, fans that are looking up action/adventure games will also see these ads as the genre game object page will be utilized. The following chart illustrates this buy in detail:

51

Section

Ad Unit

Launch

Specs

Impressions

CPM

Investment $25,780

Heat Seeker PC Channel Team Xbox Homepage Genre Game Object Page X360 Channel PS3 Channel PC Channel X360 Channel PS3 Channel PC Channel

Roadblock Roadblock Roadblock Roadblock

1 Day 2 Days 2 Days 2 Days

970x66, 300x250 970x66, 300x250 970x66, 300x250 970x66, 300x250 600x400 600x400 600x400 300x250 300x250 300x250

868,000 360,000 142,000 688,000

$29.70 $27.50 $27.50 $13.75 $9,900 $3,905 $9,460

Interstitial Interstitial Interstitial Medium Rectangle Medium Rectangle Medium Rectangle Medium Rectangle

2 Weeks 2 Weeks 2 Weeks 2 Weeks 2 Weeks 2 Weeks

85,000 80,000 50,000 865,600 785,000 715,000

$34.10 $34.10 $34.10 $12.10 $12.10 $12.10

$2,899 $2,728 $1,705 $10,474 $9,499 $8,652

IGN Newsletter

1 Week

300x250

1,876,000

Bonus

Bonus

Total

13.99 weeks

6,514,600

$85,000

As noted in the above chart, the IGN Newsletter has been given as a bonus, with a value of $20,000 totalling 1,876,000 free impressions. A total of 98 days will be purchased, totalling 13.99 weeks with a total of 6,514,600 impressions. The blocking chart below illustrates when the ads will run:

52
Month 2
Week

Month 3
Week

Month 4
Week

Month 5
Week

Month 6
Week

1 Roadblocks Heat Seeker PC Channel Team Xbox Homepage Genre Game Object Page Interstitials X360 Channel PS3 Channel PC Channel Medium Rectangles X360 Channel PS3 Channel PC Channel Newsletter

GameSpot: GameSpot is another very popular website among the target. The traffic to this website is compromised of 95% male aged 24, with 71% 18-24. In order to reach a large number of them, a substantial amount of advertising dollars will be allocated to this website. To help advertise the release of the Tomb Raider 9 demo, during the first week of the fifth month, two days of advertising will be purchased. The first day will feature a super leader board (880 x 150) which will receive approximately 678,000 impressions. The second day (sometime during this week) will be a 300 x 250 ad which will receive approximately 636,000 impressions. Three half-takeover advertisements will be purchased during the first week of the sixth month to advertise the release date of Tomb Raider 9 and to download the demo if they haven't already done so. These will be purchased on three separate days and will be for the PC Front Door, XBOX 360 Front Door, and PS3 Front Door. They will all include an 880 x 150 ad, 300 x 250 ad for one day. The number of estimated impressions are as follows: PC 312,000 XBOX 360 292,000 PS3 215,000

These three platforms were chosen to reflect the survey results. While the number of impressions aren't as high as some of the other websites, this website is hugely popular

53 among the group and the advertisements will definitely be seen. With a half page takeover, the advertisements will most definitely be visible to everyone on the website. They are strategically being placed on three separate days to ensure everyone has ample time to visit the website. If they were all placed on the same day, it would be overkill, and if for whatever reason the target didn't visit on this particular day, the ads would be missed. Spreading them out will spread out the number of impressions, and will ensure visibility. In total, 2,133,000 impressions will be purchased on GameSpot throughout 5 days. Game Trailers: Game Trailers is another website that ranked high in popularity among fans. However, to save on advertising dollars, it is recommended that there isn't any advertising purchased. Instead, Crystal Dynamics will submit the trailer(s) for Tomb Raider 9 to the website to be uploaded for free. Since fans are already on this website looking for trailers, they will certainly find Tomb Raider's no problem, and will be advertised by this website when uploaded anyway. Furthermore, other videos may be uploaded by Crystal Dynamics to the website of game play, etc. With the aid of YouTube, tombraider.com, and the fan sites, this is a great way to reach the target and increase video views without having to cut into the advertising budget. Kotaku: A splashbox will be placed on Kotaku's website for a total of 16 weeks. The first ad will run for 8 weeks starting the first week of month #2 through until the end of week 4 in month #3. The second ad will run the fourth week of month #4 through until the third week of month #6. The splashbox is 300x250 pixels, and when the user rolls over, will expand to 500x500 pixels. It will be located at the top right of the website, ensuring the user will notice it right away. Kotaku ranked well in popularity on the survey, and is a good source more so because their target is 95% male, their 18-34 demographic accounts for 88% of the site traffic, and they receive 3.3 million unique viewers (monthly). A total of 3 million impressions will be purchased, with 1.5 million impressions for the first ad, and 1.5 million impressions for the second ad. This amounts to approximately 375,000 impressions per week, and 53,571 impressions per day. Purchasing this number of impressions will certainly reach the target audience, and guaranteeing doing so several times throughout the lifecycle of the campaign. It will increase brand awareness significantly, ensure being top of mind, and will greatly increase traffic to tombraider.com.

54 GameFaqs: One ad will be purchased on GameFaq's homepage for one day. The ad is messaging plus (300x250) and will receive approximately 809,000 impressions. The ad will run sometime within the first week of the sixth month of the campaign, advertising the release date of Tomb Raider 9. Since GameFaqs.com was marginally popular, only one ad is going to be purchased. It still has a high enough number of impressions to capture the audience that does visit this website, and with all the other advertising going on, it will be more than sufficient. Furthermore, fans will be watching this website for upcoming news and will be sure to catch this ad. Otherwise, people who may have seen the ads but forgot about them (and aren't necessarily Tomb Raider fans) will see the release date and will make a decision whether or not to buy it at this time. All of the advertising spots on GameFaq's are bought on a per-day basis, and this method will make the most out of the advertising dollars allocated to this website while reaching the target. Tomb Raider Fan Sites: As mentioned in the advertising tactics, several Tomb Raider fan sites will be sent various online advertisements to place on their website. This will be free of charge, and the impressions they get will be 1) directly targeting the target audience, and 2) will have several million impressions throughout the six months. It is important to utilize these websites as they are already connected to the fan base and will certainly generate awareness, excitement, and results. Advertising on these websites are not only a great way to reach the US fans, but all Tomb Raider fans. As indicated in the survey results, fans from around the world visit these websites. It's a great way to reach a large number of the target while utilizing one form of media. Furthermore, it is a better usage of advertising dollars. Budget: IGN (98 days, 6,514,600 impressions): $85,000 GameSpot (5 days, 2,133,000 impressions): $72,200 Game Trailers: $0 Kotaku ad #1 (8 weeks, 1.5 million impressions): $12,000 Kotaku ad #2 (8 weeks, 1.5 million impressions): $12,000 GameFaqs (1 day, 809,000 impressions): $11,000 Fan Sites (see Advertising Online for list): $0 Total: $192,200

55 Campaign Schedule _____ ___

Please refer to the next page for the campaign blocking chart.

Month 1 Interactive marketing PR Direct marketing Advertising (internet)

Month 5 Interactive marketing Sales promotion (sampling, premium, contest #2) PR Direct marketing Event marketing (event #4) Advertising (television, internet)

Month 2 Interactive marketing Sales promotion (contest #1) PR Direct marketing Advertising (internet)

Month 6 Interactive marketing Sales promotion (contest #2, contest #3) PR Direct marketing Event marketing (#4) Advertising (magazines, television, internet)

Month 3 Interactive marketing Sales promotion (contest #1) PR Direct marketing Advertising (magazines, internet)

Month 4 Interactive marketing Sales promotion (contest #2) PR Direct marketing Event marketing (#1, 2, 3) Advertising (magazines, television, internet)

Tomb Raider 9 Campaign Blocking Chart Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5

55.2 Month 6

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 Interactive Marketing Sales Promotion Samples Premium Contest 1 Contest 2 Contest 3 PR Direct Marketing Event Marketing Event 1 Event 2 Event 3 Event 4 Advertising - Magazines Game Informer PlayStation Advertising - Broadcast BBC Discovery Channel Comedy Central MTV 44 1/2 (outdoor) IGN GameSpot Game Trailers Kotaku GameFaqs Fan Sites

56 Total Campaign Investment _________________________

The total budget for the Tomb Raider 9 campaign is broken down as follows: Interactive Marketing Tombraider.com TR9 Portal Photo shoot

$10,000 $7,400 $17,400

Sales Promotion Sampling Premium Contest #1 Contest #2 Contest #3

$0 $36,400 $4,900 $6,600 $2,015 $49,915

Public Relations Press releases/videos

$0 $0

Direct Marketing E-mail newsletters x6

$6,000 $6,000

Event Marketing Event #1 Event #2 Event #3 Event #4

$12,367.50 $78,127.10 $15,658.05 $700 $106,852.65

Advertising Print (Magazines) Broadcast (TV) Broadcast (TV outdoor) Online

$167,995.40 $404,867 $50,600 $192,200 $815,662.40

Evaluation Monitor/analyze campaign (see Evaluation "Cision")

$4,170 $4,170

TOTAL: $1,000,000

57 Evaluation _____ _______ ___

Evaluating the success of this campaign is straightforward and has been outlined below, broken down by IMC tool. Interactive Marketing Track users to tombraider.com and graph over the 6-month campaign Compare traffic to Tomb Raider Underworld's time and Tomb Raider Legend See growth trends after direct marketing pieces have been sent out, as well as online advertising, TV, and magazine Track where users are coming from graph traffic coming from Kotaku, IGN, Game Trailers, GameSpot, and GameFaqs to determine which ones are the most successful Compare same sites advertised on from month-to-month to determine which ad caught the most attention (and perhaps re-design the upcoming ads) Track users on the Tomb Raider 9 portal page and track which sections are most popular, and which ones might be lacking Track downloads from Tomb Raider 9's portal page Track number of members on Eidos Tomb Raider forums before/after campaign Track number of threads and posts for Tomb Raider 9 to compare with Underworld (Eidos forums as well as tombraiderforums.com) Increase in Twitter followers vs. start of campaign and number of re-tweets Number of YouTube Channel subscribers, total views of each video, total channel views

Sales Promotions Track downloads of demo (and on what platform) and compare to previous titles Track pre-orders of game and compare to previous titles (compare with/without premium offer) Track number of participants in contests o Number of fans entering on tombraider.com o Number of fans entering on the other sites (ask for numbers) o Number of re-tweets o Contest page traffic (hits: unique/repeated, etc) Track YouTube channel views o Track number of new YouTube videos and the views they are receiving (fan-made videos) o Positive vs. negative comments

58 Public Relations Track number of websites publish the content sent (per month) Track number of magazines that publish the content sent Track positivity vs. negativity for comments being published (how well it is being received)

Direct Marketing Track each mailing list (campaign) that is sent each month via MailChimp: Opened Bounced Unopened Click rate o Which links were clicked o Number of times o Who clicked them Click map (quickly see which links were clicked on (percentage) Opens by location Opens by user Performance advice Social stats re-tweets via Twitter or shared on Facebook

Event Marketing Number of fan tickets sold Number of media attending Free media/press received Number of fans who play-tested the game Forum threads/posts and Twitter comments Number of decals handed out YouTube video views from event videos Fan sites who visited the event(s) and the content published from them

Advertising Website traffic to Tomb Raider 9's portal page from: o Kotaku o IGN o Game Trailers o GameSpot

59 o GameFaqs Increase in traffic when TV spots are running Increase in traffic when MTV outdoor spots are running Increase in traffic when magazine ads are running Increase in pre-order sales Forum threads/posts and Twitter comments

Cision In order to properly analyze and track the social media aspect of this campaign, it is recommended to purchase services through Cision with their social media dashboard. Coverage includes over 100 million blogs, video sharing sites, image sharing sites, Facebook, Twitter, etc. With this great tool, key terms can be set up to monitor and track, and will be able to see: Total number of posts Sort by highest video view count How engaged people are o Engagement score Ability to categorize comments (negative/positive) Graph number of posts over time o Click along graph to see a specific date and the conversation cloud View by region View by top influencers

Through the dashboard you are able to set up e-mail alerts, download spreadsheets of the data, and organize however you like. Traditionally, campaigns were evaluated by sales. In today's world, social media needs to be tracked to view the effectiveness and this is an excellent tool to monitor the campaign with. It is recommend using Cision for the six-month campaign with an additional three months afterward to track what is being said after the game is released. The dashboard is $695 per month for a total over the campaign of $4,170.

60 Conclusion _____ _______ ___

With a great integrated marketing communications plan, Tomb Raider 9 is sure to be a success. The key is reaching the target, speaking the right language, and sending them the right message at the right time. This carefully planned out communications plan will certainly reach the fan base and will deliver the message. I believe this campaign will be successful and will reach all of the campaign goals.

61 Appendix Tomb Raider Community Survey Below is a copy of the questionnaire Tomb Raider community members completed as part of the consumer analysis portion of this integrated marketing communications plan. 1. E-mail address (if members wanted to be entered into the contest) 2. Age a. Under 18 b. 18-24 c. 25-34 d. 35+ 3. Gender 4. Country of Residence 5. Which platform do you play on the most? a. PC b. PS2 c. PS3 d. XBOX 360 e. Wii f. PSP 6. What other games do you play besides Tomb Raider? 7. How long have you been playing Tomb Raider? a. Less than 1 year b. 1-3 years c. 4-7 years d. 8-10 years e. 11-14 years 8. Which Tomb Raider is your favourite? a. TR 1 b. TR 2 c. TR 3 d. TR 4 e. TR 5 f. TR 6 g. TR 7 h. TRAE i. TRU 9. Which Tomb Raider is your least favourite? a. TR 1 b. TR 2 c. TR 3 d. TR 4 e. TR 5 f. TR 6 _____ _______ ___

62 g. TR 7 h. TRAE i. TRU 10. How often do you visit tombraider.com? a. Couple of times per month b. Once a month c. Once every few months d. Once a year e. Never f. Other 11. Where do you look for Tomb Raider news? (Please be specific) 12. Do you subscribe to/buy any gaming magazines? a. Yes b. No 13. If so, which one(s)? 14. Would you attend a Tomb Raider event? a. Yes b. No c. Maybe 15. What are you doing when you're not playing video games? 16. What TV network(s) do you watch the most often? 17. One suggestion you have to improve future Tomb Raider games?

Video Game Market: 2005-2011 Video Game Industry Sales NPD Group, . "2007 U.S. Video Game And PC Game Sales Exceed $18.8 Billion Marking Third Consecutive Year Of Record-Breaking Sales." N.p., 31 Jan 2008. Web. 17 Jul 2010. <http://www.npd.com/press/releases/press_080131b.html>. Ortutay, Barbara. "Video game sales top $21 billion in 2008." MSN. Associated Press, 15 Jan 2009. Web. 17 Jul 2010. <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28682836/>. Eddy, Nathan. "Video Game Sales Down 8 Percent in 2009." eWeek. N.p., 1 Jan 2010. Web. 17 Jul 2010. <http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Midmarket/Video-Game-SalesDown-Eight-Percent-in-2009-382390/>. Reuters, . "Video-game sales overtaking music." MSN Money. Reuters, n.d. Web. 17 Jul 2010. <http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/Extra/VideoGameSales OvertakingMusic.aspx>. Morris, Chris. "Video Game Sales Have Smaller Drop in May." CNBC. N.p., 7 July 2010. Web. 17 Jul 2010. <http://www.cnbc.com/id/38047430/Video_Game_Sales_Have_Smaller_Drop_in_M ay>.

63 Maragos, Nich. Game Industry Revenue Expected To Double By 2011." Gamasutra. February 16, 2006. Web. 28 Jan 2010. <http://www.gamasutra.com/phpbin/ news_index.php?story=8205>. Ferry. "Global videogame sales surpass movie industry in 2008!" Video Games Blogger. April 9, 2008. Web. 28 Jan 2010. <http://www.videogamesblogger.com/2008/04/09/global-video game-salessurpass-movie-industry-in-2008.htm>. "Women Comprise 40 Percent of U.S. Gamers." WomenGamers.com. July 18, 2008. Web. 28 Jan 2010. <http://www.womengamers.com/news/2008/07/18/40-usgamers-arewomen/>.