Investing in marketing

“Should I invest in the marketing, and if so, how much?” Is one of the questions (small) business owners often ask themselves.

The answer to this question is far from easy, it is individual, and depends on numerous factors. In this blog post, I will analyze an example of a bad marketing investment, which was also quite costly.

One of the well-known examples of bad marketing investment is a video game that drew the attention of many gamers. It even drew my attention, although I am not a fervid gamer, I don’t really keep up with the gamer, console and graphics cards world. Still, I do enjoy an occasional Heroes III match.

The game I am talking about here is Cyberpunk 2077 that was released at the end of 2020. The promotion was so widespread that even the non-gamers were hyped and familiarized with the game and its world. The gamers were over-ecstatic, to say the least. Anyone who knows anything about video games was familiar with the release date of the long-announced and expected Cyberpunk 2077.

The game was announced back in 2012, and in the past eight years, the release date was mentioned more than a couple of times. However, there was a certain hype raised about the game in 2020, and numerous conventions and interviews were organized, posters were made, trailers released several times, and all that targeting a wide audience. Even in my hometown, Osijek, I saw people between the ages of 17 and 25 wearing T-shirts with the game’s main character on them. Billions of dollars were invested in the game (product), accompanying products, mini figurines, bobbleheads, stickers, badges, YouTuber promotors, billboards, etc. (marketing). They even hired celebrities and actors with many followers to spread the word about the game, and it even won several awards prior to its release. Finally, the target audience got to play it. Google Trends depicts quite vividly, as there is a huge spike of interest on Google search engine towards the end of 2020 preceded by several smaller peaks presenting the hype intentionally created over the years before the release.

Google Trends graf za ključnu riječ cyberpunk 2077

Source: Google Trends schreenshot

This approach resulted in high expectations, of course.

The game was released, the first gamers got to play it, and the product soon revealed its true form, hidden behind all the hype.

The transparency of the modern world makes it very difficult to hide the truth

Each game, upon the release, probably has some bugs (I am not a gaming expert, but I am aware it is almost impossible to release an impeccable product, especially a video game), which are addressed and fixed in new game patches. However, Cyberpunk 2077 had a ton of bugs. Many wondered what has really been done in the past 8 years. Some game functionalities were better in games released some 10 years ago than in this one. Gameplay as well. Some older games showed significantly better gameplay, a greater focus on details, better elaborate physics and logic. Less refraction of graphic elements.

Bug u igrici Cyberpunk 2077

Source: YouTube : head through the wall is a quite common bug in games

Nowadays, information travels at the speed of light and anyone can be a content creator. This resulted in numerous videos and articles related to the bugs and issues of the game. In just a few weeks the huge amount of content published revealed how badly and poorly the game (the product) was made. Generally, it was a flop. This maybe would not have been such a huge issue if it hadn’t been so much hype, so much money invested in the promotion and marketing, probably much more than in the production itself. High marketing investment resulted in high expectations. The release of the game did not meet the expectations, not even close.

Modern consumers will either put you on a golden pedestal or burry you deep under the ground

For days after the game’s release, YouTube was swarming with negative and satirical comments such as: If year 2077 would be like this than it’s better to live in year 2013!; It’s incredible that a game from 7 years ago beats a game from 2020 (Cyberpunk 2077 compared to a game released in 2013). A large amount of video content was re-created and titled: overpromise, sell, underdeliver Cyberpunk 2077 – this content showed how badly the game was made in comparison to similar games released years earlier.

The game got a bad rep. Many customers who ordered and paid for the game demanded a refund even before it was released worldwide. Sony even withdrew the game from its online store. It was a complete fiasco.

Do not invest in marketing if you can’t vouch for your product

Cyberpunk 2077 or, as it was dubbed after the release, Cyberjunk 2077, is one of the best examples of some of the recent failed marketing investments. It is proof that marketing investment will not always create benefits. On the contrary, it could be quite damaging for your business. Especially if you can’t vouch for the product/service you’re advertising. The team behind the CD Project Red (the publisher of the game) definitely could not vouch for their over-hyped product. In time, they might make amends for their flop, but the price they will have to pay is huge. It’s difficult to fix bad rep.

Komentar na igricu cyberpunk 2077

Source: YouTube: comment on Cyberpunk 2077 game

The conclusion is that a grand promotion, omnipresence, and being all over the map do not necessarily represent quality product/service. On the contrary, companies that invest huge sums in marketing and are often omnipresent with their ads often sell products of questionable quality to an individual’s health and are often a problem for the environment they operate in (I don’t want to point any fingers but think of a large fast-food chain). On the other hand, they meet people’s needs, and people’s needs rule the market. People’s needs are the market’s lock, and satisfaction is the key that unlocks it.

For marketing to be successful, it is important to first offer a good and useful product/service that will meet the needs of your potential consumers. Let’s remember, Professor E. Jerome McCarthy back in the 60s created the 4P concept of marketing, and PRODUCT was one of the 4 Ps. As time goes on, we tend to forget about Professor McCarthy. Although nowadays there are 7P-concepts, and the number of Ps seems to be growing, we forget about the basics. We overlook the roots of the issue.

So, the modern problem is the fact that we have “slightly” neglected the PRODUCT, while the promotion is by far the most important P. The product is pushed to the back burner, right? But Cyberpunk 2077 should be a lesson for us all. That is not how marketing is done.

The answer to the question from the very beginning of this post is undeniable – YES! We must invest in marketing. However, wasting money is a whole new ball of wax.