Accidental Software proposes a new multimedia advertising concept, which would place product advertising within our software game program. A background of our company and game, game description, distribution, advertising concept, advantages, and exposure follows.
Background:
Our small company, Accidental Software, was founded in 1991. In 1994, remarkably three of our games were nominated as finalists for the PC Magazine Ziff-Davis Interactive Shareware Awards. Our Ultimate Gin (I) program was selected as a finalist. All the other games came from large companies. A producer of Sierra Games, one of the largest computer game producers in the world, ordered Ultimate Gin (I) and told us our game was better than what they had produced for $500,000. To this day, customers continue to tell us that our former program, Ultimate Gin (I), remains the best gin game on the market, in spite of its age. In light of the popularity of Ultimate Gin (I), which was a DOS game, we wrote a Windows version, Ultimate Gin III.
Game Description:
Ultimate Gin III not only captures the essential atmosphere of Ultimate Gin (I), but allows either individual or internet play. Internet play enables one person to play against another, with a cartoon character sitting in as the opponent. Each character has their own skill level, ability, and personality... some with attitudes! The game also features a unique card holder that we developed for Ultimate Gin (I), which allows players to see melds at a glance.
Ultimate Gin III allows users to play any of a variety of animated cartoon character opponents in various room settings. Each character appears seated behind a table. Characters talk throughout the game, using both talk bubbles and matching verbal comments, with comments appropriate to the ongoing action. Gin game variations include Standard Gin, Oklahoma, and Hollywood scoring. A wide variety of score setting options enables customization of game perimeter preferences. Single player and internet play electives are incorporated. For internet play, which engages two real people, each opponent chooses a cartoon character as his/her proxy. Each person must have either shareware or a registered version of Ultimate Gin III for internet play.
Shareware is a sample of the program, usually limited in one manner or another. All game features of Ultimate Gin III are included in the shareware version, except: 1) only a single character can be selected; 2) scores are not saved for the next session; and 3) internet play is limited to five successful hook-ups. The registered game version (not shareware) allows access to the full "character pack" of four cartoon opponents. Additional character packs will be provided, as they are developed, free of charge to registered users.
Distribution:
Distribution of Ultimate Gin III will follow the same distribution format used for Ultimate Gin (I). In the past, our games sold, either as full-version or shareware, in the vast majority of stores that carried software. Shareware may be freely copied by users and given away. As either full-versions or shareware, our programs were usually sold under other companies' labels or bundled. As recently 1997-1998, our shareware version games were distributed through K-Mart and other retail chains, with each game packaged on separate CDs. It is highly unusual for programs as old as ours (1991-1994) to continue to be released through retail stores.
Other than retail stores, distribution methods of Ultimate Gin (I) shareware included online services, internet, and BBSes. Online services are sites such as AOL, which for a time, featured Ultimate Gin in the opening sign-on screen, through which all subscribers must pass. Between 12-15 major internet distribution sites, many of which are mirrored globally, were targeted. These major internet sites, such as Winsite, serve as download repositories and frequently publish their own CDROMs that include shareware from their site. Winsite is referenced by C/NET's Virtual Shareware Library, an internet hot spot. From these major sites, shareware is downloaded to thousands of smaller shareware distributors, from whom end users get the program. Additionally, approximately 10,000 to 18,000 of the 30,000+ BBSes (bulletin boards) carried our BBS FDN distributor. Of these, we estimate (conservatively) that 3000 BBS operators distributed Ultimate Gin.
In checking the numbers on some internet distribution sites, downloads were in the hundreds for small sites and thousands for more visible sites. We can not confirm the statistics, since we did not anticipate any need to keep records of the download numbers. One retail store distributor sold in excess of 30,000 units of our games in one quarter, and that was only "one" retail store distributor. As a single internet distributor, ZDnet has had over 7,400 downloads this year of Ultimate Gin (I). Based on the distribution methods, we would conservatively estimate that over one million copies of Ultimate Gin (I), as either shareware or full version software, are in circulation.
Advertising Concept:
We propose an advertising concept, which to our knowledge has never be done previously, whereby the product being advertised is placed within the game. Cartoon characters opponents appear seated behind a table, which provides enough space to display products. While the game runs, characters include comments regarding specific products intermixed with general comments that game players normally make. Some animation reflects a character using a product.
Advantages to this form of advertising are many.
1) The product remains in front of the consumer for a much longer time than any other form of advertising.
2) Your company can advertise several products in the same program.
3) The product can be actively "pitched" by the characters.
4) Your product can be associated with the character(s) your company desires.
5) Although product advertising is constant while the character is seen, the advertising is subtle, not intrusive or annoying.
6) The product can be distributed as both limited (shareware) and full retail versions. The limited version may be freely copied and distributed, which results in extensive proliferation of the program and viewing of the product.
7) Your company may distribute an infinite number of copies of the limited program and may use that to entice customers to your internet site, if your company has one established.
8) Our company intends to develop additional character packs. Character packs extend the life of the program and offer appeal to one or more segments of the consumer population. Planned character packs include: stuffed toys, politicians, teen idols, animals, imaginary characters (Santa, tooth fairy ), celebrity caricatures (this includes many categories), and, perhaps, notables (in satire) from news worthy events.
Advertising Exposure:
Within our game format, product exposure is continuous during the game session with the character pack, which may consist of a single character. Based on interviews with our prior Ultimate Gin (I) customers, game usage typically extends from months to years, with average sessions ranging between 2-10 hours per week. The resultant product viewing time of your product with our game format greatly exceeds traditional paper, transmitted media, and internet banner advertising.
Since the game and your product character pack, are offered free of charge to customers, your product exposure grows expotentially, as customers can and do freely share both the game and your character pack with their friends. Because shareware customers are limited to one character in the basic pack that accompanies the shareware, they are anxious to acquire product character packs, which they can access. Product character packs are available as free downloadable files from many sites on the internet.
Based on the previous numbers generated by Ultimate Gin (I), we are confident that downloads of Ultimate Gin III and character packs will exceed 100,000 copies, but anticipate distributio
