During hours of cleaning at my family homestead I uncovered hoards of ancient technologies. Let’s see, there was a box of gaming systems and old game cartridges. Another box had all my old Commodore 64 equipment that most likely worked. Yet another box had handheld gaming systems.
While we were sorting through decades of storage I started thinking about a shopping trip I went on with my brother. Last week he schlepped me along to purchase the new Xbox system. I made the wrong assumption he made his decision based on having the newest.
During our spree he explained that he was one of the last of his friends to make the purchase. In order to play the game he likes with his friends he needs the latest system. The last generation doesn’t allow him to network with his friends.
Selling products is no longer about making something inviting; selling products relies on creating a demand through social networking. Modern gaming systems are more than just competing against the computer or another player. Modern games connect people socially over the internet.
Back when my old gaming systems and Commodore 64 were popular, the only way to hear about them was word of mouth and advertising. In those days it wasn’t necessary for two people to have the same system in order to play a game. In fact, it was kind of refreshing to visit a friend who had a different console.
Never mind the ads on Facebook and other sites because most of them get ignored. Think about things your friends do on those sites. Your old classmate who lives in Oklahoma is holding a specific beer or your friend’s new camera that you must have because of the awesome pictures she posted. Social networking unofficially endorses products and creates credibility.
My youngest daughter connected the dots for me six months ago while we were setting up her computer based video game. Most games now have a focus on socializing as well as just playing. Her reasons for picking the game had nothing to do with challenge, but had everything to do with being able to chat with her friends. Her game, Minecraft, is now the most popular PC based video game because it brings people together.
I guess what it all boils down to is people communicating. In netspeak, creating a social aspect to a modern product helps make it viral. It isn’t enough to have a product and hope it sells. To really make something a success requires the social networking facet. Obviously the product has to be high quality or it will die.
Over the years I’ve noticed this with my store and can’t count the number of times my logo appears on Facebook or Twitter. I see people snapping pictures of my store windows all the time and wonder how many times it will get Tweeted or messaged to someone else. I guess I owe some of my company’s success to my oddball branding.
Social networking brings people together who may not have the opportunity to see each other regularly. A massive selling point of modern games is the ability to chat while playing. Marketing other products and making them something people talk about seems to be the challenge. Items that seem to succeed via social networking have unique qualities or are a new twist on an existing product or service. If I ever figure it out I’m sure you’ll read about me on Facebook.
(Jeromy Patriquin is the President of Laptop & Computer Repair, Inc. located at 509 Main St. in Gardner. You can call him at (978) 919-8059 or visit www.LocalComputerWiz.com.)