One of the defining aspects of modern pop culture, from books to Hollywood movies, is its crossover potential. There are few modern franchises that don’t share a platform with something else at some point in their lifetime, as entertainment goliaths such as Marvel continue to prove. In fact, the comic book company has created a number of seemingly impossible character mix-ups in its storied history, including The Incredible Hulk vs Superman and Batman & Captain America.
Despite occupying a different entertainment niche altogether, casino gaming utilizes much the same trick when new games are being designed. The online casino betting at Paddy Power includes opportunities to wager on several pop culture slots, including ones branded with The Matrix and The Mummy. Of course, these special games involve business deals like any other, so what’s the thinking behind casinos’ fondness for wider entertainment?
Marvel
The obvious answer is that borrowing imagery from a beloved TV show like The Walking Dead (another franchise that has its own slot game) attracts players who might not otherwise have any interest in casino gaming. The Sacramento Business Journal suggests a number of names for this kind of process but, ultimately, it all boils down to one thing, namely, working together to promote two things. In many cases, this strategy can involve a union of competitors.
What’s notable about pop culture crossovers is that they sometimes involve products from two completely different industries. Returning to Marvel, the company has teamed up with statue-maker Kotobukiya in the past, to create a range of high-quality figurines. To date, these have featured Thor, Cyclops, Thanos, and Carnage, among plenty of others.
It's easy to see how even niche products such as these can find an audience, too. The recent movie Spider-Man: No Way Home attracted around 355m people. As a single spectacle, that figure is comparable to the Superbowl.
The Xenomorph
Casinos (and just about every other facet of entertainment) have a much smaller audience to play with, which is what makes crossovers such a valuable business plan. New players are hard to find, especially as most marketing experts recommend that companies only try to reach a small group of people. To quote the social media blog Hootsuite, “your target audience is not everyone”.
Loaning pop culture icons is therefore one of the ways that casinos and gaming businesses break out of what can be a very narrow niche, although, it can alienate players who are especially protective of their chosen fandom. Seeing the Xenomorph (Alien) in a movie crossover with Predator had a way of making the two characters seem like part of a circus sideshow rather than the merciless hunters their individual films made them out to be.
Overall, as a franchise owner, mixing the pop culture equivalent of peanut butter and jelly can sometimes be a boon for everybody involved. While Marvel does sometimes get overexcited with the portability of its characters, the use of major franchises at online casinos does serve as a unique case study for budding marketers to get used to.
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