1.

0 Executive Summary
Mobile News Games LLC (MNG) develops mobile games relating to current news events. This marketing plan illustrates our market segments and the strategies we are employing to get customers and create a solid revenue stream. e are not !ust any mobile game developer. "ur

uni#ue $ocus o$ creating games with a news twist gives us an advantage over our competitors by giving customers a new outlet to en!oy mobile games. This $ills a read need o$ not !ust traditional gamers but e%pands our reach to people who would normally not play mobile games yet are amused by the comical angle we use. e will $und development o$ our own games by providing consulting services to create similar games $or corporations who are looking to create mobile games $or promotional purposes. These consulting assignments will come $rom advertising sponsorship relationships that we will establish with companies who are interested in embedding their brand and o$$ers inside our other games and would also like something more custom that they can o$$er as their own game. &n the $irst ' years o$ the business( we e%pect consulting to constitute a large portion o$ our revenue stream.

1.1 Vision
"ur vision is to provide people with a brie$ escape o$ $un over the course o$ their normal day. e do

this by providing them with timely interactive games that they can access on their mobile devices ) games that are easy to play and have some connection with current pop culture news.

MNG leverages our team*s so$tware development e%perience to create timely games #uickly. "ur marketing challenge is to attract visibility #uickly and we intend to accomplish this by leveraging a multi)pronged approach that involves social media( email marketing and search engine optimi+ation strategies to gain market share. ,s we gain traction in the marketplace( word o$ mouth will li$t our game downloads signi$icantly.

1.2 Objectives
-. 1. '. Generate over ./00(000 in sales by the end o$ year -. &ncrease sales by -002 by the end o$ year 1. Land / custom consulting game development pro!ects within -1 months.

2.0 Target Markets

"ur ideal customer is between the ages o$ -' and 13 who en!oys playing video games and has a mobile phone that allows applications to be downloaded( such as the i4hone( ,ndroid or 5lackberry. They o$ten have an 6bo%( ii( 4laystation or other T7)based video game unit at home. They may

also have a portable gaming unit such as the 89:89i and other portable gadgets such as an i4od.

Customers are typically single and male and own or have access to a home computer( 4C or Mac. They have a wide range o$ disposable income. 9ome are teenagers living at home( others are college students or those who have !oined the work$orce in the last 3 years. "ur game design consulting customer is the 74 o$ marketing or e#uivalent position o$ a medium to large organi+ation who is looking $or creative promotional methods $or their products and services.

2.1 Market Definition an Segmentation

e target two segments; mobile game users and organi+ations that want to reach them. &n both o$ these segments( customers are computer and mobile phone savvy and en!oy creative e%periences. 1. Mobile Game Users There are two types o$ customers that de$ine the demographic o$ mobile gamers; teens (including pre)teens) and young adults( which $or the purposes o$ this marketing plan will include teenagers age -< and above as they are considered young adults by the general population as well as by the law. The primary di$$erence between the two demographic segments is who provides the money $or game purchases. =ree mobile games;

e o$$er trimmed back versions o$ our games $or $ree so that users can get a taste o$ the $ull game without committing any money up $ront.>

9ome $eatures o$ $ree versions are disabled and advertising is displayed in some strategic locations within the game so that users are not bothered or distracted by the ads. =or e%ample( a soda company may pay $or a sponsorship and we might embed their name as a clickable (tappable) billboard that appears as i$ it is part o$ the game itsel$. 4aid mobile games;

"ur paid mobile games contain a broader set o$ $eatures. The price range is between .-.?? and ./.?? in order to create very low price resistance $or customers.

4aid games are also moneti+ed via clickable (tappable) ad sponsorships embedded within the games. Games are available via instant download on their appropriate mobile plat$orm (i.e.( ,pple*s ,ppstore $or the i4hone). 2. Organizations That Want to Reach Youth and Young Adults ,dditionally( there is typically one type o$ customer who purchases custom mobile game development services; 74 o$ Marketing or Chie$ Marketing "$$icer. Their intent is to promote their brand and products to the demographic that overlaps with mobile game users.

2.2 Target Market Segment Strategy

"ur strategy $ocuses on developing an initial set o$ libraries containing game attributes that can be combined to create new games. @pon launching the $irst set o$ games( we will stay in regular contact with our customers via numerous online methods( including social media and email marketing. ,$ter creating these libraries and games( we will be able to market $ast)turnaround consulting services to organi+ations who would like their own promotional games.

2.! Target Market" Mobi#e $ame %sers

"ur mobile games have a timely connection to current news events. e release new games within

two weeks o$ ma!or news stories. =or e%ample( i$ a politician is involved in a scandal( we can leverage one o$ our current game architectures and customi+e it with the names o$ people involved in the scandal and even make a comical interactive spoo$ out o$ events. &$ a celebrity makes a $oolish comment( we access our library o$ $eatures to put together a game that pokes $un at the celebrity. The mobile game user market en!oys interacting with games that give them a sense o$ power and e%citement( allowing them in some way to live vicariously through the game.

2.!.1 &ee s an 'e(uirements

Mobile game users get tired o$ games #uickly and are constantly looking $or new games to play. the plethora o$ news events always in circulation( we will target the news media so they discuss games related to the stories they are covering. The games we develop will target stories that are covered by the types o$ media outlets this demographic consumes. The users in this segment also has limited $inancial capacity. Teens typically get their money to make game purchases $rom their parents( which can be in the $orm o$ gi$ts or allowances( or $rom low paying !obs. "lder teens and young adults also have limited $inancial capacity yet choose to spend part o$ their disposable income on games as one o$ their sources o$ entertainment. 7ery $re#uently( these customers talk to each other about which games they en!oy( including strategies $or playing and winning. They also participate in online $orums and discussion groups to gather tips and other in$ormation to help them play or to $ind new challenges. ,dditionally( they en!oy being listed as the Ahigh scoreA when there is a public setting available $or players. e intend ith

to o$$er this public setting by allowing the customer to upload their score to our web site $or each game. The highest scores will be posted( giving the player worldwide Abragging rightsA. ,s a result( the word o$ mouth potential $or timely games is e%plosive.

2.!.2 Distribution )*anne#s

i4hone games are distributed through the ,ppstore which is currently controlled by ,pple. "ne o$ the obstacles we have to overcome is the speed with which ,pple approves applications $or downloading( which will be important $or us since our games have a time sensitive nature to them as they will be popular as long as a news story is in circulation. Google*s ,ndroid o$$ers an open source model so they will likely surpass the i4hone in the number o$ applications available soon. This also eliminates the need $or review and allows us to post new applications #uickly. ,s more applications come out $or this device( it will gain marketshare. want to be positioned so that we provide e%cellent games $or this community. 5lackberry applications are controlled by 5lackberry through 5lackberry ,pp orld. Their users tend e

to be older and more $ocused on business uses $or their mobile devices. 5ecause o$ this( we will not $ocus our initial e$$orts on 5lackberry. Bowever( we do have the e%pertise to build 5lackberry applications and will create custom games $or this device $or consulting clients who would like them.

2.!.! )om+etitive ,orces

There are many mobile game developers. Bowever( $ew are actual companies. Most games are developed by one person who does not have the marketing savvy to integrate advertising sponsorships into their games as we have outlined in this marketing plan. "ur uni#ue twist on the types o$ games is also an advantage because we will not have to spend as much time and energy thinking o$ the game themes ) the news o$ the day will provide that $odder so our e$$orts can be concentrated on developing that real)li$e story into a game.

2.!.- )ommunications
e will leverage social media and word o$ mouth $or the vast ma!ority o$ our marketing using plat$orms such as Twitter( =acebook( "rkut and My9pace. These plat$orms are widely used by the customers in our demographic market. to our $an page on =acebook. The newsworthy component o$ our mobile games also makes it enticing $or traditional media to publici+e a game that is related to a current news story. e will make announcements via regular tweets and updates

e will also use our email marketing list which is comprised o$ people who have e%pressed interest in knowing when we release new games. e have segmented our email list so that we can send

appropriate emails to media and di$$erent ones to actual gamers( our customers.

2.!.. /eys to Success

Cach o$ our postings to social media sites will include a trackable link so we know how many people click on each post. @sing online tools like link redirectors (i.e.( bit.ly( tr.im and others)( we can also see how many o$ readers and $ollowers repost or $orward such links. links within our email marketing messages. Those who click to $ind more in$ormation about a game will be directed to landing pages( which are web pages that contain more in$ormation about a speci$ic game( including details and links to download the games. These landing pages will be optimi+ed $or search engines (we have 9C"( search engine optimi+ation( e%pertise) so that when &nternet users search on various keywords( our pages will rank highly in their search results. @sing online analytics tools( we will be able to see how many people click on various links in our media campaigns to go to the landing pages and how many click to download each game. Bowever( online clicks cannot track users who use their mobile phone to download the apps directly( which may comprise the bulk o$ our downloads. =or those( tracking o$ downloads is provided by the plat$orm such as ,ppstore. e will also include trackable

2.- Target Market" Organi0ations 1*o 1ant to 'eac* 2out* an 2oung 3 u#ts
Mobile game users consist o$ young people. 9ince the youth and young adult demographic is so large( it is also very lucrative. There are countless products targeting this demographic( $rom soda manu$acturers to clothing designers to hair product companies. This segment can also consist o$ recruiters( which can be $or military service or other !obs. Companies who already spend millions o$ dollars on marketing to this group are regularly looking $or newer( more creative ways to reach this market to rein$orce their brand and sell products.

2.-.1 &ee s an 'e(uirements

"rgani+ations who want to reach males (and $emales( though it is a smaller proportion o$ our de$ined customer base) between -' and 13 reali+e that this group has a lot o$ spending power. This age group is not yet used to saving money so they typically spend a lot o$ what they earn. 7ice 4residents and Chie$ Marketing "$$icers o$ these organi+ations want to reach this market early and need to do so in catchy( creative ways. Much to the dismay o$ an older generation( teens and young adults are reading less and spending more time in $ront o$ a screen( whether it be television( a computer or a mobile phone with a variety o$ applications. The 74 or CM" needs to reach their target market where they hang out. They typically have large budgets to spend on marketing and are not a$raid to try new things( as long as they show results. The typical tenure o$ a 74 or CM" is about ' years so there is a good deal o$ industry churn. This is a good thing $or us in the sense that when a senior e%ecutive like this leaves to go to another company and they have had a good e%perience with our products and services( they are likely to hire us to create similar results $or them in their new position. "ur !ob is to make them look good to their superiors by getting them more entrenched with the demographic they are trying to reach.

2.-.2 Distribution )*anne#s

Deaching senior marketing e%ecutives is typically done through a variety o$ means. 9ince we have limited resources and need to manage our $inances very e$$ectively( we will $ocus on two; advertising and networking. The advertising will primarily be online via search engine ads so we can see the results within days instead o$ not knowing whether a print ad has any e$$ect. e have

identi$ied / trade shows and ' con$erences that these e%ecutives typically attend over the course o$ a year. 4art o$ our marketing plan is to attend these events to network with these potential buyers. e also will submit responses to calls $or papers to be speakers at some o$ the events when possible.

2.-.! )om+etitive ,orces

,s with the mobile game user segment( there are a lot o$ so$tware developers targeting organi+ations to build custom games. 9ome are developing games overseas at lower costs. Cven some o$ the larger domestic companies outsource portions o$ their game development. &n order to

keep up with pricing pressures( we have established ties with two overseas organi+ations to help us with game development. That will enable our domestic sta$$ to $ocus on marketing and on pro!ect management as we release new games and create the game component libraries.

2.-.- )ommunications
To get these high level e%ecutives( we will develop an online ad campaign with landing pages containing lead generation $orms that visitors can $ill out to get whitepapers on using mobile gaming to attract customers. "ur white papers will include the concept o$ embedding advertising within the games as well as e%amples o$ custom games created !ust $or a speci$ic organi+ation. e also will network at ma!or trade shows and con$erences( including obtaining speaking engagements where we can discuss case studies to e%pose our concepts and strategies to the right level o$ buyer.

2.-.. /eys to Success

The primary key to success is to be able to show case studies in which other companies leveraged the power o$ mobile games to reach their market. This can be tracked using metrics such as the number o$ times a gamer clicked on an ad embedded into a game( the number o$ times a custom game was downloaded or an increase in sales o$ the product being promoted. 9uccess can also be tracked by industry bu++. =or e%ample( $ast $ood chain 5urger Eing created a =acebook application that allowed users to earn points $or Aun$riendingA one o$ their $riends. The application would show the image o$ the $riend burning. @pon burning -0 $riends( the user would be entitled to a $ree burger. ord o$ this

application spread very #uickly and #uite a $ew =acebook users en!oyed participating. This campaign did two things; generated tra$$ic into restaurants and generated a tremendous amount o$ media bu++. &t cost signi$icantly less than a paid advertising campaign involving television time purchases.

!.0 Marketing 4#an Strategy

Gamers like to share notes with other gamers. "n our web site( we will create a $orum where people can post and respond to comments $reely as well as o$$er suggestions $or new games.

=orums will re#uire registration and users who post more $re#uently will be rewarded with a special tag( a gold star( ne%t to their avatar to show other users that they are a Asuper contributorA to the $orums. =or our demographic( this is a badge o$ honor that they try to attain proudly.

!.1 Em+*asi0e )reativity5 Service an S+ee to Market

9ince our games will be tied to current news events( we will emphasi+e our $ocus on creativity along with spectacular service and speed o$ development $or our consulting clients. &t is important $or us to get to market #uickly in order to capitali+e on the news event that is associated with the game. The longer the delay between game conception and game release( the less the penetration o$ that game.

!.2 Em+*asi0e ,un

"ur goal is to establish a reputation $or games that poke $un at what many would consider humerous or ridiculous actions by well)known people. Cach game will contain a link to our web site where users can $ind out about more games and subscribe to our email list and $ollow us on Twitter and =acebook. ,dditionally( to help promote games via word o$ mouth( each game has the option to noti$y a $riend. 9o( a user can send a te%t message to a $riend instantly to share their e%citement or recommendation about the game.

-.0 Ex+ense 6u get Summary

Marketing e%penses are mostly $or sta$$ re#uired to do the marketing activities listed. The vast ma!ority o$ the so$tware tools needed to implement the activities( such as analytics and landing page creation( are available $or $ree. The e%ceptions to this are $or speci$ic tools like email marketing and $orums.

-.1 Ex+ense 6u get by Mont* 7 2ear 1

e do not e%pect an increase in marketing sta$$ re#uirements during year - because one person can actually do a lot o$ these activities. "nce they have put marketing plan processes into place( the marketing activities upkeep becomes easier and can be handled by !unior sta$$. 5elow is a breakdown o$ marketing e%penses by month $or year -.

-.2 Ex+ense 6u get by 2ear

e anticipate second and third year marketing e%penses to increase( again mostly $or covering the cost o$ additional sta$$ to help $acilitate the additional re#uirements $or marketing activities. e%pect sales and marketing e%penses to be around -32 o$ total sales. e

Table: Mar eting !"#ense $udget

..0 Sa#es ,orecast

9ales will come $rom three sources;

1.

Game do%nloads ) this includes $ree and paid downloads. The $ree downloads are moneti+ed $rom embedded advertising sponsorships

2. 3.

!mbedded Ad&ertising '#onsorshi#s ) ads embedded in both $ree and paid games (ustom games de&elo#ed )or com#anies ) this would be consulting pro!ects to develop i4hone( 5lackberry and ,ndroid promotional games

9ales costs relate to the $ees charged by our channel partners $or carrying the games( such as ,ppstore( or $or our estimated costs $or sta$$ to sell ad sponsorships or develop custom games.

..1 Sa#es ,orecast by Mont* 7 2ear 1

5elow is our $irst year*s sales $orecast broken down by product type( estimated unit pricing and costs;

8.0 4rogress Measurement an Monitoring

&n order to make sure that we are on track( we have created a variety o$ key metrics that we will measure on a regular basis. These may re#uire ad!ustments and $ine tuning as we progress. They are our best estimates based on currently available market research.

8.1 /ey Marketing Metrics

e estimate that - o$ every -0 people who visit the landing page or see a tweet or =acebook post will download a game. "ther metrics include the average sale price estimated based on paid downloads as well as sales o$ advertising sponsorships and custom game development. Table: *e+ Mar eting Metrics

5elow is a breakdown o$ key marketing metrics measured by month $or year -;

8.2 Ot*er Success Metrics

"ther key metrics we will measure to monitor our success are as $ollows;

Number o$ speaking engagements =ive star game reviews &ndustry awards Number o$ games developed Number o$ game $eature libraries created Number o$ deals with channel partners Cmail list si+e

e will also pay attention to the number o$ tweets we make and the number o$ $ollowers on Twitter as well as the number o$ =acebook $ans we get. 5elow is a breakdown o$ other success metrics by month $or year -;

9.0 Marketing Organi0ation

Mobile News Games is a small company with very $ocused aspirations. "ur team is comprised o$ two uni#ue individuals who have a solid background in mobile communications and marketing. Together with a team o$ local and international so$tware development sta$$( we are able to bring to market a wide array o$ uni#ue mobile games that provide an e%perience that other gaming companies do not. 5ill 4hilips( 4resident( oversees the general management( including game development( o$ MNG. 4rior to $orming the company( he was 7ice 4resident o$ 4roducts at a ma!or wireless telecommunications provider $or 3 years. Be is also a member o$ the Mobile Marketing ,ssociation.

8onna 4aster( 74 Marketing( is responsible $or all areas o$ marketing. 9he co)$ounded MNG with 5ill 4hilips. 8onna*s prior e%perience includes developing the key marketing plan that launched several mobile versions o$ games $or a large video game producer. 8onna will be assisted by 1 marketing interns hired $rom local universities as co)op students throughout the year. These students will handle the more routine aspects o$ the marketing e$$orts while 8onna $ocuses on the key strategic relationships.