Monthly Matters is a monthly review of marketing news in the world of entertainment. The August 2006 issue is largely focused on innovation in entertainment marketing; however, of note are designing games for lifestyle marketing, and John Smedley’s views on parenting gamers.

• Among the people with whom I’ve worked, I must have been the only person not using LinkedIn…
• Parks Associates recently suggested stronger market segmentation for interactive entertainment. “The market is not black and white anymore, and game marketers need to understand these finer nuances,” said Yuanzhe Cai, director of broadband and gaming, who was subsequently interviewed. These proposed segments are only the first step. We eventually need to move beyond traditional market segmentation into the realm of strategic segmentation.
• Tadhg Kelly, Lionhead and Climax game design veteran, wrote a letter to the editor of Gamasutra that game worlds attract players, not game characters. This perspective is aligned with the changing marketplace in which “Web 2.0 thinking” is becoming increasingly dominant. Kelly’s perspective has an important implication for marketers: an emphasis on lifestyles.
• Three major in-game advertising deals today! Electronic Arts contracted both Massive and IGA Worldwide to provide advertising opportunities across select franchises, including Need for Speed: Carbon via Massive and Battlefield 2142 via IGA. Enlight Software also contracted Double Fusion to provide advertising opportunities across Bad Day L.A. and Hotel Empire.
• John Smedley, president of Sony Online Entertainment, talked about parenting issues related to online games on his blog as well as participating in a discussion on the website of the San Diego Chapter of the International Game Developers Association. Gamasutra columnist Jim Rossignol wrote about the kids, vigilance, and online worlds conversation too. I’m thinking about organizing an event in San Diego related to parenting issues for parents of gamers.
• Harvard Business Review published an article in the September 2006 issue concerning entertainment marketing in an unpredictable world written by Duncan Watts, a professor of sociology at Columbia University. In the article, Watts recommends five strategies that basically promote the episodic model and Web 2.0 thinking. Before that article was published, I’ve been writing a lengthy treatise on three strategies that I recommend to entertainment marketers to stay ahead of the curve and adapt to the changing marketplace; however, this “Marketing 2.0″ whitepaper will be published through my corporate website.