I wasn't trying to be mean or demanding or something... If these rewards weren't rewards, they would probably be released as the Store DLC, or would be in the EP from the beginning anyways...
I was just wondering why do they constantly keep getting smaller, or why there's fewer items rewarded for registering each time, if you'd like.
^^^ I'm not sure. Perhaps they've figured that by this point in the series they've reached the cap of who will A. buy the games and who will B. register the games....
Just a thought. We'll never have the data to find out the actual reasons.
Isn't registration reward created so that people will buy new games rather than buy secondhand games from gamestop or resellers? which I've heard is "hurting" the game industry.
I was just posting a status asking folks who got SN if there were any registration rewards this time.
Writing_Peg, while I generally agree that nicer manners are something for all of us to strive for, I think you may be anthropomorphizing corporations. The goal of any corporation is not to make people happy, but to make money for their shareholders. EA is no exception, even if they are in the entertainment business and are generally doing a pretty great job with their games. Of course, making and keeping people happy with your products is key to this goal, but you want to make them happy so they keep buying your products and making you more money, not because it's personally fulfilling.
The reasoning behind "gifts"/"freebies"/"promotions," etc. is to provide the perception of added value, especially in competitive markets. They are meant to provide extra incentives for purchases and introduce the customer to new services.
When EA was offering simpoints as a registration reward for the base game and WA, they were trying to drum up interest in the online store. Those points were an appetizer of sorts, meant to whet your appetite for store items, which you might not have discovered otherwise if you didn't visit the website much.
From their point of view, it was a smart investment - invest 1K points in a player, make them want store content (which is very nicely made, in my opinion), and hope that 1K comes back manifold. Which, for the record, it does. Even if all your store content was gifted to you, someone still spent the money on it.
Since the Store took off very nicely, they realized that it wasn't necessary to keep offering simpoint rewards, since any new customers would still get their 1K and find the store that way, and since old customers were already hooked. It wouldn't have justified the expense, so they moved on to exclusive in-game items.
Freebies as a marketing strategy, however, are a double-edged sword. Once you start offering them, you create a set of expectations in your customers. Not offering rewards at some point, aside from disappointing people, also comes across as cocky: "we're so sure you're going to buy our product, we don't need to spend extra on marketing to convince you." Finesse goes a long way in dealing with people, and small investments (like investing in a few man-hours so an artist can create a "free" bundle) tend to have a good psychological impact. Everyone likes surprises and bonuses, and people appreciate it when they think their loyalty is rewarded.
Hence, continuing to offer freebies is good marketing.
For the record, I don't think EA is "evul" for doing these things. They are in a competitive, fast-moving market, which has been changing tremendously in the past few years due to game apps. It just seems to me that the heads of the EA hydra aren't on the same wavelength, and while some heads are making some sound business decisions, others are deciding to scrimp on things like customer service and thinking very short-term.
Yeah, I realize that this is made to make more people buy games at firsthand, but the lastest rewards probably don't make it worth it for a lot of people, so they just buy it from someone else cheaper (which is usually more logical).
I'm going to buy original Supernatural disc from my store anyway.
To be fair, there have been a lot of sales lately, between Amazon, Steam, and Origin. I got the vast majority of my EPs/SPs at pretty good discounts (50-60% off), and I don't even have access to US sales, which tend to be better and more frequent.
I don't condone piracy and I think it's possible to get what you want at affordable prices if you're patient.
PS: Oh, how I wish I had $1,000 right now My favorite German store has a lot of nice boots, but at German prices
I was just posting a status asking folks who got SN if there were any registration rewards this time.
Writing_Peg, while I generally agree that nicer manners are something for all of us to strive for, I think you may be anthropomorphizing corporations. The goal of any corporation is not to make people happy, but to make money for their shareholders. EA is no exception, even if they are in the entertainment business and are generally doing a pretty great job with their games. Of course, making and keeping people happy with your products is key to this goal, but you want to make them happy so they keep buying your products and making you more money, not because it's personally fulfilling.
The reasoning behind "gifts"/"freebies"/"promotions," etc. is to provide the perception of added value, especially in competitive markets. They are meant to provide extra incentives for purchases and introduce the customer to new services.
When EA was offering simpoints as a registration reward for the base game and WA, they were trying to drum up interest in the online store. Those points were an appetizer of sorts, meant to whet your appetite for store items, which you might not have discovered otherwise if you didn't visit the website much.
From their point of view, it was a smart investment - invest 1K points in a player, make them want store content (which is very nicely made, in my opinion), and hope that 1K comes back manifold. Which, for the record, it does. Even if all your store content was gifted to you, someone still spent the money on it.
Since the Store took off very nicely, they realized that it wasn't necessary to keep offering simpoint rewards, since any new customers would still get their 1K and find the store that way, and since old customers were already hooked. It wouldn't have justified the expense, so they moved on to exclusive in-game items.
Freebies as a marketing strategy, however, are a double-edged sword. Once you start offering them, you create a set of expectations in your customers. Not offering rewards at some point, aside from disappointing people, also comes across as cocky: "we're so sure you're going to buy our product, we don't need to spend extra on marketing to convince you." Finesse goes a long way in dealing with people, and small investments (like investing in a few man-hours so an artist can create a "free" bundle) tend to have a good psychological impact. Everyone likes surprises and bonuses, and people appreciate it when they think their loyalty is rewarded.
Hence, continuing to offer freebies is good marketing.
For the record, I don't think EA is "evul" for doing these things. They are in a competitive, fast-moving market, which has been changing tremendously in the past few years due to game apps. It just seems to me that the heads of the EA hydra aren't on the same wavelength, and while some heads are making some sound business decisions, others are deciding to scrimp on things like customer service and thinking very short-term.
You had me at "anthropomorphizing," this may be love. :XD:
Comments
I wasn't trying to be mean or demanding or something... If these rewards weren't rewards, they would probably be released as the Store DLC, or would be in the EP from the beginning anyways...
I was just wondering why do they constantly keep getting smaller, or why there's fewer items rewarded for registering each time, if you'd like.
Just a thought. We'll never have the data to find out the actual reasons.
It's a nice idea.
Writing_Peg, while I generally agree that nicer manners are something for all of us to strive for, I think you may be anthropomorphizing corporations. The goal of any corporation is not to make people happy, but to make money for their shareholders. EA is no exception, even if they are in the entertainment business and are generally doing a pretty great job with their games. Of course, making and keeping people happy with your products is key to this goal, but you want to make them happy so they keep buying your products and making you more money, not because it's personally fulfilling.
The reasoning behind "gifts"/"freebies"/"promotions," etc. is to provide the perception of added value, especially in competitive markets. They are meant to provide extra incentives for purchases and introduce the customer to new services.
When EA was offering simpoints as a registration reward for the base game and WA, they were trying to drum up interest in the online store. Those points were an appetizer of sorts, meant to whet your appetite for store items, which you might not have discovered otherwise if you didn't visit the website much.
From their point of view, it was a smart investment - invest 1K points in a player, make them want store content (which is very nicely made, in my opinion), and hope that 1K comes back manifold. Which, for the record, it does. Even if all your store content was gifted to you, someone still spent the money on it.
Since the Store took off very nicely, they realized that it wasn't necessary to keep offering simpoint rewards, since any new customers would still get their 1K and find the store that way, and since old customers were already hooked. It wouldn't have justified the expense, so they moved on to exclusive in-game items.
Freebies as a marketing strategy, however, are a double-edged sword. Once you start offering them, you create a set of expectations in your customers. Not offering rewards at some point, aside from disappointing people, also comes across as cocky: "we're so sure you're going to buy our product, we don't need to spend extra on marketing to convince you." Finesse goes a long way in dealing with people, and small investments (like investing in a few man-hours so an artist can create a "free" bundle) tend to have a good psychological impact. Everyone likes surprises and bonuses, and people appreciate it when they think their loyalty is rewarded.
Hence, continuing to offer freebies is good marketing.
For the record, I don't think EA is "evul" for doing these things. They are in a competitive, fast-moving market, which has been changing tremendously in the past few years due to game apps. It just seems to me that the heads of the EA hydra aren't on the same wavelength, and while some heads are making some sound business decisions, others are deciding to scrimp on things like customer service and thinking very short-term.
That's a $1,000 post right there.
*hands money*
I'm going to buy original Supernatural disc from my store anyway.
I don't condone piracy and I think it's possible to get what you want at affordable prices if you're patient.
PS: Oh, how I wish I had $1,000 right now
You had me at "anthropomorphizing," this may be love. :XD: