Red Dead Redemption

Marketing

MARKETING MIX• Cinema advertising campaing

• Bluetooth-enabled content download

• Collaboration with GameStop and Rockstar on a pre-order bonus. • Vote for outfits which gave different features to the game.

• Other bonuses available through other retail chains. • «The war horse» – rare and better quality horse.• «Golden guns» – quick up the progress up the ladder of fame. • Walmart offered a 20dollar giftcars and a deck of playing cards. • If these chains got exlucivity to these products, it would be benefitial to both

parts, as the chains would be the only one selling the item therefor marketing on that item.

• Official Rockstar Games store offers a RDR-t-shirt as the pre-order bonus. • Some bonuses additional content is only avaliable on PS3

• New gang hideout• Outfit for gang• This is a major advantage for PS3, as it makes it easier to chose PS3 rather than

Xbox360.

• The Rockstar Games Social Club• The RDRcar driven by Joey Logano.

Downloadable Content

• Outlaws to the end– Avaliable to all users of PlayStation Network and Xbox Live.

• Legends and Killers Pack• Liars and Cheats• Free Roam Pack

– Cancelled and combined with the Liars and Cheats

• The Hunting and Trading pack• Undead Nightmare

• All the packs bring new features to the game depending on the pack. It could be guns, horses, maps and trophies and achievements. This again links in with the intertextuality with the western film genre.

• They were all still available only on PS3 and Xbox360, which shows the growing technical convergence of the platforms.

Trailers

• First one came form the demo of the game Rockstar had sent out to Sony to get them to put the game on the Xbox. This shows intertextuality (trailer draws on the western film genre, and cross-media convergence.

• Later several were posted online leading up to the release of the game.

• How does a trailer promote the game and appeal to target audience?– Iconografy: such as outfits and horses, locations, props and guns. – Graphics: is a showcase of visual aestetic and gameplay, to show the

player what to expect. – Characters: All well-known in the western

setting, Sheriff, Indians, Mexicans, Hero, Outlaw, Farmer. Sets a background story and gives a little away about the storyline.

– Dialogue: The characters rural, country accents set the environment and tells about the battle between superior and inferior. Different accents show difference in culture, this gives a realistic variety and the game feels more lika a film.

Short Film

• In North America, television network Fox presented Red Dead Redemption: The Man from Blackwater, a half-hour machinima short film directed by John Hillcoat on May 29, 2010. It was broadcast in the United Kingdom on June 5, 2010. The film explores an alternate take of the main storyline's first act. Shortly after release, the whole film became downloadable through Rockstar's official website

• This shows the intertextuality between the game and the western film industry, and how both industries benefited for each other. The short film made the audience both want to play the game, and watch a western full movie

Soundtrack

• Red Dead Redemption Original Soundtrack is the soundtrack of video game music used in the game. The music was mainly composed by Friends of Dean Martinez member Bill Elm and ex-member Woody Jackson along with additional contributions from various musicians.

• This is an example of synergy between media texts within the game, as the soundtrack was made exclusively to the game with it’s only purpose to help the game’s dynamics.

Game Cover

The cover builds on the intertextualitybetween the western film genre and the game in many ways.

•The character looks like Clint Eastwood and is posed in a way that is similar to a famous still from one of his movies.

•The use of guns.

•The red background says “there will be blood”.

•The American flag’s stars sets the environment and some of the storyline, as the player usually knows about the battles for power that was common during the time of the Civil war.

•Indians.

•Territory

•Rebel agains the law

•The horses in the background does the same as the stars.

•The brand showing who are the developers behind it, makes the game trustworthy and if you are a gamer you know what to expect.