Digital Entertainment World (DEW) 2015 – Gaming, Tech & Marketing Breakdown by: Money Train

I went to the Digital Entertainment World (DEW) 2-10th-12th-2015 and I had a very productive and informative time. I felt DEW’s second year at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza was more of a defining time because there was more networking and engaging with various exhibitors than DEW 2014. Once you know what to expect around a particular conference you can really focus on hearing the keynote speakers that most appeal to you. The panels were again broken into the four tracks of (Video, TV, Movies); (Brands, Advertising); (Games, Interactive) and (Music, Video, Rights). Which makes it very easy to plan out your time most effectively at DEW. Some of the best panels that I went to were on gaming and one in particular below was one I could say I enjoyed the most at DEW 2015.

THE BATTLE TO BE DISCOVERED AND ACQUIRE USERS IN MOBILE GAMES

Time: 12:20pm – 1:00pm Location: Games, Interactive Speakers: Terence Fung, Chief Strategy Officer, Storm8 Philip Hickey, VP, Marketing & Communications, Seriously Christine Lee, Director of Business Development, Americas, Chartboost Eric Ma, Director of User Acquisition, Scopely Moderator: Scott Brovsky, Head of Marketing and Community, Muti Labs

Session Description: With so much competition in mobile games today, the App Store, Google Play and other mobile game marketplaces have become vicious battlegrounds where the winners reap huge monetary rewards and the losers often perish. With costs rising to acquire users that monetize and provide a solid LTV, it is crucial to have a winning strategy and partnerships for discovery and UA. This panel will discuss the marketing technologies, platforms, analytics, social outlets and traffic sources needed to succeed in the competitive mobile games landscape today.

I liked this gaming panel a lot because the panelists were talking mostly about the costs of launching mobile games and the real time cost to acquire users. This was also a very timely panel because it occurred only a week after Super Bowl XILX. There was a lot of talk among the panelists about the merits of whether mobile game publishers should buy local cable TV ads or instead shooting for the moon with expensive and flashy Super Bowl ad campaigns like Machine Zone’s Game of War: Fire Age and Supercell’s Liam Nielson Revenge ad for Clash of Clans. Phillip of Seriously Games was very impressed that Clash of Clans was actually one of the best ads during the Super Bowl. And he thought Game of War was very bad ad because it focused more on Kate Uptown’s cleavage than the game itself. He said, “I guess they know their audience. It’s not the way they would go. But we are very interested in doing a super bowl ad and we’re looking at the economics because we are still a startup.” Phillip then said, “If it scores well and the UA or user acquisition costs make sense. And it must all go together with their overall marketing strategy.” I strongly agree that Liam’s AngryNeesom52 ad with Clash was about true gamer engagement and made one really think that one could get so caught up playing Clash that even Liam would resort to using his Taken 3 persona to threaten a fellow Clash gamer who dares challenges him. It would have been more impressive if Game of War had given millions of Super Bowl ad viewers a chance to enter a new promo code that unlocked a Kate Upton DLC character that one could actually play in the game. Kate was just a sexy/silly prop for Game of War.

Clash of Clans Super Bowl XILV Youtube Link: http://tinyurl.com/o7q9yxb

I asked the panel if it was true that mobile game developers were still favoring to create iOS games first and Android second because iOS developers still made way more money than Android games in profits and in-app advertising. Terrence of Storm8 said from a developer’s perspective we are fully on board with Android. And if anything tools out in the market such as the Unity Engine that supports letting a developer publish their games in both Android and iOS. In fact, Unity’s mobile game engine can support Windows 8, Blackberry and Tizen. So from Terrence’s perspective you are only going to see more games on both platforms. Phillip says they launch on IOS first, but soon right away on Android on the GooglePlay store because there is massive upside to Android now. And Phillip said that Android Google is doing a much better jobs with marketing campaigns, editorizing and higher quality campaigns. I will say Android has gotten its swag going on.

Christine said when she first joined Chartboost three years ago iOS was probably 80% and Android was 20% of the traffic of mobile games. She wouldn’t talk about the exact revenue of iOS or Android, but she said right before the 2014 Holidays we actually hit 50/50 traffic between iOS and Android. Which she said is insane because that traffic is the actual number of users who are opening their games and coming back. Which is the total amount of traffic. And it really depends statistically where you are looking like what country and what categories. For example, Christine said from a country standpoint who would have guessed that Russia is the number #1 highest bid for Android. And for iOS it’s Norway. It’s interesting to see by country where there is the most interest and then where developers are willing to bid the highest to launch their new games. And Christine said when you breakdown categories you get strategy, card and casino are top on Android while casual games are more the leaders on iOS. It depends on how you approach the market. “Android is a no brainer it’s huge”, said Christine. And I have to say now that it is a good thing for the gaming Industry that developers and publishers are not making game development decisions and investments no longer solely on revenue. We are only bound to get better mobile and PC games when developers are aggressively engaged on both iOS and Android. But I still do not think Android game developers in the U.S. are going to reach revenue parity with iOS game developers anytime soon as long as Apple dominates the smart phone market. And the Apple Watch will only increase the number of iOS games that will be purchased and downloaded for free. And Android will only be an equal revenue alternative to iOS when better Android devices and smart phones seriously can outsell iPhones/iPads.

I also have to say that during DEW this year I took part in an impromptu interview session with other multicultural and diverse press and attendees. The interview show was organized by Shirley Husar of the Washington Times and the focus was to discuss issues like the digital divide in minority communities, Blacks in gaming and the importance of more minorities attending important tech, marketing and gaming events like DEW 2015. And I am sure I will find the interview link soon and get it posted on HHBmedia.com because we all had a great discussion that was moderated by Shirley. What I nor Shirley knew at the time of the interview was that two of our panelists were the app developers for @Vendedy, described as “Etsy meets eBay for street vendors globally,” and ironically we were discussing how to get more minorities in tech and Vendedy actually won the DEW startup contest. Vendedy sounded like a great idea as soon as it’s CEO, Christine Souffrant described it during our interview session. I could easily see how she was allowing or better yet empowering millions of global street sellers to market their goods to billions of digital; consumers. Vendedy which was I imagined expertly pitched by Christine as the first mobile bidding marketplace for street vendors beat out some other top tech startups. Clearly and esteemed panel of VC judges chose @Vendedy to win a prize of $75,000. Vendedy proved at DEW 2015 that diversity in tech is much needed because a great idea really has no color.

Vendedy Founder & CEO Christine Souffrant won the DEW 2015 Startup Pitchtest Competition.

Vendedy Founder & CEO Christine Souffrant received a $75,000 prize package, which included a $25,000 investment in the company (in the form of a convertible note) and another $25,000 in business consulting and legal services from MDM. Souffrant also received an invitation to the San Francisco office of IDG Ventures for a two-hour consultation with senior partners of the firm, along with a full year of free hosting service on Rackspace ($24,000 value).

In announcing its decision, the panel of judges cited Vendedy for, among other things, encapsulating the power of “digital” with its global/borderless strategy; the impact of its compelling visuals/images; the power of micro-transactions in a new digital “share economy” world, where even those with little can connect due to deep mobile phone penetration; and, the concept of social impact, which is increasingly important to millennials and older age groups as well.

DEW 2015 Highlights & Photos Of My Favorite Panels:

DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT WORLD WRAPS SECOND CONFERENCE WITH SOCIALLY RELEVANT CLINTON GLOBAL INITIATIVE & IBM- FUNDED COMPANY WINNING STARTUP COMPETITION

Hundreds of C-Level Speakers & Attendees From Across the Digital Ecosystem Gathered at Headline-Generating Los Angeles Conference & Expo for Three Days of Deal-Making and More Than 100 Sessions Featuring 300 Top Executives & Thought Leaders

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 17, 2015 – Hundreds of C-Level thought-leaders the digital and entertainment worlds attended the unique three-day Digital Entertainment World (DEW) conference in Los Angeles last week, engaging in networking, deal-making and headline- generating discussions. DEW wrapped Thursday after 100-plus sessions featuring more than 300 notable speakers from across the digital ecosystem, all high-level executives from top media and entertainment companies encompassing the television, film, digital video, music, publishing and game industries.

Additionally, judges from leading VC firms tapped the Clinton Global Initiative- and IBM- backed Vendedy, described as “Etsy meets eBay for street vendors globally,” as the winner of DEW’s Manatt Digital Media (MDM)-sponsored Startup Pitchtest competition. Vendedy Founder & CEO Christine Souffrant received a $75,000 prize package, which included a $25,000 investment in the company (in the form of a convertible note) and another $25,000 in business consulting and legal services from MDM. Souffrant also received an invitation to the San Francisco office of IDG Ventures for a two-hour consultation with senior partners of the firm, along with a full year of free hosting service on Rackspace ($24,000 value).

In announcing its decision, the panel of judges cited Vendedy for, among other things, encapsulating the power of “digital” with its global/borderless strategy; the impact of its compelling visuals/images; the power of micro-transactions in a new digital “share economy” world, where even those with little can connect due to deep mobile phone penetration; and, the concept of social impact, which is increasingly important to millennials and older age groups as well.

The headline-generating conversations throughout the week, many related to monetization challenges and opportunities, included:

Steve Mosko, President of Sony Pictures Television, discussing original content for Crackle and Playstation, including the notion that, as people begin to unbundle and put together personal bundles, free is a good option to have.

Ynon Kreiz, President, Maker Studios, on how Disney has embraced Maker and revealed it has increased YouTube views by 11.5 billion, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Antonio Lucio, Global Chief Marketing Officer, Visa, conversing with CNBC’s Julia Boorstin about the value he and other major advertisers see in the online world.

Eddy Moretti, CCO, VICE Worldwide, hinting at a Vice cable network, commenting on the Brian Williams situation and how traditional media’s sad state of affairs gives VICE more credibility.

Thomas Gewecke, Chief Digital Officer, Warner Bros. Entertainment, outlining how technology is leading an “incredible pace of innovation” that is changing all distribution models, and how companies need to experiment to bring content to all available channels.

Music also played a key role in the conference, with panelists describing how they see a bright future for digital, with more and more artists adapting to it.

Among the “View from the Top” participants taking part in a Music Leadership Roundtable discussion were Bruce Flohr, Chief Strategy Officer/EVP, Red Light Management, Partner, Greenlight Media and Partner, ATO Records; Ken Hertz, Senior Partner, Hertz Lichtenstein & Young LLP; Bill Silva, President, Bill Silva Entertainment;, Chris Stephenson, Chief Marketing Officer, SFX Entertainment; and moderator Ralph Simon, Chairman & CEO, Mobilium Global. Interactive technologies also played a key role in the “View from the Top” roundtable featuring Oren Boiman, CEO & Co-Founder, Magisto; Chris DeWolfe, CEO, SGN; Will Keenan, President, Endemol BEYOND (USA); and moderator Omar Shamout, Technology Reporter, Los Angeles Business Journal.

Pressing topics covered across the digital ecosystem at DEW included:

What Snapchat’s entry into the original content and content distribution space means for creators

The future of console gaming in the wake of the mobile free-to-play gaming phenomenon

Importance of distribution, content and collaboration in order to succeed in original video content

Diversity in content and the importance of authenticity when partnering with brands

Bundled content services vs. a la carte

Summarizing the media landscape in a discussion looking toward the future, Robert Tercek, Chairman, Creative Vision, said, “There are major differences between the old 20th century economy and new 21st century economy, and it is important for companies to know which universe they are living in – as these two alternate universes have completely different business models.”

Breaking news at DEW included Digital Citizens Alliance’s new statistical report disclosing that piracy has shifted from file-sharing and downloading to now predominately being online video streaming. Tom Galvin, Executive Director, Digital Citizens Alliance, said at the group’s panel, “Good Money Gone Bad: Digital Thieves & The Hijacking of the Online Business,” that video streaming is the only platform generating more revenue than the year before. Galvin said the annual revenue was up more than 50 percent.

The changing definition of short-form

Charging for content vs. ad-supported models

The delicate balancing act between content and commerce

In addition, Kathleen Grace, CCO, New Form Digital announced Incubator Series 2 at the “Next Gen Content Producers: Paving the Way in the Digital Age” panel at DEW on Wednesday. The Incubator Series 2 will produce and distribute 10 short films that will be unique to the digital viewing audience.

DEW also featured several Fireside Chats and Featured Presentations throughout the conference, with each addressing a different segment of the digital entertainment ecosystem, including:

Octvaio Flores, Country Manager, Paysafecard

Val Boreland, Executive Vice President, Head of Programming and Production, Revolt TV

Thomas Siegman, EVP Innovation, Strategy & Client Relations, RSG Media Systems

Steve Comstock, SVP and CIO, CBS Interactive

Simon Waters, SVP, Global Brand Licensing & Publishing, Hasbro

Ahmed Abbas, COO, Qsoft Holding

Beth Murphy, CMO, Deezer

Meredith Valiando Rojas, Co-Founder & CEO, DigiTour Media LLC

Jeanie Han, CEO, LINE Euro-Americas Corp.

Jonanthan Azu, General Manager & Executive Vice President, Red Light

Gene Hoffman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Vindicia

Allison Stern, Co-Founder and Vice President, Enterprise, Tubular Labs

Nicolas Beraudo, EVP Worldwide Sales, GM US, App Annie

Patrick Eichmann, Senior Director of Sales, West, Fiksu

Michael Cai, SVP, Games & Digital, Interpret, LLC

Gary Greenstein, Partner, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Zane Vella, CEO and Founder, Watchwith

Barry Whitley, Director of Solutions Architecture, Highwinds

Sponsors for 2015 DEW included: 3Pillar Global, App Annie Inc., Anvato, AT&T, Beachfront Media LLC, Brightcove, Digital Citizens Alliance, Ericsson, Fiksu, Flipps Media, Inc., GOVA (The Global Online Video Association), Highwinds, Interpret, LLC, hiVolume Media Company, Inc., Kwaai Oak CTO- easing start-up angst, Limelight Networks, Loeb & Loeb LLP, LyricFind, Magisto, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, MediaBrix, Miptv/ Mipdigital Fronts, New Century Capital Partners, Inc., Ooyala, Paysafecard, Piksel, PluraVida, Popsugar, Recurly, Inc., Rohde & Schwarz, RSG Media Systems, SeaChange, Senzari, SGN, SmartTones.tv, SoundExhchange, Supersonic, Stage Ten, Telescope, Total- Apps Inc., Tubular Labs, UI Centric, Venable LLP, Verizon, Vindicia, Inc., YUME, Watchwith, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati and XiveTV.

For more information about DEW, including a complete list of speakers and the full agenda, visit www.DEWExpo.com.

About Digital Entertainment World

DEW is a joint venture between IDG World Expo, an award-winning producer of tradeshows and events, including Macworld/iWorld, the MacIT® Conference, the Electronic Entertainment Expo® (E3®), and The Game Marketing Summit, and Digital Media Wire, a media and marketing consultancy and event producer with leading events including DMW Week NYC, NY Games Conference, Future of Television, Digital Music Forum and LA Games Conference.

KEYNOTE: ANTONIO LUCIO, GLOBAL CHIEF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER, VISA

Time: 10:15am – 10:45am Location: Main Hall Speakers: Keynoter: Antonio Lucio, Global Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Visa Interviewed by: Julia Boorstin, CNBC Media & Entertainment Reporter, CNBC

Paul Kontonis, Chief Marketing Officer, Collective Digital Studio Executive Director, GOVA

HOLLYWOOD & GAMES: OPPORTUNITIES AT THE INTERSECTION OF CONTENT AND TECHNOLOGY

Time: 11:35am – 12:15pm Location: Games, Interactive Speakers: David Stelzer, Head of Games Department, Creative Artists Agency Chris Petrovic, Head of Corporate Development & Licensing, Kabam Peter Levin, President of Interactive Ventures and Games, Lionsgate Andrew Stalbow, CEO, Seriously Keith Boesky, Principal, Boesky & Company Moderator: Marc Graser, Senior Editor, Variety

Session Description: This panel brings together a mix of companies and executives from the movie, television and games industries to share ideas about relationship between games and Hollywood and how to create new business opportunities at the intersection of these two exciting media industries.