Marketing for Knowledge Transfer

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Marketing for Knowledge Transfer
16th Jan 2008

• Alan Fitzgerald
• Marketing IT Manager, WestFocus

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• WestFocus Knowledge Exchange
• Marketing Strategy
• Web Portal Intranet
• Branding
• PR
• Collateral
• Entrepreneurial Learning Games

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Marketing Strategy

• External Market (Companies, Individuals, Staff
  Students) to be served by multiple web sites in
  the WestFocus Portal
• Internal Market (250 WestFocus staff) served by
  the WestFocus Intranet
• Strong and consistent Branding
• Minimal hard copy collateral
• Electronic newsletters

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Web Portal Intranet

• The Portal contains 13 Web sites
• 12.5 million hits (3 years)
• 660,000 visitors (136,000 unique)
• 670 visitors per day average since Feb 2005
• 20,000 downloads of the Newsletters
• Corporate homepage contains
• Consolidated news from all sites
• Consolidated events from all sites
• Case Studies
• Hot links to various parts of the portal
• Newsletter sign-up
• Search facility
• Many web sites have a unique URL

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WestFocus Intranet

• Content Management
• Template driven
• No HTML required
• Contact Management
• Companies people
• Events
• Marketing
• Email campaigns
• surveys
• Reports
• Projects
• Administration

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Branding

• House Style Guidelines
• Logos
• Stationery
• Letterheads
• Fax
• Business Cards
• Presentations
• Fonts
• Web Site - look n Feel

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Public Relations

• Outsourced approach
• Focus on local rather than national
• Brand centric
• Case Study or event (Seminars / Exhibitions)
  focussed

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Collateral

• General Brochure
• Brief Guide
• Case Studies
• Giveaways
• Pens
• Bags
• Christmas cards
• Innovations Day DVD
• Exhibition Stands
• Learning Games

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Entrpreneurial Games The Apprentice
Entrepreneur
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The Apprentice Entrepreneur

• A range of PC based games
• Each game to be based on a different industry
• PC pre-game questions assess entrepreneurial
  qualities, and the answers are used to provide
  different amounts of seed capital and a mentor
  for the players
• To establish and operate a business for up to 1
  year (in accelerated time) by reacting to the
  games real-life circumstances

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The Approach

• Must be Fun !
• Interactive
• No winner !
• Based on serious gaming video technology
• Approximately 10 - 15 hours PC gameplay to
  complete
• Able to see the effect of trying different
  business strategies
• To be used as stand alone or as part of a
  teaching module

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E-Trader

• Theme
• Creating running an internet-based retailing
  business for 6 months
• Knowledge areas addressed
• Business strategy
• Web design
• Advertising
• Order fulfilment
• Stock control
• Distribution
• Cash Flow

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Game Features

• Pre-game tasks
• elevator pitch
• Prepare and launch a web-site
• Decisions on premises etc..
• Optional tasks in the game
• Business Plan
• Marketing Plan
• Enterprising Vitae
• Variable amount of start-up capital to spend on
  stock, marketing etc.
• Uses a desktop email as the customer
  interface and with the mentor who offers advice
  and guidance throughout the game

• Noogle search engine available in the game
• Daily cash flow analysis available
• Game algorithms dictate flow of orders depending
  on
• Quality of web site (Noogle related)
• Advertising spend
• Quality of order fulfilment
• Accelerated time
• Warning of bankruptcy gives opportunity to
  modify strategy

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Screenshots
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DJ Life

• Theme
• Creating operating a mobile DJ business
• Knowledge areas addressed
• Business strategy
• Equipment purchase
• Stock control
• Time management
• Negotiation
• Marketing
• Cash Flow

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Game Features

• DJ Rating dependant on actual gig performance,
  which each lasts 1.5 minutes.
• Better gig venues pay more for DJ services
• DJ equipment subject to wear and tear
• Accelerated time
• Comprehensive game algorithms dictate
• Gig frequency turnout
• Negotiating criteria
• Mixing evaluation

• Pre-game tasks
• Entrepreneurial attitude questions
• Purchase equipment
• Marketing
• Practice mixing
• Optional tasks available as before
• Specially commissioned music loops in nine genres
• Variable amount of start-up capital to spend on
  equipment, marketing etc.
• Uses a mobile phone as the game interface
  throughout the game
• Negotiating with Venue owners

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Screenshots
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Conclusions

• Early player reaction is very positive
• High addictive factor once started
• Suitable for both undergraduates and senior
  school
• Players dont realise theyre learning
• Safe environment to try different business
  strategies
• Fun !

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• Thank you for listening !