Torrie Dorrell on the Living Legacy Campaign
The Living Legacy program has come to EverQuest and EverQuest II, bringing with it months of events, special items, and a phenomenal program designed to bring former players back to Norrath. Last week Torrie Dorrell, Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing for Sony Online Entertainment, graced us with an interview on this unprecedented promotion.
Allakhazam: Tell us a little bit about "winbacks" and their history at SOE.
Torrie: We've done winbacks fairly regularly here. A couple of the standouts: Two direct mail campaigns with a personalized letter, and in-game item and a "treasure" map to the updated content that was sent to our most loyal and active former subscribers. Also, targeted mails based on actual in-game stats (class choices, etc.) so the communication was relevant and personalized for that particular player.
Allakhazam: The Living Legacy program incorporates a lot of ideas we haven't seen from SOE before, like the "Fight with Legends" recruitment campaign. What spurred you to go to such grand lengths with this winback program?
Torrie: We've wanted to do a grand campaign like this for a while. And with EQ's 10th anniversary coming up and EQ II's RoK tracking to become the game's biggest selling expansion pack, we felt the timing was right. Basically, we're celebrating the continued success of these two games and this amazing franchise.
The "Fight with Legends" campaign was born out of an idea I had to profile our players -- first on our own website, then rolling it out via a print/online advertising campaign. We took photos and asked our players to fill out profile sheets at Fan Faire last year, and the response was overwhelming. My team then took this idea and ran with it, rolling it into the Living Legacy campaign. And so it was born.
Allakhazam: This is a heavy year for MMO competition. AoC, WAR, WoW's new expansion... Is the scope of this winback in response to those pressures?
Torrie: This has nothing to do with other MMOs. Competitive product launches fairly regularly these days, and I don't advocate reactive marketing. The seed of this idea sprouted over a year ago and is based solely on our desire to offer everyone who's ever played EQ and/or EQ2 an opportunity to check back into these games, which have both changed and evolved much over time, to see what's new and connect with old friends.
Allakhazam: What kind of numbers are involved? Specifically, what is the number of inactive accounts that have been flagged for Living Legends and how many people (besides the obvious: EVERYONE!) are you looking to win back?
Torrie: We have a policy of not divulging specific numbers, but I will say that we have reactivated millions and millions of accounts, dating as far back as 1999. We were expecting an above average conversion because the campaign has tremendous benefits for these players, but after just three weeks we are pleased to find our expectations have already been exceeded. We are converting far more than double what we convert with our regular campaigns.
Allakhazam: What about existing players? Many EverQuest II veterans feel slighted that they don't get a title and neat pet, are there any plans to get them some goodies too?
Torrie: There is actually a lot that benefits our current, loyal players. There are numerous live events and new lore leading up to the eventual launch of the expansion packs. EQII will see the introduction of Guild Halls and two new group zones, Veksar and Heroic Runnyeye. EQ will be launching four raid zones where players can participate and view their stats on unique leaderboards, in addition to upgrading classic group content in Lower Guk. The complaints about no little goodies for current players, well, in looking at the forest from the trees here, I believe bringing additional players into these games is the best gift we can give our current players. We're giving them exactly what they've been asking for with Living Legacy: advertising for and promotion of the game to bring old friends back and new players in, which makes the game a better world for our current players. This is like complaining about a shiny someone picked up near you while you're opening an exquisite chest :-P
Allakhazam: The campaign centers on EQ and EQII. Is this just a focus on the two largest IP's or is it part of a birthday year celebration for EQ turning ten?
Torrie: Living Legacy is focused on the EverQuest franchise, which currently includes EQ and EQII. We will continue to roll out related and additional campaigns that lead up to the new expansions and then beyond.
Allakhazam: Are there any plans to extend the program to other SOE titles?
Torrie: This program was geared very specifically to our EverQuest franchise. Our other games get their own personalized campaigns.
Allakhazam: What sort of positive effects are expected from this program and what challenges have you run into with a program of this scale?
Torrie: The most positive affect will be bringing new players into the games, and a ton of past players back to join old and/or new friends. The only challenge with a campaign of this magnitude is the amount of time and effort it takes to plan and launch, given that literally every department at SOE is involved in some way, shape or form. There are a lot of moving parts, and there were a lot of late nights over the last year in getting this beast ready for prime time. But this sort of thing is actually the fun part for my team, this is what they excel at, and I commend them for a stellar launch.
Allakhazam: The "New Adventures" page of the Living Legends site says there will be "An Event of Tremendous Magnitude" in August. Can you give us a hint? Just a teeny one?
Torrie: Well, I don't want to show ya the loot table just yet, hehe. What I will say is that it's another great layer to the Living Legacy campaign that is designed to win back the hearts of our former players while giving our current loyal players a thrill. That's really all I can say right now.
Allakhazam: The program is fantastic, and we're glad to see so many old friends back, but inquiring minds want to know: are there any plans for a more traditional mass media advertising campaign?
Torrie: Why yes there is. Stay tuned =) See you all in game!
Allakhazam: Tell us a little bit about "winbacks" and their history at SOE.
Torrie: We've done winbacks fairly regularly here. A couple of the standouts: Two direct mail campaigns with a personalized letter, and in-game item and a "treasure" map to the updated content that was sent to our most loyal and active former subscribers. Also, targeted mails based on actual in-game stats (class choices, etc.) so the communication was relevant and personalized for that particular player.
Allakhazam: The Living Legacy program incorporates a lot of ideas we haven't seen from SOE before, like the "Fight with Legends" recruitment campaign. What spurred you to go to such grand lengths with this winback program?
Torrie: We've wanted to do a grand campaign like this for a while. And with EQ's 10th anniversary coming up and EQ II's RoK tracking to become the game's biggest selling expansion pack, we felt the timing was right. Basically, we're celebrating the continued success of these two games and this amazing franchise.
The "Fight with Legends" campaign was born out of an idea I had to profile our players -- first on our own website, then rolling it out via a print/online advertising campaign. We took photos and asked our players to fill out profile sheets at Fan Faire last year, and the response was overwhelming. My team then took this idea and ran with it, rolling it into the Living Legacy campaign. And so it was born.
Allakhazam: This is a heavy year for MMO competition. AoC, WAR, WoW's new expansion... Is the scope of this winback in response to those pressures?
Torrie: This has nothing to do with other MMOs. Competitive product launches fairly regularly these days, and I don't advocate reactive marketing. The seed of this idea sprouted over a year ago and is based solely on our desire to offer everyone who's ever played EQ and/or EQ2 an opportunity to check back into these games, which have both changed and evolved much over time, to see what's new and connect with old friends.
Allakhazam: What kind of numbers are involved? Specifically, what is the number of inactive accounts that have been flagged for Living Legends and how many people (besides the obvious: EVERYONE!) are you looking to win back?
Torrie: We have a policy of not divulging specific numbers, but I will say that we have reactivated millions and millions of accounts, dating as far back as 1999. We were expecting an above average conversion because the campaign has tremendous benefits for these players, but after just three weeks we are pleased to find our expectations have already been exceeded. We are converting far more than double what we convert with our regular campaigns.
Allakhazam: What about existing players? Many EverQuest II veterans feel slighted that they don't get a title and neat pet, are there any plans to get them some goodies too?
Torrie: There is actually a lot that benefits our current, loyal players. There are numerous live events and new lore leading up to the eventual launch of the expansion packs. EQII will see the introduction of Guild Halls and two new group zones, Veksar and Heroic Runnyeye. EQ will be launching four raid zones where players can participate and view their stats on unique leaderboards, in addition to upgrading classic group content in Lower Guk. The complaints about no little goodies for current players, well, in looking at the forest from the trees here, I believe bringing additional players into these games is the best gift we can give our current players. We're giving them exactly what they've been asking for with Living Legacy: advertising for and promotion of the game to bring old friends back and new players in, which makes the game a better world for our current players. This is like complaining about a shiny someone picked up near you while you're opening an exquisite chest :-P
Allakhazam: The campaign centers on EQ and EQII. Is this just a focus on the two largest IP's or is it part of a birthday year celebration for EQ turning ten?
Torrie: Living Legacy is focused on the EverQuest franchise, which currently includes EQ and EQII. We will continue to roll out related and additional campaigns that lead up to the new expansions and then beyond.
Allakhazam: Are there any plans to extend the program to other SOE titles?
Torrie: This program was geared very specifically to our EverQuest franchise. Our other games get their own personalized campaigns.
Allakhazam: What sort of positive effects are expected from this program and what challenges have you run into with a program of this scale?
Torrie: The most positive affect will be bringing new players into the games, and a ton of past players back to join old and/or new friends. The only challenge with a campaign of this magnitude is the amount of time and effort it takes to plan and launch, given that literally every department at SOE is involved in some way, shape or form. There are a lot of moving parts, and there were a lot of late nights over the last year in getting this beast ready for prime time. But this sort of thing is actually the fun part for my team, this is what they excel at, and I commend them for a stellar launch.
Allakhazam: The "New Adventures" page of the Living Legends site says there will be "An Event of Tremendous Magnitude" in August. Can you give us a hint? Just a teeny one?
Torrie: Well, I don't want to show ya the loot table just yet, hehe. What I will say is that it's another great layer to the Living Legacy campaign that is designed to win back the hearts of our former players while giving our current loyal players a thrill. That's really all I can say right now.
Allakhazam: The program is fantastic, and we're glad to see so many old friends back, but inquiring minds want to know: are there any plans for a more traditional mass media advertising campaign?
Torrie: Why yes there is. Stay tuned =) See you all in game!