Meg
So bin ich eben
I had to write this for my Intro to Public Relations online class. I thought you guys might like to read it.
I think I’ll go with the video game/ Capcom theme for this one too. Okay, Arthur Page’s 5 (or 7) Principles are:
1. Tell the truth.
2. Prove it with action.
3. Listen to the customer.
4. Manage for tomorrow.
5. Conduct PR as if entire company depends on it.
6. Realize a company’s true character is expressed by its people.
7. Remain calm, patient, and good humored.
Here’s how they apply to Capcom:
Two years ago, Capcom announced a reboot to its Devil May Cry (DMC) video game series. There has been a lot of coverage and discussion about the game. When it first came out, most fans of the series were extremely upset and mad at Capcom and studio Ninja Theory (NT) for taking the game in a drastically different direction from the original series. The game is also due to come out early next year.
1. Tell the truth- Capcom and Ninja Theory representatives kept changing how the new game fit in with the old series. First they said it was a prequel, then a reboot, then a reimaging. They finally settled on it being a parallel universe. A lot of fans are still confused to this day by what this new DMC is in relation to the old ones. Capcom also first said they weren’t expecting the backlash the game’s announcement got: only to state a month later that they were expecting and counting on the fans to cause an uproar. Then, the director of the game said he doesn’t care what fans think about the new game and character.
2. Prove it with action- NT spent a lot of time saying that the old DMC games weren’t cool and neither was its protagonist’s personality or style. The next time the new game was shown, the main character acted a lot differently. His personality was now closer to the original game’s protagonist. His appearance was also changed. So the develop not only failed to back up its words, but contradicted them.
3. Listen to the customer- There has been countless complaints of members of Capcom’s fan forums being banned for saying anything negative about the new DMC. One YouTube blogger, who has made it clear he doesn’t like the new DMC, nor its creators, tried to sign up under the same name as his YouTube channel, and was banned a few minutes later. Before he even had a chance to post anything.
4. Manage for tomorrow- Capcom and NT failed here too. Representatives from both companies have been caught on film laughing and making jokes about the fans not happy about the new DMC. And they did it during official interviews no less. Development team members have also stated that there will be jokes making fun of the original series within their new game.
5. Conduct PR as if entire company depends on it- All Capcom and NT’s PR managed to do is alienate a large number of potential customers. Which will only damage game sales for this new Devil May Cry game, and maybe even future, unrelated projects.
6. Realize a company’s true character is expressed by its people- The only Ninja Theory employee that really gets any interview time is the game’s director. He has been incredibly rude and abrasive in a number of interviews. This is unfortunate because he is hardly the only one working at the developer, but he is giving the entire company a bad image.
7. Remain calm, patient, and good humored- As shown above, Capcom and Ninja Theory, as a whole, have been anything but calm, patient, and good-humored. While many of the fans both outraged and excited for the game reacted immaturely, both companies reacted immaturely in response.
This whole thing is a perfect example of major PR fail.
I think I’ll go with the video game/ Capcom theme for this one too. Okay, Arthur Page’s 5 (or 7) Principles are:
1. Tell the truth.
2. Prove it with action.
3. Listen to the customer.
4. Manage for tomorrow.
5. Conduct PR as if entire company depends on it.
6. Realize a company’s true character is expressed by its people.
7. Remain calm, patient, and good humored.
Here’s how they apply to Capcom:
Two years ago, Capcom announced a reboot to its Devil May Cry (DMC) video game series. There has been a lot of coverage and discussion about the game. When it first came out, most fans of the series were extremely upset and mad at Capcom and studio Ninja Theory (NT) for taking the game in a drastically different direction from the original series. The game is also due to come out early next year.
1. Tell the truth- Capcom and Ninja Theory representatives kept changing how the new game fit in with the old series. First they said it was a prequel, then a reboot, then a reimaging. They finally settled on it being a parallel universe. A lot of fans are still confused to this day by what this new DMC is in relation to the old ones. Capcom also first said they weren’t expecting the backlash the game’s announcement got: only to state a month later that they were expecting and counting on the fans to cause an uproar. Then, the director of the game said he doesn’t care what fans think about the new game and character.
2. Prove it with action- NT spent a lot of time saying that the old DMC games weren’t cool and neither was its protagonist’s personality or style. The next time the new game was shown, the main character acted a lot differently. His personality was now closer to the original game’s protagonist. His appearance was also changed. So the develop not only failed to back up its words, but contradicted them.
3. Listen to the customer- There has been countless complaints of members of Capcom’s fan forums being banned for saying anything negative about the new DMC. One YouTube blogger, who has made it clear he doesn’t like the new DMC, nor its creators, tried to sign up under the same name as his YouTube channel, and was banned a few minutes later. Before he even had a chance to post anything.
4. Manage for tomorrow- Capcom and NT failed here too. Representatives from both companies have been caught on film laughing and making jokes about the fans not happy about the new DMC. And they did it during official interviews no less. Development team members have also stated that there will be jokes making fun of the original series within their new game.
5. Conduct PR as if entire company depends on it- All Capcom and NT’s PR managed to do is alienate a large number of potential customers. Which will only damage game sales for this new Devil May Cry game, and maybe even future, unrelated projects.
6. Realize a company’s true character is expressed by its people- The only Ninja Theory employee that really gets any interview time is the game’s director. He has been incredibly rude and abrasive in a number of interviews. This is unfortunate because he is hardly the only one working at the developer, but he is giving the entire company a bad image.
7. Remain calm, patient, and good humored- As shown above, Capcom and Ninja Theory, as a whole, have been anything but calm, patient, and good-humored. While many of the fans both outraged and excited for the game reacted immaturely, both companies reacted immaturely in response.
This whole thing is a perfect example of major PR fail.
