Thread by @justice_arman

I've been thinking about marketing and branding in the #TTRPG industry lately. I wanted to share some words of wisdom that I heard during my MBA that some writers, editors, and artists may find useful when creating projects for #dnd.

This is one example of a brand pyramid.
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The idea behind the pyramid is that the "best" marketing is one that resonates on a deeper level with a customer by creating shared values. A brand that shares values with a customer resonates with them, usually leading to some degree of loyalty when it comes to future purchases.

For the purpose of this example, we're going to compare TTRPG products with soap.

The pyramid starts with Features: What is it? How is it different?

Early marketing from Dove would advertise that it contained cream. A creamy soap was unheard of at the time. It was different.

This would be akin to marketing your TTRPG products as features. A lot of this happens at the product-page level. Things like:
- "Ten new spells!"
- "A four-hour adventure about goats!"

And so on. It distinguishes your product from other, showing the customer why it's different.

Next is Functional Benefits: What do I get out of it? How does this help me?

Going back to soap, Dove began to market their soft, creamy soaps as moisturizing. No longer would you have dry, cracked skin. No, it would be silky smooth and soft.

For a TTRPG product, consider how your project benefits the customer.

When I wrote Devil's Advocate, I wanted to fill a niche that I noticed in TTRPGs. There's so many devils and warlocks, but the process of creating contracts was always so vague and amorphous.

If I was marketing my project through benefits, I would structure my advertising around how it helped the consumer, such as:
- No stress when your warlock wants to strike a deal
- Save time when writing personal contracts with a simple, 5-step process

It's all about perspective.

The highest form of marketing is one that creates shared values between your brand and your customers. To do this, you have to really drill down into the purpose of your product. Who are you marketing to, and what do they care about? Is there overlap?

Let's get back on the Soap box. If a company is marketing a new, no-sting liquid soap, they may want to position around washing a newborn. The pyramid could be:

Features: New anti-sting formula
Benefits: No pain when washing your face
Shared Values: Keep bath time a happy time

One easily-recognizable #DMsGuild example of shared values is Ashley Warren's Uncaged Anthology.

Ashley and her team could have marketed Uncaged as 25 adventures, or even an anthology that let DMs spotlight new takes on monsters, but that's not what the product was about.

Instead, Uncaged is about challenging expectations surrounding problematic portrayals of female monsters throughout mythology and folklore. It's about subverting tropes.

TTRPGs are supposed to be inclusive. This project instantly resonated with others in its pursuit.

So, how can you create shared values with your projects/marketing/brand?

Well, it's complicated. Not every TTRPG project has such a degree of meaning to it, and to pretend that a project does when it isn't there would be disingenuous. Sometimes, it's just a bunch of magic items!

Some general tips:
- Don't create something you're not passionate about
- Consider the purpose of a project before you ever begin working
- Even if your projects don't create shared values, remember that you and the way you conduct yourself still represent your "brand."
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