The entire Grand Theft Auto franchise is renowned for its intriguing game play, astounding graphics, and the peculiar amount of real-life violence. It is considered an integral part of innovative gaming history and culture. Since the franchise was created in 1997, it has become increasingly difficult not to realize the enormous amount of negative publicity surrounding the game prior to its launch. GTA is a 3rd-person RPG video game that is very much life-like. Throughout the game, players experience extreme violence including killing of police officers, gang-related crimes, robbery, and it seems as though you can virtually get away with anything. This type of intense gameplay is the main influence of scrutiny and criticism. As the franchise has grown now to a 5th version (GTA V), the game has became one of the most technologically innovative and creative edition ever made. As new games are introduced, more scrutiny and controversy arises.

But where does all this negative attention come from and who is the person poking the angry bear? According to many media outlets, PR master Max Clifford, who was hired on by the makers of GTA, is the one responsible for the extraordinary amount of talk. With free publicity and promotion the target, this negative attention is exactly what Clifford was aiming for. Mike Daily, creator of GTA and the one who hired Clifford said; “Max made it all happen. He designed all the outcry, which pretty much guaranteed MPs would get involved.” In other words, Clifford basically hand picked what he was going to release to the press to spark dialogue and has led GTA to the credit for writing the “golden rule” of games PR: always include a scene that pushes the boundaries of taste and decency.

 

With GTA V, Clifford decided to keep most of the game’s content unavailable from the public while periodically releasing game play trailers to various media outlets leading up to its official public release date. The trailer attempts to capture audiences by following the trend of showing the viewer its extreme graphic game play and certain intriguing new features. It seemed as though Clifford had the thought that there is no such thing as “bad publicity” especially considering this tactic caused an uproar of criticism. The controversy wheel began to spin as media outlets displayed the trailers, posters, and radio ads to the public to generate debate and awareness of how gruesome the game was. After being exposed to the footage and negative publicity, video game enthusiasts’ were able to observe the game’s stellar graphics and intriguing characteristics; and later purchasing the game.

This video is one that was released to various media outlets prior to GTA V’s release. As you can see, the content Max Clifford opted to include demonstrates their on what will generate buzz; violence, advanced features, and astounding graphical creativity.

In this example, Max Clifford used the social exchange theory to generate buzz surrounding the launch of GTA V. It was up to Clifford to make a proper prediction of the risks and rewards of publicizing such controversial content while analyzing the costs and benefits of doing so. The cost of generating hype was rather inexpensive and the reward was substantial. Therefore, it is evident that Clifford thought the benefit of free publicity, far outweighed the cost of negative attention. This example is related to PR because it got the media talking about the game and used that as a kind of channel of distribution to raise awareness. Clifford did the PR job of manipulating the press to gain GTA notoriety and publicity; resulting in one of the most talked about video game releases ever.

What Max Clifford did for GTA revolutionized the entire PR industry surround video games. Clifford was virtually able to work worldwide tabloid media like a puppet and create an enormous amount of awareness for GTA. It was a very successful PR tactic used in order to keep the high profile GTA has become accustomed too. In conclusion, this PR strategy could have been very detrimental to the franchise. Fortunately, it contributed to the most successful selling video game ever made netting over $1 Billion in just 3 days.

 

By: Josh Sutton

Rockstar Games, the developer of the Grand Theft Auto video game series, took great measures to promote the release of the newest member to the series—Grand Theft Auto Five.  Rockstar Games utilized social media, namely Twitter to promote the new game.  Rockstar Games has a highly popular Twitter account with over two million followers.  On October 25^th 2011, the company made their first announcement about the launch of Grand Theft Auto Five on their Twitter page.  There are many benefits to the company using Twitter in that they reach their fan base as well as have their fans spread word about the game by popularizing the hashtag, “GTAV,” an acronym for “Grand Theft Auto Five.”  Not only is Twitter an extremely effective way to spread word about the game, it is also free.

Twitter is an extremely smart way for Rockstar Games to reach consumers because all of the people following their Twitter account are video game fans as well as active consumers of Rockstar Games products.  An amazing, two million people follow Rockstar Games on Twitter alone; however there are also many separate accounts such as, “Grand Theft Auto V,” “GTAV News,” and “GTAV Informer,” that are specifically set up for Grand Theft Auto fanatics.

The fact that Rockstar Games already has so many Twitter followers allowed them to disseminate information about the Grand Theft Auto Five release and popularize “#GTAV.”  At the end of every tweet about Grand Theft Auto Five is a “#GTAV,” therefore anyone who searches the hashtag will be linked to any tweet about the video game.  The hashtag allows Rockstar Games to reach an extremely wide audience because any fans who choose to use “#GTAV” will also reach their entire Twitter following.  With the help of the hashtag, Rockstar Games is able to reach both active and passive audiences.  For example, if I follow Rockstar Games or one of the linked Grand Theft Auto Five accounts on Twitter and I see “#GTAV” and decide to use it on one of my Tweets, I have essentially just promoted Grand Theft Auto Five to all of my Twitter followers.

The use of the catchy hashtag is ingenious because hashtags are set with hyperlinks and therefore if they are clicked on then all the news and conversations used with that hashtag will appear.  Once a hashtag is popularized, the fans essentially do the social media publicity without much effort from the company.  One way Rockstar Games was able to popularize “#GTAV” so quickly was through “Twitter giveaways.”  Rockstar Games would tweet and tell fans about free gear they can receive by participating in twitter competitions.  Fans simply had to retweet the post by Rockstar Games in order to be eligible to win the prize.  This is excellent PR because thousands of people retweeted these posts and therefore spread the message to their Twitter friends as well.

The theory that fits Rockstar Games use of “#GTAV” to promote Grand Theft Auto Five is the Uses & Gratifications Theory.  This theory states that people actively consume the media and they choose what forms of media to include in their lives.  This means that companies trying to promote a message or a product must also be selective with the media they use to reach target audiences.  For example, Rockstar Games knows that their Twitter followers are their target audience because those people actively chose to seek them out on Twitter in order to get information about their products.  Therefore, working to promote Grand Theft Auto Five on their Twitter account by popularizing “#GTAV,” is a highly effective means of reaching their target audience.

 

By: Rachel Minikes

The GTA preload was expected to be released on September 13, yet according to VideoGamer, the preload date was pushed forward to September 15^5th and 16^th only two days before the official release on the 17^th. Many GTA fans were upset with the overdue delay and lashed out at GTA on RockStar websites displaying their dissatisfactions. GTA responded by making the preload available at 3pm on the Sunday before the official release only to those whom purchased the preload through the European PSN while the North American PlayStation users waited until the 16^th. The preload was so highly anticipated that hackers have posted the preload on Ustream, Youtube and Soundcloud where efforts towards damage control were taken, “…Rockstar Games’ PR team is currently trying to get rid of the Playstation Network preload archive content…”

The theory that best describes the purpose behind GTA releasing the preload (even if it was overdue) is the situational theory.

            The situational theory illustrates GTA’s reasoning for offering the preload to segmented target audiences because by releasing the preload to specific publics instead of broad publics, GTA made available the opportunity to make further decisions about the product based on the interested publics’ feedback. With the preload, GTA targeted niche audiences to get them aware of the official release. Even with GTA’s efforts of consumer research, they failed to uphold their statement of initially releasing the preload on September 13^th to everyone in which GTA then released the preload to European PSN users on the 15^th and to North American PSN users on the 16^th.

GTA acknowledged the publics’ opinions by releasing the preload first and not the whole version first. By doing so, GTA identified their active and passive publics and then promoted the game accordingly. In regards to the delayed released date, GTA used an accommodative strategy due to GTA only fixing the gamers’ complaints but not fully solving the problem because the preload was made only available to certain publics at different times. It may seem that the delayed preload was a crisis for GTA, but instead it fostered a hunger in the GTA fandom knowing that other GTA gamers had their hands on it first. This only furthered the demand because while some people were playing it and posting about the game in Europe, others without the game in North America saw their peer gamers’ experience, making them want it more.

This video explains why and how GTAV preload was delayed

GTA used Grunig’s two-way symmetric model by promoting the best mutual understanding between GTA and its publics. GTA granted the preload only to the European PlayStation Network purchasers first and others in North American later. This illustrates GTA’s implementation of a two-way symmetric model because GTA resolved their customer’s complaints by still providing a preload but only to a specified group and only days before the fifth installment.

 

By: Chelsea Lazzari

Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto V (GTAV) has debuted a collection of high-resolution promotional art that can be downloaded for fans’ personal use, making them more accessible and therefore more widely distributed.   Rockstar has always featured some iconic art in promoting its products. Now, Rockstar is coming out with five new high-resolution images that depict the three main characters in the game in different settings.  GTAV lovers can download these images from the Rockstar website, and use them in their own way, for example, as their desktop background or Facebook cover photo, and still enjoy the same high-resolution quality of the original print images.  This will encourage widespread use of the images and greatly increase people’s exposure to the features of the new GTAV game.

 

In making these high-resolution promotional art images more readily available, Rockstar is using the “Elaboration Likelihood Model” of the public relations and mass communication theory.  Instead of promoting the GTAV game directly, via the “central route,” Rockstar is using the GTAV images to promote to people through the “peripheral route.”   People will be repeatedly exposed to the images of the new GTAV game without even realizing it.  Because the images are made in high-resolution, people will like them and want to show them off on their own social media sites.  In this way, the images will be easily shared and viewed.  This will help to make sure that the images are seen by many potential GTAV customers over and over again.  With such repetitive exposure, people will process the images via the “peripheral route.”  People will visit a website or visit a friend’s Facebook page and see the GTAV image as their cover photo. They will most likely not realize that the images are actually a form of advertising, but will nevertheless be exposed to them and will subliminally notice them, eventually developing a positive attitude toward them and toward the GTAV game.

Making these high-resolution photos widely available is a very good public relations tool because it helps to communicate and promote GTAV in a positive but unobtrusive way.  The promotional images show what exactly you’d be getting yourself into by playing the game, and most importantly, the degree of clarity that will be expected during game play. The high-resolution feature of the images will help to draw people who see them into the game.  After GTAV potential customers are exposed to the images over and over again, they will feel familiar and comfortable with them.  They will feel a part of the GTAV game without knowing exactly why.  This will help to put GTAV in the “mainstream” and encourage widespread purchases of the game.

This method of public relations contrasts with other direct routes that we generally see on TV, billboards, and in magazines via the “central route.”  However, it is very effective in promoting a product and a brand name to a specific audience.  Although they may be just high-resolution images, they provide an opportunity to reach and engage many potential GTAV customers, and will play a vital role in ultimately increasing the sales of the GTAV game for Rockstar.

 

By: Jennifer Babcock

Ever since I was little, my favorite part of Easter was finding as many Easter eggs as I could during my family’s annual Easter egg hunt. The best treat was when you’d find an egg that had your favorite candy inside, a nice note, or my personal favorite, money. Although as an adult we do not get to experience the joy that we once used to as children finding these hidden surprises, screen writers, authors, and now even video game creators hide these so-called “Easter Eggs” throughout their work. While developers like for us to believe”Easter Eggs” are inserted  for the thrill of the audience discovering them, public relations practitioners know that the logic behind the hidden treasures are to get people talking; and Rockstar Game’s Grand Theft Auto is no stranger to using relevant pop culture references to influence individuals to play the game.

Since its release in September, bloggers and gamers are constantly uncovering more “Easter Eggs,” than ever before in the history of GTA. At over 20 influential discoveries and counting recorded to date, Rockstar has exhibited the Elaboration Liklihood Model Theory of public relations by using their best tool yet:  Walter White as a character in the game.

If you have been living under a rock for the past four years, here is a quick recap: Walter White is the main character of the hit American crime drama television series on AMC called “Breaking Bad.” The somewhat twisted protagonist, Walter is diagnosed with lung cancer around the exact same time he and his wife acquire an unplanned pregnancy. With the high price and physical toll of chemotherapy, along with the stress of a baby on the way, Walter realizes he needs to make money fast, no matter what the cost. By getting into the meth cooking game to make quick cash, Walt finds his normal life transforming to danger all around him. Murder, sex, drugs, lies and expensive cars all come along with the fast life Walt begins to live; any of those explicit components sound familiar from GTAV?

How is Rockstars’ use of Walt a strategic public relations act through the Elaboration Likelihood Model, you ask? Although there has been backlash about the vulgarity of the GTA series since it first hit the market in 1997, Rockstar has become more strategic in their approach to gaining a larger following. The GTA series’ success uses the central route of  having a bad reputation that instigates a sort of pleasure in users for having the ability to be “bad,” even if it is only in a video game. The three main characters are known to have little to no aspirations and spend their time stealing cars, killing innocent people, running from the cops and aiming to pick up the hottest prostitutes. Aligning perfectly with the Elaboration Liklihood Model, this is the type of video game that you may not want to think about due to the gruesome logistics, but the planted “Easter Eggs” (especially Walter White) as a strategy to gain attention is going to make it worth your while.

Rockstar models this public relations theory by using a highly credible and trusted character that the world has grown to love. A familiar face that has been let off the hook for similarly unlawful wrongdoings as the characters from the game get themselves into. Due to Walt’s portrayal as an innocent man who is just a victim of unfortunate circumstances, individuals can relate to his illicit actions because they understand him. By using Walt in an action-thriller video game that exhibits similar behaviors found in the hit “Breaking Bad” series, this public relations strategy is one that individuals are highly receptive to. By having the ability to purchase clothing and customize one of GTA’s main characters, Michael De Santa, into the meth cooking Heisenberg himself, you somehow feel less guilty for the sins that come along with the game. Video game analyst, Adam Rosenberg explains that “Walter White is a monster because of what he’s done to his family, but he’s relatable because he’s done it all for his family.”  This paradox is something that makes people want to root for him, stimulating interest in playing the game as his character. Even if he is only really a peripheral portion of the full central GTA story, this “Easter Egg” has created more buzz than any other GTA hidden treasure before.

It was no coincidence that Rockstar used one of America’s favorite villains as an influential supporting character in GTAV. With a record breaking 10.3 million viewers tuning in for  the “Breaking Bad” series finale, airing September 29th, just a mere 12 days after the launch of the fifth installment of GTA, public relations professionals alike realize that this “Easter Egg” is more of a promotional strategy to gain recognition and anticipation capturing both a new audience (“Breaking Bad” fans), and even bringing back the original GTA fan base. From blue meth cocktails, to Walter White themed costumes, “Breaking Bad” has become more than just a TV show; it is a culture that Rockstar brilliantly tapped into.

 

With six strong seasons of  “Breaking Bad” now devastatingly over, the geniuses behind GTAV found a way to allow Walt’s character to live on in their virtual world forever. This tribute for the millions of diehard “Breaking Bad” fans has the power of getting even the least interested of gamers wanting to check out the game due to these “Easter Eggs.” Walt’s presence has proven to be an extremely successful public relations strategy for Rockstar Games.

 

By: Kelcie Goetsch