Sponsorship and motorsports

Following a long time personal interest in sponsorship I am now embarking onto a new research project where I study how sponsorship are practiced. Although the field recieved much attention in the turn of the century there are today quite few empirical studies on sponsorship.

One of the field in where sponsorship has had a huge impact is motorsports. Today it would be imporrible to imagine this sports withoutout the branded colours and logotypes invading every space. There are some evidence that sponsorship has an impact on sales, or stock value. But talking to orgnizations and teams it becomes evdent that the picture is more nuansed then that. The practice of sponsorship creates a network or both private and public actors that enable interaction – for pleasure and business.

The aim of this project is to create knowledge of what sponsorship actually consist or. What do actors do when thay do sponsorship? At this point I am looking for ways into STCC, the largest actor in the Swedish motorsport scene. I hope to keep you updated with results of this study down the road.

Marketing as Practice

Following the increased interest in studies based on practices we are  starting a research group at University of Gothenburg in 2013, focusing on Marketing as Practice. Taking a starting point in studies on marketing as constructs and the practice of ‘doing’ markets and marketing (e.g. Callon, 1998; Araujo et al., 2010; Callon et al., 2007; MacKenzie, 2009; MacKenzie et al., 2007; Cochoy, 2008, 2010; Kjellberg & Helgesson, 2006, 2007; Araujo et al., 2008) we aim at contributing to the academic dialogue.

We will do this through continuing discussing ongoing research projects, invite other academics, create a presence at conferences and publish in relevant journals. If you have an interest in this field, please contact us and we will look into possibilities for collaborations.

11th International Colloquium on Nonprofit, Arts, Heritage, and Social Marketing

The 19th of September it’s time for the 11th International Colloquium on Nonprofit, Arts, Heritage, and Social Marketing. It is hosted by the London Metropolitan University and will most likely be a very interesting event. For this I have prepared a presentation on the World Culture Museum in Gothenburg, called: Translation, Transmission and Interaction: Making the Museum of World Culture Relevant to Local Culture. The background of this museum and its mission is very interesting in a world where the impact of museums might be shinking, although we might need the platform the most. We’ll see if the case sticks, so I can turn it into a journal publication later.

The Market Game: developing video games, creating gamers

Next week I am presenting a working paper at the IMP conference in Rome. Great city and hopefyllt also a great conference. Having written on games and the games industry this paper is an exploration into STS and how gaming technologies construct gamers.

Image from the exhibition More Than a Gaze

“In this paper I explore the development of technology in order to play video games. The different technologies that has been developed since games were first introduced has enabled different ways to interact: video game – gamer. The market of games thus have a strong influence from how games are played, what kind of technology that are used for playing. This also have effect who play, and how. In general there has been a shift from games as a way to play with computers, to use games in tinkering with a technology that were new and fascinating. As the technology reached more spaces and access increased, games were separated from technological fascination.

Today we are witnessing a gaming industry that is on par with the Hollywood video game industry. Games are accessed from most digital platforms, and accessed from most places. There has also been a change in who are playing games, from a few to a large part of those that interact with technology.

In addition, one question that is interesting in this paper is how this study could be improved in order to become closer to the performance of a market. What kind of material is needed for this and how could this be communicated.”

The Spiral, Transmedia in Practice

Would you like to be part of a research project on interactive media?

On behalf of a research project conducted at University of Gothenburg we invite you to join us in the quest of knowledge about media and interactivity. As the TV-series The Spiral is aired in the fall of 2012 we are looking for persons who are actively participating and willing to document their activities in a diary.

As you already have realized media phenomenon like The Spiral present new possibilities for interaction between those that produce and those that consume media. While doing this the relationship between producer and consumer of media change, the previous passive consumer can possibly be transformed to an active consumer. Although how this is understood, by producer and consumer of media, is still in the making.

The aim of the research project is to generate knowledge about interactive media in order to increase the quality of media and user participation. In order to succeed in this we are dependent of information for those that participate.

If you find this interesting and would like to participate, or have a question about the research project, please contact: peter.zackariasson@handels.gu.se

/Peter Zackariasson and Mats Björkin
University of Gothenburg

Narrating Organizational Development: Translating video game development to organizational undertakings

Next week I will be presenting a paper on narration and organisational development at the SCOS conference. Usually this is a great conference, and this time it’s in Barcelona. So I have high expectations.

Abstract

Since the creation of the first video game in the early 1960s (Kent, 2001) an industry fostering the creating, producing and distributing of these products have been established. Although this has become an international industry the path takes to reach its present state are different, depending on the geographical location (Zackariasson and Wilson, 2012). Today, video games have a strong presence in media consumption and the industry is estimated to be worth around $56 billion in 2010, and further predicted to be worth $82 billion by 2015 by PriceWaterhouseCoopers^[1].

Although being international industry, those organizations developing video games are almost exclusively local game studios. These studio’s develop games mostly funded by major game publisher – therefore lingering under a relationship to publishers that is not all beneficiary for the development studio. The situation of game developers are similar to other publishing industries (Caves, 2000; Hesmondhalgh, 2007): TV, Music, Film etc. Despite difficulties of funding game studio’s there is a steady stream of new start-up companies trying to establish themselves in this industry and create a movement of the organization from an idea of a game toward an established company with a portfolio of games and industry credit.

The aim of this paper is to describe the narration of the movement from a loose set of persons sharing an idea of a video game – toward the formation of an organization that can sustain this idea and support further game ideas. Most game studio’s are first formed around a game idea, only later to create a formal company and an organization with specified roles and responsibilities.

The material for this study is based on ethnographic interviews (Spradley, 1979) with Swedish game developers. None of the developers that are part of the study are yet established in the industry. All of them have developed games, but not yet in a position where the organization are moving beyond the need for local financial support from the incubator they all operate under.

This research project will apply an action nets approach in creating an understanding on how these persons construct narratives(Czarniawska, 1997; 2004a; 2004b). Action nets, just as actor-network theory (Latour 2005), originates from sociology of translation. But, instead of following the actors, or actants, in the construction actor networks, an action net approach implies following actions made by actors.

[1] http://www.economist.com/node/21541164

New Perspectives on Management Education

Last year I participated in a faculty training program at IESE in Barcelona. As a result of the cooperation between us participants we have since then published a book on management education. This book is very interesting as it presents a wide cultural understanding of management education in Europe and Africa – something that has until now been somewhat neglected.

Wolfgang Amann, Monica Kerretts-Makau, Pio Fenton, Peter Zackariasson and Shiv Tripathi eds. (2012). New Perspectives in Management Education. New Dehli: Excel Publishing.

Are business universities and schools silent partners in crime? Have they been hijacked by the elites? Are they turning into mere recruitment platforms? Can and should they be character gyms? How can they evolve to their next level? This book presents and discusses new perspectives on management education offered by the business universities and schools. The authors critically review the value creation processes and suggest innovative ways forward. “Business schools need to walk the talk. This book offers fresh insights on how schools can evolve further.” – Peter Lorange Former President of IMD; President of the Lorange Institute of Business Zurich

“Like companies, business schools have to constantly improve over time. This book discusses new perspectives on how this can materialize.” – Lars Schweizer Dean of Goethe Business School, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University

This book explores a range of themes in Business Education with a focus on issues that have arisen in the recent economic turmoil. Beyond this, it confronts management educators and education managers alike with a new insight into the challenges of business education and the role of the Business School. It is a must-read for those with an eye to the enhancement of the learning experience for students in this uncertain climate as well as those who seek to question the role of Business Schools in contributing to the atmosphere that has engendered this uncertainty.” – Thomas O’ Toole Dean of the School of Business at Waterford Institute of Technology

“Reading through this illuminating anthology, it becomes clear that Business Schools are the hearth upon which institutional management training will be perfected and the place where great leaders will be nurtured – and all that for the sake of the common good.” – George Njenga Founder, Strathmore Business School

The Video Game Industry: Formation, Present State, and Future

Timothy L. Wilson’s and my edited book on the video game industry is finally send to press and will be out later this month. Tim and I are extremely proud of the book and the contributions made by our co-authors. Thank you for your time and efforts! Now, go buy a copy!

Contributors: Aphra Kerr, Casey O’Donnell, Claudio Feijoó, Flavio Escribano, Giuditta De Prato, Jean-Paul Simon, Mikolaj Dymek, Mirko Ernkvist, Richard Maxwell, Toby Miller, Sven Lindmark, and Ulf Sandqvist.

The Video Game Industry provides a platform for the research on the video game industry to draw a coherent and informative picture of this industry. Previously this has been done sparsely through conference papers, research articles, and popular science books. Although the study of this industry is still stigmatized as frivolous and ‘only’ game oriented, those who grew up with video games are changing things, especially research agendas, the acceptance of studies, and their interpretation.

This book describes and defines video games as their own special medium. They are not pinball from which they grew, nor movies which they sometimes resemble. They are a unique form of entertainment based on meaningful interactions between individuals and machine across a growing sector of the population. The Video Game Industry provides a reference foundation for individuals seriously interested in the industry at the academic level. As a result, this book will serve as a reference in curricula associated with video game development for years to come.

Marshall McLuhan, Video Games and the Secret Life of Walter Mitty

My co-author has recently presented our paper on video games at the conference Northeastern Association of Business, Economics and Technology (18-19 Oct). The paper is an exploration on games as services and build on our 2004 paper at the Other Player conference.

“This paper offers a conceptualization on the nature of games as a customer offering through classical media considerations. That is, in his seminal treatise on the media, Marshall McLuhan asserted that “The medium is the message.” We have at hand new technology and a new medium – video games. To get some feeling of how gamers extend themselves, we turn to two classics, James Thurber’s Secret Life of Walter Mitty and Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash for some insight. There is an indication that life may indeed be imitating art. In other words, video games provide a significant advancement from a pre-existing situation in a manner analogous to the way Gutenberg’s printing press changed lives through books. Literature has long presented possibilities in which one can be immersed. Through video games, and virtual worlds, this potential has been taken to new heights. According to McLuhan’s treatise they may be providing even greater advances in the way we adapt in the future.”

As usual it’s avalible on academia.edu

Swedish Game Conference

Next week, Oct. 5-6, the Game Incubator in Skövde are hosting Swedish Game Conference. The event has loads of activities and speakers that could make this a very interesting two days. For example listening to Nolan Bushnell will be very interesting! I will also step up to the challenge and add bits and pices of smart things to say to this crowd.