Media Theory Revision Guide
My Revision
Essential Film!
Assassin's Creed
Global distribution
Curran and Seaton
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Curran and Seaton argue that contemporary media production mostly takes place within conglomerates that have a global reach. As a predominantly European/ Canadian organisation, Ubisoft are, potentially, unable to take full advantage of the global gaming market and to achieve what Curran and Seaton call a 'global profit bounty'.
However, Ubisoft’s partnership with Sony provides Assassin's Creed with an informal arrangement with a major media conglomerate that has a global reach. In being bundled with the new PS Vita, Assassin's Creed effectively piggybacked on the worldwide advertising campaign that Sony used to promote the PS Vita.
Ubisoft also constructed a number of territory specific advertising campaigns to promote Assassin's Creed with unique advertising trailers constructed for Australia, Japan and England that used territory specific audience relatability and regional mise en scène to create appeal across the globe.
Ubisoft’s global presence was also enabled through their extensive social media, YouTube and Assassin's Creed specific online presence. The innovative use of digital technology in this regard allows a comparatively smaller company to effect cost effective global marketing through the use of social media.
Global distribution, too, has been facilitated through the release of games as downloadable content.
Multinational company
A media company that operates in multiple countries. Curran & Seaton argue that this maximises profits because producers can collect revenues for the same products across multiple countries.
Media terminology used
Audience relatability
Describes the level of empathy or connection that an audience feels for a character or narrative situation. Media producers use relatability to connect products with the values of their target audience.
Global profit bounty
A term used by Curran and Seaton to describe the exponential profits increases that can be realised if products are distributed globally. By producing one product, global distribution can collect revenue in multiple countries simultaneously.