Chapter 8-- Segmenting and Targeting Markets

Tencent has different products category for different customers’ needs. First, Tencent has divides their products into the following ways: communication, community exchange, casual games, action games, online games, mobile and life style. Second, based on customer’s needs, communication also can be divided into QQ, QQ mail, QQ software, QQ micro-blog, QQ show, QQ membership etc. QQ zone, Friend, photo albums, QQ music, QQ live, Podcasts are all included in the range of community exchange.

Tenccent marketing segmentation mostly reflects on its games. Tencent Games is one of the biggest open platforms, as well as the largest online game community in China. It is divided into six market segments: action, shooting, MMO, sports, casual, online games, in order to meet millions of Tencent users’ demands. The new games Tencent recently released have different characteristics. In the action games, Tencent released dark style “Sura” and comicize style “Swiftwind Blade”; Tencent also develops the first third-person shooter online game "Gun Gods" and Science-Fiction style game “Metro Conflict”. “The segmenting of games market is conducive to business growth.” As one of the Tencent Game development department employees said.

After the long time marketing research of Tencent, they found that action online games market is far from saturated. Different styles, different type of play action game has great appeal to players. Therefore, not only Tencent continue has their internal independent research and development, they also focus on the open platform to attract different companies to released games in Tencent open platform.

The Games mentioned above like “Sura” and Gun Gods” are more suitable for the professional players. It needs time to finish one level and continue to the next. At the same time, this games needs to buy “weapons” in order to defeat the enemy. It is also a way Tencent earn the profit from, “weapons” need money to buy. As a non-professional game player, I won’t spend thousands of RMB to buy “weapons” that I can’t even touch. In addition, some action games are too more violent for girls to play. Therefore, I usually play casual games. Table Tennis, Tennis Games or QQ speed are the games I used to play. What I want is to relax and having fun during playing games, but playing the acting games make me feel pressure.

By Unknown