ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Business problem:
Communication
Serious games used:
Cisco myPlanNet
In 2009, Cisco’s marketing division ran a contest, asking for the most innovative ways of creating a big splash around the company’s 25th anniversary. The winner of this contest was CiscomyPlanNet, a Sim City-like simulation of a municipality installing and upgrading its network infrastructure.
Starting with copper wires and dial-up modems, the simulation takes the player through decades of networking technology innovation. Players struggle to keep up with demand, invest in new technology, and ensure that every part of the city gets the same benefits from networking technology.
From a marketing perspective, CiscomyPlanNet was a huge success. Thousands of players from around the world downloaded the game to test their network planning skills. Cisco reached an audience that might otherwise have ignored traditional marketing vehicles, such as PR announcements and white papers. In fact, several times more users downloaded the CiscomyPlanNet game than the most-downloaded white paper that Cisco has published.
For more information…
The Cisco myPlanNet download page
Presentation by Petra Neiger, one of myPlanNet’s creators
Interview with Petra Neiger and Stephen Liu about myPlanNet
