Confessions of a World Builder Part 1 - Vol. 1 Ed. 40
Apr 20, 2021 11:41 pm
World Builders' Guild Newsletter
Worlds are advertisements for exciting new realities.
David Ogilvy wrote a chapter called "How to Build Great Campaigns" in his hit book Confessions of an Advertising Man. If you follow his series of points you should be able to capture the hearts of millions of potential customers.
Let's replace "customers" with "visitors" and see what Ogilvy teaches us about building worlds:
(1) What you say is more important than how you say it.
Nobody cares that Minecraft or Valheim, two criminally addictive world-crafting games on the market, look like they came out 20 years ago. Your visitors won't remember your perfect imagery or tight lexicon. They crave the space to live in the story. Use their imagination and enthusiasm to your advantage.
(Feast your eyes upon the garish artwork of the classic Cyberpunk 2020 roleplaying game.)
(2) Unless your [world] is built around a great idea, it will flop.
Ogilvy's words seem obvious, but his client's quote perfectly illustrates the intended effect:
"Mr. Ogily, you have here the mucus of a good idea."
Not everything you cobble together is going to win an award. You should build every world as though it were the most important world in existence.
This world just floated away into oblivion. (Jakob Owens on Unsplash)
(3) Give the facts.
A well-designed world sells itself without any misdirection or flowery language. What about the world should grab a person? Is this world for everyone? If you're writing a Medieval-inspired retro futuristic space opera, say it.
(4) You cannot bore people into [visiting].
You're in a game that's played by thousands or possibly hundreds of thousands of creators every day. People come in contact with dozens of worlds every day whether they choose to or note.
Let that encourage you to be unique. Find a new intersection of worlds and create an audience that lives for your universe.
Kevin Kelly, founder of Wired magazine, put it well: "Don't just be the best. Be the only."
(5) Be well-mannered, but don't clown.
Ogilvy clarifies this with a few words on how customers approach a product with a sense of seriousness, but prefer to buy from good natured salespeople.
No matter what kind of world you're creating, your visitors and fans are spending their time and money on your work. A comedy club is a literal world of laughter, but the business of a successful venue is hardly a joke.
Come back next week for the rest of Ogilvy's rules.
To future worlds,
Matt Ventre
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