Office-Politics touts site as multimedia success story with wireless to come

The founders of low-profile web initiative Office-Politics.com say the site will launch a wireless component this spring as the project is being touted as a successful example of a multimedia brand that has attracted loyal sponsors and advertisers. Franke and William James outlined the site’s history and future course at a New Media Business Alliance luncheon in Toronto on January 24, where they gave attendees a glimpse into how the site has evolved and what value sponsors are finding in the relationship. Launched by the James’ company Nerdheaven Ltd. in August 2002, Office-Politics pits users against each other online to climb a corporate ladder by creating alliances and voting on ethical dilemmas posted to the web site and on a game-related chat board. The site has attracted 3,000 users to date, competing for prizes donated by sponsors such as Stella Artois, the upstart entrant to Canada’s beer wars. The site topped one million page views at the end of January, but its owners are looking beyond a web-only property to create a multimedia brand that encompasses television, the Internet, wireless, board games and print media. The wireless launch slated for this spring will allow people to vote on WAP-enabled phones on ethical problems, and the company is prototyping a series of print comic strips, 30-second television interstitials, and a board game in cooperation with the creator of the well-known Balderdash. The James’ hope to self-publish the board game by this Christmas. The James’ emphasize that they already consider the site a survivor in the new media bloodbath of the past two years. Run by the pair with only one other person on the technical side, the operation is lean and mean, making just enough from sponsorships and advertising to continue. Within a few months, the James’ hope to bring their staff back up to four or five people. The revenue opportunity, they say, will come from licensing the various iterations of the game, as well as from the continued sponsorship of companies such as Stella Artois and Monster.ca. Though it struggles with modest resources, the James’ say they have been successful with guerilla marketing, relying on word-of-mouth and one successful ad campaign on TheOnion.com web site. Though its user base is small compared to some big-name Internet destinations, sponsors like Stella Artois find that they are able to conduct valuable demographic research, including into the beer drinking habits of the site’s members, the James’ say. Game players who agree to complete Stella Artois surveys, for instance, are rewarded with additional points. Asked whether users mind the advertising component, William James says they understand the value proposition. "They understand that there’s an economic cost…We let them play for free. They know they’re getting value." In fact, say the James’, many players have social outings at which they make a point of drinking the Belgian brew. To date, the duo has incurred about $1 million in development costs, cushioned by approximately $500,000 in assistance from the Telefilm Canada Canada New Media Fund. Another $400,000 would help make the site more robust, William James says. While much of the money has gone into Flash development, the company also cites as start-up costs obligations such as registering trademarks, legal help and consulting fees from a wireless executive formerly with Motorola. Since its August launch, the James’ have reason to be optimistic about the game’s appeal as the user base has expanded from a Canadian one to one that is now half-and-half Canadian and American. The company is eyeing further geographic expansion with translations, but is encountering some challenges. While the pair is convinced that the game’s themes will have universal appeal, the writing will have to be localized.

Office-Politics touts site as multimedia success story with wireless to come

Broadcast | 02/07/2003 5:00 am EST

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