Expectation marketing and technological, financial and image risk. The case of the release of Cyberpunk 2077 videogame.

Abstract

[Abstract] The relationship between consumer expectations and satisfaction has brought with it, with the help of new communication technologies, the application of what is known as “expectation marketing”, whose objective is to generate the desire to acquire the product, service and/or brand. The generation of an adequate level of expectations and their fulfilment will determine the level of satisfaction that the client reaches. In case of non-compliance, the consequences in terms of loss of customers, sales and reputation may not be recoverable, which means risk in its application. In the case of consumer and leisure technology products, such as videogames, expectation marketing is applied exponentially, giving rise to “hype marketing” which, although it can achieve extraordinary economic results, carries a level of risk (technological, financial, and image) in its application that it is not always well evaluated by companies, as the proposed case study shows. This main conclusion is reached with a descriptive observation methodology, where the “hype marketing” actions carried out before and after the release of the Cyberpunk 2077 video game have been monitored and analyzed. Simultaneously, the impact of this “hype marketing” on the share price and risk level of the production company, CD Projekt, was observed.