Emergent Strategy Need for Seat dalam Membentuk Positive Word of Mouth

Abstract

The rapid growth of the game industry in Indonesia, driven by social media and digital algorithm dynamics, has created a complex and unpredictable marketing environment, requiring adaptive marketing communication strategies through an emergent approach. This study aims to explore how marketing communication strategies are formed in the indie game Need for Seat through an emergent process and how they contribute to the formation of electronic word of mouth (eWOM). Based on a literature review of emergent strategy, marketing communication, and eWOM, this research employs a qualitative approach within a constructivist paradigm using semi-structured interviews, digital observation, and data analysis. The findings reveal that marketing communication strategies are formed emergently through adaptive responses to viral social media dynamics, resulting in a combination of push, pull, and profile strategies evolving from spontaneous actions, audience interactions, and learning processes. Furthermore, these strategies trigger a non-linear eWOM cycle consisting of exposure, evaluation, and creation, strengthened by product uniqueness, influencer credibility, and user experience. This research concludes that emergent strategies complement deliberate strategies while contributing theoretically and empirically to marketing communication studies, particularly in resource-constrained indie game contexts.