John Williams
John Williams
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| Williams, John | |
| Born | February 20, 1962 |
| Occupation | Marketing Director, Sierra |
Career
John Williams was the "voice" of Sierra On-Line and its first full-time employee. While his brother Ken and sister-in-law Roberta built the technology and games, John Williams built the brand, fostering a level of community engagement and marketing inventiveness that was years ahead of the industry.
He is credited with helping transition computer games from Ziploc bags sold in local electronics shops to professional, big-box entertainment products sold worldwide.
The "Pinto Marketing Plan" (1980)
John's entry into the industry is a famous piece of Sierra lore. In 1980, while working at a drugstore in Illinois, he received a package from Ken containing Mystery House disks in Ziploc bags. Ken asked him to try to sell them to local shops.
John succeeded immediately, sold his stock, and quit his job.
He devised a distribution strategy based on his love for music: he would drive his Ford Pinto to follow rock bands (like Fleetwood Mac) on tour. During the day, he sold software to computer stores in whichever city the band was playing; at night, he went to the concert.
This "Pinto Marketing Plan", in conjunction with Ken Williams' west coast sales trips, established Sierra's distribution network, leading to John moving to California to become the company's first employee.
Marketing Innovations and Community Building
John served as the Vice President of Marketing and was instrumental in professionalizing the presentation of PC games.
- Packaging Innovation: He transitioned the company away from Ziploc bags to professional boxes and binders. He was responsible for the creation of the early "folder" style packaging and later the "big box" format that became an industry standard.
- Surviving the Crash: During the video game crash of 1983, when many companies folded, John was instrumental in securing a deal to get Sierra's products into Radio Shack. This distribution channel helped provide the cash flow that saved the company from bankruptcy.
- The Sierra Magazine: He created and edited the Sierra News Magazine (and the Sierra Newsletter). At a time before the internet, this was the primary way gamers got news. He wrote the popular "Rumor Mill" column under the pseudonym "Johnnie Magpie," effectively inventing the "gaming insider" persona to build hype for upcoming titles.
- The "Hint Book" Model: John helped popularize the sale of hint books. Realizing that players were calling the company non-stop for help with difficult puzzles, he turned the solution into a profitable product. Unlike Infocom's invisible ink, Sierra's books typically used text obscured by a scrambled red pattern. To read the answer, you had to place a red piece of transparent plastic (included with the book) over the text. These books became incredibly profitable- sometimes with higher margins than the games themselves- because desperate players would buy them just to finish the game.
- Brand Personality: He cultivated the image of Sierra as a "family" company. He frequently featured the developers (like Al Lowe, Scott Murphy, and Mark Crowe) in the magazines, turning socially awkward programmers into minor celebrities and fan favorites.
Managing Controversy: Phantasmagoria and Leisure Suit Larry
While Sierra was known for family-friendly titles like King's Quest, John Williams also had to market their pivot into adult content, which generated significant controversy.
- Leisure Suit Larry: When retailers refused to stock this "adult" game, John and Al Lowe aggressively marketed it through word-of-mouth and the BBS scene. It became a pirate hit first, which eventually convinced retailers to stock it due to customer demand.
- Phantasmagoria (1995): Sierra's major controversial title of the era. Written by Roberta Williams, it featured live-action violence and a controversial sexual assault scene.
- As marketing chief, John Williams leaned into the "interactive movie" angle, positioning it not just as a game but as a technological revolution (it spanned 7 CD-ROMs).
- Despite bans in countries like Australia and refusal of sale by major US chains like CompUSA, the marketing blitz worked; Phantasmagoria became one of Sierra's best-selling games of all time.
Post-Sierra
John Williams remained with the company through its "golden age." Following the sale of Sierra to CUC International in 1996— a deal that eventually led to the company's dismantling due to massive accounting fraud at the parent company— John exited the industry.
He has largely stayed out of the public eye since the late 90s, though he is fondly remembered by ex-Sierra employees and fans for creating the warm, community-focused culture that made the company unique.
