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Marketing Revolutions The unexpected. It happens, even in gaming. For myself, I remember going through a bin of cheap software at a local store, and finding something called "Secret of Evermore" for the Super Nintendo. At the time, I was only a kid and not too horribly versed in what was popular and what wasn't. Since it was cheap, I purchased it and brought it home. To my immense pleasure I went on to have one of the best gaming experiences of my life. Evermore was a humorous, original title that kept me going for hours. Later on in life, I slowly discovered that this childhood treasure of mine was somehow reviled by the gaming community. This got me to thinking. Why was this great game thought of with such disdain?
I found that the answer lies in the muddled world of game marketing. Let's face it: At the basic level, we are more likely to buy a game if we see an amusing ad somewhere, rather than if we didn't. Companies these days spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in some cases promoting a single, high-profile title. How many here bought Enter the Matrix? There was a huge advertising blitz that covered just about all mediums. The response? Massive sales. The only problem I see with this is that the game itself is a steaming pile of crap. The production numbers associated with Enter the Matrix are staggering, yet the result is mediocre at best. That's great for those of you who enjoyed it, but in terms of actual merit, the game was rather poor. Part of the marketing, was, of course, the Matrix movies themselves. Who didn't want to go spinning around with guns blazing in a dark trench coat? This is only one example of many, where bad games sell well due to hype related marketing. The sad flip side being good games that get almost no marketing, and thus, few people buy them. I can't help but wonder how many fantastic titles end up in the bargain bin, and never get the attention they deserve? It's an unfortunate situation that, despite out best efforts, we are swayed by advertisements. Realize that what you just saw on tv was specifically designed by a group of people who sat around a table asking themselves, "How can we play off the customer's stupidity and selfish desires in order to compel them to buy our product?" There are, broadly speaking, three big tactics out there for getting this accomplished. Sex, power, and insecurity. Sex ads are generally targeted towards guys, so the gaming community sees this used particularly often. Stick a large pair of breasts on a scantily clad girl, and you've got yourself a hot ad. Sales will follow. Power? It's all about being a super hero, gangster, "badass" secret agent, or simply beating the hell out of everyone else. These ads tell you that you're cool, refined, and know what you want. Of course, someone of your intelligence and immense masculinity would want our product. Insecurity. Essentially, the opposite of power. Think Viagra commercials. It's the "We know about your problem, wink wink" ads. Buying our product will make you sexier, smarter, or just a nifty person to be around. If you don't, everyone will know what a weak little nothing you really are. Of course, it's all a pack of lies. Too bad it works on us. Post note: Did I hallucinate, or were there really vampires and a lesbian cut scene in Enter the Matrix? |
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