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Verne Troyer is a Gnome Mage; no one is surprised
Back when Blizzard released the new World of Warcraft ads featuring Mr. T and William Shatner, it also announced that a Verne Troyer ad was forthcoming. It's finally here, and it turns out that, like Jean-Claude Van Damme, Mini-Me is a Mage!If you liked the first two English-language WoW TV spots, you'll like this one, though I don't think it's quite as exciting because we all knew what was coming; he's a Gnome. What a surprise! It's still awesome and you should all check it out. I don't need to tell you that, though, do I? I'm still holding out for The Hoff. What class would he be, I wonder? And if they could get Schwarzenegger, they'd have to create a Governator class. Hey, they already made a Mohawk class for Mr. T. Okay, this is getting silly and I'm getting carried away![Thanks, Chris!]
Je suis un mage
Jean-Claude Van Damme's French "What's Your Game" commercial, promised a few days ago, has gone live, and I rather like it. He is, apparently, a troll mage; he's put his physical combat days behind him. My French is a bit rusty, but I can catch most of it, and for the rest, Blizzard has kindly provided an English translation:
IBM files patent app for non-skippable DVD advertisements
While we've seen a slew of patent applications revolving around DVR-based ad skipping, IBM is apparently looking to get in on the action with DVDs that feature non-skippable advertisements. As David Freeberg noted, we too are pretty surprised that such an idea isn't already patented, but nevertheless, the theory in and of itself is a double-edged sword. At first glance, hearing that we'd be forced to watch plugs -- which could be stored on the DVD itself or retrieved via the internet -- on our flicks doesn't exactly incite fits of jubilation, but as Freeberg points out, this could be used to offset or at least subsidize the actual cost of DVDs. Additionally, we could envision marketers licking their chops at the chance to insert modern, relevant ads into films via the web, but the actual impact on the consumer still seems murky. 'Course, there's no telling whether or not this patent will be granted, but it opens up some interesting avenues, nonetheless.[Via ZatzNotFunny]
Hellgate: London uses tailored in-game advertising
Following the release of the demo for Hellgate: London, a somewhat disappointing discovery has been made. Heartless_Gamer has a post that shows that the game's licensing agreement has provisions for them to collect information about users, to help them tailor in-game advertising. In other words-- adware. Hellgate: London is being published by EA, and as Heartless_Gamer points out, this isn't the first time they've bundled this helpful addition with their games. Battlefield 2142 caused a stir when the full retail version of the game did exactly what Hellgate: London is doing now. Is there really any point in hoping that this will only be included with the demo of Hellgate?The advertising seen in the demo is in the form of posters on the walls, but I'm willing to bet that they could be a lot more creative than that. There is also the question of whether we want to see ads in games at all, "dynamically served" or otherwise. If Hellgate is set in a post-apocalyptic London, then why am I seeing current-day ads in-game? Games in the sports genre include bucketloads of advertising, but in most cases, the fact that those ads are there at real life sporting events lends more authenticity to the games -- okay, perhaps not the Burger King's Fight Night cameo (coincidentally also EA's doing). Let us know where you draw the line in the comments section, and if Hellgate: London is collecting information from you, will you still buy it?
Playboy teams with Quattro Wireless for mobile venture
Thankfully, the previous rumors of a Playboy MVNO have been laid to rest (at least momentarily), but that hasn't stopped Playboy Enterprises from teaming up with Quattro Wireless "to provide Playboy content on mobile phones." Reportedly, "users of the mobile site will be able to view non-nude photos of Playboy playmates and read their personal interviews," and the phone-friendly site will also lead to music, game and book reviews along with access to the Playboy Advisor advice column. The content from the standard website is synced regularly to the mobile outlet through Quattro's GetMobile platform, and as expected, you'll find lots of targeted advertisements cluttering your diminutive screen should you chose to visit.[Via SlashPhone]
Time Warner readying modified fast-forward functionality for DVRs
While Time Warner Cable (partly owned by Time Warner, parent company of AOL, which owns Engadget) won't go down as the first cable company to modify the oh-so-lovable fast-forward feature, at least the latest hamstringing won't affect those willing to pay up. Dubbed "Look Back," the newfangled DVR feature will reportedly come "without a monthly fee," and will only allow customers to skip ahead and back in predetermined chunks of time; moreover, it will be limited to programs that are watched back before midnight of the day they air. The firm plans to test it out this October in South Carolina before "gradually introducing it around the country," and it was also noted that this -- along with the "Start Over" feature that functions exactly as it sounds -- would not require viewers to "remember to record programs," but alas, it also eliminates the ability to keep a library of stored content onboard. Ah well, so long as we diehard DVR users can keep on coughing up the dough required for a fully-functional FF button, we've no real qualms with this option joining the fray.
Promotional Consideration: Come As You Are
Promotional Consideration is a weekly feature about the Nintendo DS advertisements you usually flip past, change the channel on, or just tune out.If you missed our spotlight on Leo Burnett's "Communion Day" ad last Sunday, make sure to give it a glance. Even if you've already skimmed through our words on the award-winning piece, we've updated our summation with some insight from art director Rosemary Collini Bosso.This weekend's installment of Promotional Consideration takes a critical eye to an unconvincing ad that might actually drive away consumers. Read on for more details.
Promotional Consideration: Communion Day
Promotional Consideration is a new weekly feature about the Nintendo DS advertisements you usually flip past, change the channel on, or just tune out. Our christening post takes a look at an Italian ad for the handheld that won Epica's silver award for Press last year. Check past the post break for the full image.
Japanese vending machine offers free drinks for watching ads
In a marketing case that just sounds too good to be true, vending masters Apex Corp. have purportedly laid out plans that will bring free or subsidized non-alcoholic beverage to thirsty consumers who are willing to watch a 30-second commercial before partaking. Aiming to launch next month in Japan, the MediCafe project will give users the option of plunking down the ¥70 ($0.58) to ¥120 ($1) required to purchase an item, or watching an advertisement for half a minute while the machine dispenses their liquid of choice. It was noted that not all drinks would be free, as some advertisers would only be offering up discounts in exchange for your attention, but this still sounds like a much more legitimate way to receive gratis soft drinks than other alternatives we've seen.[Via PlasticBamboo]
Harvest Moon Crossing
Harvest Moon DS saw its US release over half a year ago, but the colorful farming sim didn't cross the Atlantic until earlier this month. A TV commercial advertising the game has been airing in the UK, and we were surprise to see how similar its presentation is to Nintendo's commercials for Animal Crossing: Wild World in Japan and Europe.AC:WW was an indisputable success sales-wise in every territory, so we can see why Nintendo would want to mimic its marketing push with Harvest Moon DS. Compare the video clips yourself after the post break to see what we mean.
Bunnies can't play with a DS Lite
While we can't say much about the quality of Rayman Raving Rabbids DS yet, we're more than happy to sing the praises of Ubisoft's marketing behind the recently-released platformer. The France-based company sent out three promotional images showing the game's villains, crazed and deranged rabbits, in various states of distress.They're not as cute as kittens playing with a Nintendo DS Lite, but not much else is. Head past the break for more artwork of the disaster-prone bunnies.
New iPhone Commercial
"Hello!" If you weren't watching the Oscars then you might have missed the first Apple iPhone commercial. Featuring famous actors saying "hello", the new ad just ran on ABC during the Academy Awards telecast. After the montage, which includes a shot from Pixar's "The Incredibles", it ends via a shot of the iPhone, the word "Hello", "Coming this June", and the Apple logo. Just a brief feel for things to come. We'll update this post with a link to the actual commercial as soon as we can. Thanks to everyone who sent this in. Update 2: You can watch a much higher quality video of the iPhone commercial here. Update: You can watch a bootleg quality version of the video here.
Video Sandwich: October 17, 2006
It's been a while. It's time for another Video Sandwich. We love looking at PSP ads here, and I would have to say that this "viral" ad is pretty effective. It tells you that you can play your PSP anywhere, any place... but would the PSP function in a low-grav, no-oxygen environment? Something tells me no. MISLEADING AD!!! (Okay, maybe it's just puffery.)Below, you'll see a fan-made parody of one of the earliest PSP ads: you know, the ones where they threw them around, from friend to friend. I was always horrified by that ad, just because I asked: what would you do if you dropped it??? That's $250 down the drain! Well, thankfully, these kids find out so you don't have to.
ABC pushing broadcast, their own site, vs. iTS purchases
Mac Zone has a post concerning ABC's insertion of 30 seconds of network-pimping ads in the Lost season 3 premiere (iTS link) purchased from the iTS. While the first 8 second spot is just a harmless network ID badge, the second spot (at the end of the vid) advertises watching Lost on a full-fledged TV - you know, the thing you're directly avoiding by buying shows digitally through the iTS? Going even one step further, however, is this advertisement to 'watch more video at abc.com.' Somehow methinks this doesn't exactly jive with trying to sell videos through the iTS, which, if you remember, only helps Apple make money off all this by selling an iPod or two.Mac Zone wonders if this is a hint that networks, or at least ABC, prefer broadcast viewers instead of iTS purchases. For right now, due to the relatively small overall market share the iTS has (digital and real world combined), I wouldn't be surprised. Let's face it: even though the iTS has overtaken Tower Records, a brick and mortar store, it still claims a very thin margin of overall music and video sales. The networks are surely making more money right now via their traditional broadcast + advertising revenue model vs. the pay-to-play digital download method. And since we're pretty sure the 3rd parties, not Apple, prepare their own content for the store (meaning: ABC, not Apple, inserted those ads), I think the bigger question is whether networks like ABC are getting cold feet in the kiddie pool during this budding phase of digital distribution and considering any rash decisions, like pulling their content.
Core gamers have heavy impact on economy [update 1]
Definition: a heavy gamer (also known as core gamer) is one who buys eight or more games per year and plays at least 10 hours per week. Correlation: according to a recent study by Ziff Davis Games Group, heavy gamers spend notably more money than casual gamers (those who buy at most one game per year and play five or fewer hours per week). Some relative figures: Heavy gamers spent $710 on clothing over the last six months, nearly double that of casual gamers. That equates to approximately $1,420 annually. Heavy gamers spent $116 on DVDs over the last six months (or $232 annually), while casual gamers only shelled out $64. Similar trends hold for consumer electronics, online music downloads, athletic shoes, and CDs. Conclusion: heavy gamers, by way of their spending trends, have an impact on the economy as a whole. Companies who take notice of the trend will try to cater more to the gamer audience. The effect is a greater push for in-game advertising, but to what extent? Lest they forget, gamers hate in-game ads. Keep in mind that the converse ("those who spend a lot of money buy a lot of games") is not necessarily true. See Also:Picture it: special status for Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii console ownersEconomies of scale don't apply to virtual worlds?Joystiq's coverage on in-game advertising[Update 1: clarified some language in the conclusion.]
Ad critic: But I can't control my love for you!
Joystiq has a regular series called "Ad critic," in which you, the reader, can critique the ads released by sometimes foolish publishers.Sony's notorious for one marketing blunder after another. I wasn't a big fan of their previous ad campaign, featuring some racially insensitive squirrels. Sony's new series of ads for the Greatest Hits lineup doesn't seem to fair much better, though. It features the same immaturity of Sony's other ad campaigns, and I'd much rather have the system be promoted with a sleek, sexy look. If Sony wants to exclusively market towards stoned college kids, maybe they can just get the Dell guy to promote their line: Dude, you're getting a Sony.What do you think, readers? Voice your opinion about Sony's latest ad!
Justin Long on 'Get a Mac' ads, being harassed
In an interview more about his career (rather than Apple nerdery), Justin ("hi I'm a Mac") Long managed to wax ecstatic with Mary McNamara of the LA Times about 'the ads' and what they've done for (or rather: to) his career. He had stories to tell of being harassed on the street by people who might have taken the ads just a little too seriously, and he also admitted that, before the ads, he didn't even own a computer (just guess what he owns now). Also of note in the interview is a tidbit Martha wrote about a whopping 20 more ads in the "hottest campaign on TV" on their way (are these spots really resonating that well with their target demographic?). We've seen a few more ads trickle out since they were first introduced, and I would wager more will hit a Daily Show near you once the semester kicks back in.There aren't many more Apple-related details in the interview other than what I've summarized, but check it out if you're interested in learning a little more about the actor who might (or might not) be helping the Apple cause with the powers of comedy.
Google ads will stream out to XM listeners
In what looks to be another accomplishment on its supposed quest for world domination, Google is expanding yet again. This time, the search-engine-turned-conglomerate is making way for AdWords customers to get their plugs into the ears of XM satellite radio listeners. In a deal between the two companies, XM will allow Google's AdWords clients to get their spots on whichever non-music XM channel they feel appropriate -- apparently not even Google had the wherewithal (or the desire) to get advertisers onto XM's "commercial free music channels." Having purchased dMarc Broadcasting for $102 million in Janurary, Google isn't a radio newcomer, and this signing provides a fairly enormous audience when combined with their plans for terrestrial radio (they're already advertising in Detroit). Google, presumably looking out for the little guys (and its profit margins), envisions satellite ads to be less expensive and more appealing to small businesses by cutting out the lengthy sales pitch typically found in plain 'ole AM / FM radio advertising. Aside from making the process of getting a commercial on the air much less painful, touting those "7 million XM subscribers" as potential buyers will likely attract a new wave of AdWords customers as well. So, what've they got their hands in now? Your Dell PC, a new internet, a vast supply of "dark fiber," WiFi in cities, and now satellites -- apparently the plan is coming together beautifully.
Less than 1 percent of TV ads are in high-def
The reasons why are covered pretty well in this Mediaweek article. They speak to a bunch of advertising executives and receive great responses that indicate who gets it and who doesn't. Many, if not most of us use DVRs and when you see the picture switch to SD, you know its time to hit fast forward or pause. A couple of the executives quoted acknowledge that fact, and that an SD advertisement is basically telling the customer not to watch. HDNet founder and HD Beat friend Mark Cuban breaks it down nicely "Agency employees don't have HD at home. Where you find agencies with HDTV penetration, they push for HD. Where not, not." Additionally, producing in HD only drives up costs $10,000, which is a relatively small amount.As evidence of someone who probably doesn't have an HDTV at home, Peter Gardiner thinks watchers aren't sitting around waiting for high-def ads. Does anyone have his email address? There are comments on a few posts he may want to read.
New Mac ads coming
Other than the Intel ads, when was the last time we saw an ad from Apple that wasn't about the iPod or iTunes? It's safe to say that it has been a while. At this week's Apple shareholder's meeting, Steve said that new ads would debut during May sweeps, though no details were given about just what products (new or otherwise) would be the focus of the new spots. Perhaps the MacBook Pros? We'll have to wait and see.
