EQ2 Advertising

[Gladiolus]

<p>I've often seen it said that EQ2 should advertise. <a href="http://www.gametrailers.com/video/flight-wings-everquest-ii/725656">This</a> is the first advertisement I've seen and it's a good thing I already play and like the game because this video certainly wouldn't induce me to even glance at it, especially that awful music that tries to be both fish and fowl and ends up being neither.</p>

[Dreyco]

<p><cite>Gladiolus wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p>I've often seen it said that EQ2 should advertise. <a href="http://www.gametrailers.com/video/flight-wings-everquest-ii/725656">This</a> is the first advertisement I've seen and it's a good thing I already play and like the game because this video certainly wouldn't induce me to even glance at it, especially that awful music that tries to be both fish and fowl and ends up being neither.</p></blockquote><p>Alright... let's try this again.</p><p>Why is it bad aside from the music?  I personally thought it was alright... aside from the weird music.</p>

[dawy]

<p>My hope and to be fair many if not everyones hope is that EQ2 gets a proper advertising budget so the proffessionals can have at it and indeed see if it will make a difference.</p><p>For my money a well managed pro advertsing campaign would do wonders for the game,will SOE step up to the plate? i hope so i really do.</p>

[dawy]

<p><cite>Dreyco wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p><cite>Gladiolus wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p>I've often seen it said that EQ2 should advertise. <a href="http://www.gametrailers.com/video/flight-wings-everquest-ii/725656">This</a> is the first advertisement I've seen and it's a good thing I already play and like the game because this video certainly wouldn't induce me to even glance at it, especially that awful music that tries to be both fish and fowl and ends up being neither.</p></blockquote><p>Alright... let's try this again.</p><p>Why is it bad aside from the music?  I personally thought it was alright... aside from the weird music.</p></blockquote><p>It had no message Dreyco,flap about with wings ok but what else? any good advertsing has to have a message and be coherant not looking like a fan video thats my issue with it it doesnt show anything the game has to offer (and it has tons..here an idea TELL the people out there about it<img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />)</p><p>And that music..<img src="/eq2/images/smilies/385970365b8ed7503b4294502a458efa.gif" border="0" /></p>

[Lempo]

<p>Didn't take long for them to nix the other thread.</p>

[Iad]

<p>Yeah, this thread will probably be deleted. But SoE really needs to learn how to make better videos. This type of video will not draw anyone to the game.</p>

[Griffildur]

<p><cite>Iad wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p>Yeah, this thread will probably be deleted. But SoE really needs to learn how to make better videos. This type of video will not draw anyone to the game.</p></blockquote><p>Soe does not know the first thing about advertising.</p><p>look at their new , awesome f2p client. have you seen that picture with a few characters that look like a 2d drawing my 4 year old could do ?</p><p>Now if I were a new player and saw that, I'd be like what the heck is that ugliness , is that what the characters look like ?</p>

[Gladiolus]

<p><cite>dawy wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p>It had no message Dreyco,flap about with wings ok but what else? any good advertsing has to have a message and be coherant not looking like a fan video thats my issue with it it doesnt show anything the game has to offer (and it has tons..here an idea TELL the people out there about it<img src="/eq2/images/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" />)</p><p>And that music..<img src="/eq2/images/smilies/385970365b8ed7503b4294502a458efa.gif" border="0" /></p></blockquote><p>My point exactly. Assuming I was an MMO player or someone who wanted to play MMOs and assuming further that I'd never seen EQ2 mentioned on mmorpg.com or massively or by anyone in the games I already play, seeing that video, which seems to say that the most interesting thing in EQ2 is that you can have wings, would make me think it's really dull game. Nothing to suggest the huge range of classes, no hint at the wonderful guild halls with all their amenities, no mention of the excellent broker system which continually stimulates the economy; nothing about the game at all, just.. wings? Incomprehensible. And then, of course, a perfectly good and powerful tune that somehow fell on the floor of the orchestra pit.</p>

[Avirodar]

<p>If someone considers that to be advertising, lol...</p>

[Griffildur]

<p><cite>Avirodar@Oasis wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p>If someone considers that to be advertising, lol...</p></blockquote><p>It's their marketing department at its peak. They probably worked  one year on that</p>

[Kenazeer]

<p>Quality of the video/sound aside, which I thought was subpar...</p><p>The problem with the "advertisement," as I see it, is that we expect an advertisement about a game to actually be <strong>about the game</strong> and not about a <strong>single virtual item</strong> within the game.</p><p>Are they really trying to get people to play the game by advertising flying wings? Is that what we have sunk too? The gameplay can't be sold and we have to rely on gimmicks? Who the h e double toothpicks is their intended audience here? It seems more like an advertisement <strong>to</strong> existing EQ2 players rather than <strong>for</strong> EQ2 the game.</p>

[vandewar]

<p>The music is Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries".  It was also used in Apocolypse Now.  Go figure...</p><p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpvLCptAHT8">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpvLCptAHT8</a></p>

[ECMorgan]

<p>I work in PR and advertising.</p><p>Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries is a good choice for song - dramatic and soaring.  It also does tie in nicely with the focus on wings and flight.</p><p>However, I don't really understand the emphasis on the wings as a marketing focus, though. As a player it doesn't appeal to me, but that may just be me. Perhaps SOE's research reveals something different?</p><p>In May of 2010, <a href="http://www.pr-squared.com/index.php/2010/05/sony-online-entertainment-taps-shift-as-aor" target="_blank">SOE signed with Shift Communications</a>, which is quite a formidable PR/Digital Communications firm. I notice on <a href="http://shiftcomm.com/clients.html" target="_blank">Shift's client list</a> that SOE is not listed, though, so I'm not sure what's up there, or who, if anyone, is working with SOE.</p>

[Crillus]

<p><cite>Iad wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p>Yeah, this thread will probably be deleted. But SoE really needs to learn how to make better videos. This type of video will not draw anyone to the game.</p></blockquote><p>Problem has always seemed - with Sony in general over the years - is that they buy some real neat stuff or develop really new, innovative and neat stuff, but somehow Sony's management makes a big blunder of it all.</p><p>The old BetaMax fiasco is a good example - Sony had the first home use video recording system that was easy to use in the world - but through their fear of someone else using the technology they lost out on the whole race and VHS ended up being king of the VCR's.</p><p>I think - Sony hires some really sharp, energetic people, but their upper management has a 50 years ago mentality or something. Not really a flame, just more an attempt at consturctive criticism.</p><p>EQ2 is a good game, I personally think Vanguard could be even better - or heck, even somehow use an x-pac to 'merge' the two games and take the best parts from both. Seriously - if they pulled the diplomacy, the ability to build ships and somehow merged it with EQ2, it would create a large spike in interest in the game. A lot of people like the challenge that Vanguard offers, and I would play it - if only Sony would support it.</p>

[Wirewhisker]

<p>Perhaps they could start another run of IT'S TIME TO SLAY THE DRAGON commercials.</p>

[Rijacki]

<p><cite>ECMorgan wrote:</cite></p><blockquote><p>However, I don't really understand the emphasis on the wings as a marketing focus, though. As a player it doesn't appeal to me, but that may just be me. Perhaps SOE's research reveals something different?</p></blockquote><p>It was an advert for the wings, not for the game. It was an advert aimed mostly to those who are already playing the game, not as an advert for those who haven't yet picked up the game. The focus was on the wings because they are the product being sold.</p><p>That the advert is picked up and put on to a general site isn't odd, that site looks for those sorts of videos.</p>

[Elskidor]

<p>EverFlyff </p>

[SOE-MOD-02]

<p>There are already threads to discuss the new Marketplace items.  Since this had turned into a discussion on the wings, I am going to close this down now.</p><p>Thank you for the feedback.</p>