Where the Hell Are the Killzone 2 Ads?
January 23rd, 2009 | Written by Anthony Perez | Topic: PlayStation 3
As an advertising major, I’ve vexed by the lack of ads for Killzone 2. I have no particular stake in how well Killzone 2 does but this is PS3′s game. The game. The game that wowed gamers worldwide with its still talked about E3 2005 trailer. This is potentially one of the most expensive games ever made. The game that so far has garnered nothing but absolute praise (even though it’s still early).
Yet I still haven’t seen one goddamn ad. As I said, I’m a formally educated advertising student and I have no idea what the hell Sony is doing here. I know that the company is going through tough times in a tough economy, but Killzone 2 has been a major investment for them. In advertising there is a period where you have to raise awareness for a new product before it releases because it takes quite a while for people to notice and care.
For example, one of my professors was the Chief Marketing Officer for Y&R – one of the biggest marketing agencies in the world – and they handled the advertising for Mountain Dew. Typically the best times of the year for soft drinks is the summer, and around spring time Mountain Dew would ramp up its advertising so that people would have been seeings ads for it leading into the hottest part of the year. Why? So on a hot day they would possibly think, “Damn, I could go for a Mountain Dew.”
Rather than hearing, “Damn, I can’t wait for Killzone 2,” I hear, “When is that really good looking game coming out for the PS3? What’s it called again?” And Killzone 2 is one month away. That’s not good. If I don’t see Killzone 2 branded Big Gulps by next week, I’m going to apply for a job in Sony’s marketing department because obviously no one works there.
Sure, they’ve released news that we’ll see ads for Killzone 2 everywhere, but they should’ve started pushing out ads and marketing campaigns already. This isn’t a series with the name recognition of Halo, Metal Gear Solid, or Grand Theft Auto. Hell, Metal Gear Solid 4 wasn’t even a top 10 selling game in the United States, UK, or Japan last year. Killzone 2 isn’t guaranteed to sell amazingly well or push PS3 sales, and it certainly doesn’t have the same pull with regular consumers that even Metal Gear Solid has. This is Sony’s blockbuster game for the PS3 and it’s being marketed like it’s Peggle.
So, in short, what the hell are they doing?
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Comment by TheForgotten0ne on the January 24th, 2009 at 10:28 am
Well, I have to agree with you. Where is all the adds? I don't see any of them. They should advertise this game like crazy, they should make people see, this is the game you want.
But here in Norway there are very few game comercials, I don't think I have seen one for almost a year. So I don't expect to see one any time soon anyways.
Comment by JoshS on the January 26th, 2009 at 4:10 am
I dont think I have seen one commercial either, and the closest I have seen on any new footage was the newly released trailer over a month ago. Sony fanboys know whats up, but for some other people (such as my friends who had no idea this game existed until I told them) I dont think they will be buying this game on day one because of the lack of publicity.
Sony really needs to get their head on straight.