Marketing is Key

The other day we were sort-of lamenting the fact that Dust 514 won't be multi-platform (only because that guarantees sales, mind you) but we got to thinking about what else is really important: How SONY has to hit a homerun marketing Dust 514 to the right people. This article on Sony's lackluster marketing hit the nail on the head. As much as we think that Kevin Butler is extremely effective marketing casual, niche games to much of Sony's target audience, we simply don't feel like he would be the right man for the job.


Laugh out loud funny or comical is not the goal here. Staying true to the story IS. There is a certain grim, serious and no-laughing-matter aspect that the Ads simply need to communicate. You need O Fortuna, not Justin Bieber. We were pleasantly surprised at how the BF3 marketing steered clear of Butler, and the marketing for Dust should honestly take it a step further.

We're hopeful, notice how none of the BF3 advertising is geared at being witty, making you laugh or being funny, but we have to make certain we stress this point. Here are two well-done ad spots that we felt did a wonderful job of conveying the proper theme to their target audience while simultaneously building interest, excitement and a "wow" factor. Halo's Deliver Hope and the timeless Fight as A Platoon MAG spot that was never circulated like it should have been. For Halo-haters, we apologize, but that intense, live-action commercial spot is quite simply one of the best gaming has ever produced. No candy-coated cartoons or celebrity-filled, war-is-fun, comedy pieces. Its a true-to-the-mythology, solemn, gritty, dark, this-won't-end-well, two-minute tribute to hardcore Halo fans everywhere. Hell, I never even played Halo and even I had a fanboy moment. It was so well done that it spawned the first conversations of a Halo movie. It says quite simply: "Spartan or not, this WOMAN died to deliver hope. Now what the fuck are you going to do? GET IN HERE." While not the work of art of the Halo trailer, MAG's fan-made trailer's theme was just as effective. The overriding message is simple: "There will be no medals or colored ribbons for second place, Victory is the only goal. Lead me, Follow Me or get out of my way." These are the standards you should consider when it comes to marketing the MMOFPS genre, please don't compromise a story as deep and intriguing as EVE's with something that is unworthy.

You'll do more harm than good.