Ad Campaigns - Past, Present, and Future

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

Let's talk shop, or marketing campaigns designed to make us shop, as it were. I started on this in the old CTDWAT thread, but the problem there is that thread is old and should probably be locked and replaced with a "Random Thoughts" thread as per current TSM protocol.

 

There's a pretty good series of ads on youtube in these 4 videos and I'm sure you can just about anything else on there too in individual form:

 

Part 1: http://youtube.com/watch?v=F7l-cYBydBg

Part 2: http://youtube.com/watch?v=aTFP86ouDR8

Part 3: http://youtube.com/watch?v=8d-ES_ge738

Part 4: http://youtube.com/watch?v=RUWYNn8SWsc

 

(Sorry embedded video fans, I just find they look... "off" somehow when viewed and they also make the thread too slow to load, but maybe that's just DSL talking).

 

We don't seem to see a lot of attack ads these days. Consdiering how it turned out for Sega at the end of the 16 bit war, maybe that's for the best. Smues brought up in the original CTDWAT discussion that Sega blundered by showing terrible game footage in their "Haven't you seen the games?!' ad, and one of the memories about their anti-Nintendo ad campaign that I always remembered from when I was a kid was how Sega of America determined that the best game to use to show why Blast Processing rules and the SNES sucks was Mario Kart. Smooth move, guys. Maybe they should have done an add showing off the awesome power of Butterbean's Toughman Competition vs. Super Punch-Out while they were at it.

 

That said, I don't think anyone who grew up in the 90s will forget the Sega yell campaign or being Welco'd Tothe Nextl evel. Or how about "Coffee? Tea? SEGA!" or ads like that? I also laugh everytime I see Joe Montana says "Does!" in the "Genesis Does" commercials. I also have a commercial on tape somewhere with Saddam Hussein saying "what the heck was that?" that amuses me.

 

Any memorable print ad discussion would be great too. I remember either EGM or GamePro apologizing for an ad they published stating "Life's a Bitch" but I have no idea what game that was even for.

[Hawkius Maximus 0]

This thread begins and ends with Segata Sanshiro.

 

He once made a goal in a soccer game by grabbing an opposing player and throwing *HIM* into the *BALL* in *MIDAIR*. It is also worth noting that if he hip throws you, there is a strong possibility you could then explode.

 

Lest us not forget that if he caught people *NOT* playing the Saturn, he would proceed to beat the hell out of them. The motto? "Play Sega Saturn or Segata Sanshiro will kill you".

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=0&cId=3149992

http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=0&cId=3152506

 

Two awesome articles covering the best of the worst in print ads.

[Cavi 0]

The Tommy Tallarico ad from that second 1UP article rules. Awesome clothes.

 

The print ad for the Genesis game Skitchin' always comes to mind - "Skitchin' is Bitchin'!"

 

In more recent times, when the PS2 first came out and there was a shortage of the console, Sega ran that print ad mocking Sony's troubles. It had a kid sticking out his tongue. Funny how the Dreamcast was dead shortly after.

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

Sega sure liked mocking people.

[BUTT 0]

This is the absolute worst:

 

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

This ad... wow.

 

[Obi Chris Kenobi 0]

Just saw the new UK Nintendo DS Lite advert for the different colours, and its awful! So cheesy and cheerful its insane - its NINTENDO!

[AndrewTS 0]

Yeah I forgot about the "cream spinach colour" attack ad (with Ethan Suplee!) but that video has a part 2 which features it. There's a part 3 which features what pretty much summed up how funny the attack ads became in retrospect: Donkey Kong Country.

 

"Where can you play this? Not on Sega. Not on any 32X adapters. Not on a CD. Only on Super Nintendo!". Good stuff.

 

Edit: This would be the DKC ad mentioned above

 

Did Andrew have the "ARE YOU WAITING FOR NINTENDO TO MAKE ONE?" ad listed as one of Sega of America's 100 reasons for sucking?

 

I put Sega CD in, but I think I actually posted that vid in an AVGN-related thread, as context for his parody of it. Angry Black Guy is no Segata Sanshiro, though.

 

I remembered Sega's smear campaign against Nintendo with Blast Processing and the original "Genesis Does What Nintendon't" campaign (not featured)

 

"Blast Processing"--ugh. That's the kind of thing that makes technicians/programmers want to kick salespersons and marketers in the face. Was there something inherently wrong with saying the main processor was about twice the speed of the Super Nintendo's?

 

So many of Sega's commercials were shamelessly juvenile, but then again, they were marketing to juveniles so it's somewhat expected. However, the montage of one second of gameplay from a game, switching to one second of another game, and then doing that over and over, making it faster and faster until something explodes, etc--that technique seemed to be in like 70% of their commercials.

 

Nintendo copied it to an extent with Play it Loud!, and much of the Western game marketing remained like that until early into the 32-bit era. URnote even seemed like a direct bite off Welco Metot henex Tlevel

 

PS3's North American adds were obnoxious and pretentious. However, nothing compared to Europe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_CIsfIVMU0&hl

 

Maybe I'm just too much of a stupid American to get it.

[luke-o 0]

Just saw the new UK Nintendo DS Lite advert for the different colours, and its awful! So cheesy and cheerful its insane - its NINTENDO!

 

My personal favourite line was "oh no I got bananas again!" when the two kids we're playing Mario Kart DS.

[Downhome 0]

This is the absolute worst:

 

 

 

I dunno, this is the first one I thought of:

 

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

Yeah but that's probably one of the best commercials ever. Ironically best, but still, that's something.

 

I guess when I was 12 and not buying things on my own, I didn't pay attention to prices, but I really don't remember that Genesis / SNES price war or games costing $10 more on SNES.

 

I do remember Royal Rumble for SNES costing $103 Canadian at Toys R Us though. That made the game a no buy for my mom.

[AndrewTS 0]

I consider that a rare crummy commercial for Nintendo back in the day.

 

There was another Zelda rap too, people often forget:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FepWbqPpJh0

 

Some of my fave commercials:

 

Punch Out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5BZ4Uz3f7I

SMB3:

--though the one for the GBA release is better:

Metroid 2:

Ocarina of Time commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JntHVUp7m4E...feature=related

 

US Final Fantasy 3 (6) commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lgs72a5HXBc

 

 

 

[Obi Chris Kenobi 0]

Just saw the new UK Nintendo DS Lite advert for the different colours, and its awful! So cheesy and cheerful its insane - its NINTENDO!

 

My personal favourite line was "oh no I got bananas again!" when the two kids we're playing Mario Kart DS.

 

haha aye! And with the Granny playing Brain Training and she's totally digging it thinking she's amazing, even though the puzzles are like 2+2=? I'll post it when its been posted to the 'tube.

[ChrisMWaters 0]

I always liked the Soul Calibur 2 commercials with the weapons dealer talking to the guest characters.

 

Only found the Game Cube/Link one thus far on YouTube

 

[Guest Smues]

 

I was always partial to this one. And the original Zelda rap of course. That Link's Awakening rap was just bad bad, the Legend of Zelda rap was good bad.

 

MAAAAAAARRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIOOOOOOOOOOO WHERE ARE YOU??? I always laugh at how Luigi says Mario but the voice over guy says "Mayor-io."

[Darthtiki 0]

This is the absolute worst:

 

 

That sounded like Stuart Scott on the voiceover

[haws bah gawd 0]

 

Behold Nintendo Cereal! BTW Downhome, I cant....thank.....you enough for reminding me of the Legend of Zelda rap.