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Brilliant Dante's Inferno Marketing Stunt - Sending Checks to Editors
By CheapyD 09-09-2009 09:53 PM
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8018 views |
At first glance this may seem like dirty pool, but besides the fact that we know the exact dollar value of this giveaway, this isn't much different than the myriad of other freebies that get sent to gaming writers. EA knows that nobody is going to actually keep the money for their personal use. Editors will either destroy the check (Brian Crecente/Kotaku) or donate it to charity (Chris Grant/Joystiq). Even so, for a relatively small amount of money, EA bought themselves news posts on 2 of the biggest gaming blogs around. Kotaku charges an $8 CPM (cost per 1,000 banner impressions) for their standard advertising banners. Their news post about this PR stunt will likely surpass 40,000 views. To err on the safe side, let's say the total cost of the check and fancy box is $300. Since Crecente burned the check, EA basically spent the equivalent of a $2.50 CPM for a front page news post on Kotaku. That is an incredible value. Nice job, EA Marketing! photo credit / kotaku |
 Comments (Total Comments: 28) |
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CheapyD
- 09-09-2009, 09:58 PM
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I just wanted to add that this post wasn't meant to disparage either blog. Because this is such an usual PR stunt, the blogs are almost obliged to write about it, which is why this is such a brilliant bit of marketing.
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cochesecochese
- 09-09-2009, 09:59 PM
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Brilliant indeed. This stunt is getting huge mentions on many other gaming forums as well and generating a lot of publicity.
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sotc1988
- 09-09-2009, 10:04 PM
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CheapyD proves once again that he's not just a sweet piece of ass...he's got a brain in there too.
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Lord Moon
- 09-09-2009, 10:06 PM
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And since they didn't send you a check you just gave them a freebie.
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CheapyD
- 09-09-2009, 10:11 PM
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Doh, foiled again!
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Achuba Nanoia
- 09-09-2009, 10:18 PM
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Great stuff, but aren't we supposed to hate EA :P? Anyway, nice analysis Cheapy.
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Quarterplay
- 09-09-2009, 10:20 PM
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While Lord Moon raises a good point, Cheapy is absolutely correct. Also, it's a shame that there's no media kit for Joystiq available online to find out the CPM for an ad.
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DesertEagleXIX
- 09-09-2009, 10:25 PM
Updated 09-09-2009 at 10:38 PM by DesertEagleXIX |
Some joker named N'Gai posted that he and Garnett (Lee, I'm assuming) got $500 checks. I got a kick out of that.
I don't know if I'd call it 'brilliant' since the whole 'any publicity is good publicity' rule applies here. Get enough people talking about the money, and they may forgot the actual game looks like a bit of a clunker. Maybe 'resourceful' would be the term I'd use for the PR team. |
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whywakeup
- 09-09-2009, 10:25 PM
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I would have cashed it and bought two hundo's worth of tacos.
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Unassuming Local Guy
- 09-09-2009, 11:02 PM
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Crecente is a douche. He should have cashed it and given it to Child's Play or some other charity, especially if he's just going to burn it for page views.
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aihuman
- 09-09-2009, 11:24 PM
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I wonder how much money,in total,was give away to the press.I agree with unassuming local guy the money should really have gone to charity.
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antlp89
- 09-10-2009, 01:11 AM
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First time I've gone to Kotaku in a while (I clicked the link).
Ever since I noticed their plagiarist antics, I've avoided the site like the plague. Interesting analysis Cheapy, and it looks like EA's marketing ploy will spread like wildfire. To be completely honest, I've never even heard of this game. |
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FecesBreath
- 09-10-2009, 02:20 AM
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The point of EA sending the check wasn't whether it would be cashed or not. Or whether someone would destroy it or donate to charity. Hell, EA wouldn't have cared if Crecente had shoved it up his ass.
What EA wanted was media attention, and Crecente paid them back double. Not only did EA get a great mention on Kotaku, but Crecente actually went through the trouble of making a video, where in his silly mind he thinks that he's pulled one over on EA. So EA gets both a Kotaku post AND viral attention out of this. Plus, Crecente makes an ass out of himself! EA - marketing mission accomplished! |
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MIGGO
- 09-10-2009, 02:38 AM
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It's a smart idea, but the game doesn't come out until Feb 2010. What's the point of getting our collective attention on it right now -- just letting gamers know that the game exists??
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fart_bubble
- 09-10-2009, 02:44 AM
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Waterhouse
- 09-10-2009, 03:26 AM
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Cheapy's doh made me laugh...
that's right, keep feeding the marketing machine NOM NOM NOM |
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E*Master
- 09-10-2009, 07:39 AM
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I would've cashed it and kept it for myself. Why? I got rent to pay and I am unfortunately not an internet space Pimp, but am envious of one lol. I know it would be wrong to cash it. What I don't understand is why destroy it? If I wasn't going to cash it or give it to charity I would laminate it and frame it as memorabilia. By laminating it you still render it Void but are still in possession of it.
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evyrew
- 09-10-2009, 08:20 AM
Updated 09-10-2009 at 08:38 AM by evyrew |
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Wombat
- 09-10-2009, 08:50 AM
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you are technically right Mr. Abrams but you neglect to point out that neither article links the game's website or a place to pre-order, something that no doubt banner ads would do. Therefore the CPA & CPC with a CTR of 0 would be higher then the $8CPM. Creative yes, brilliant from a money saving standpoint not so much.
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kaw
- 09-10-2009, 09:08 AM
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I would have cashed it, and bought a Japanese super steak.
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