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 Forum index » Meta » General META Discussion
Punk Marketing
Moderators: imbri, ndemeter
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catherwood
I Have 100 Cats and Smell of Wee

Joined: 25 Sep 2002
Posts: 4109
Location: Silicon Valley, CA

 		Punk Marketing
and alternative-reality branding
What's an ARB, you might ask? I found it in the index of this book:
http://www.punkmarketing.com/

I was wandering the aisles of Barnes&Noble tonight, and forced down the Business aisle by the sheets of plastic covering their under-construction cafe area. Top shelf, brightly colored cover, and bold print caught my eye: "Punk Marketing"

Always on the look-out for hints that marketing types "grok" ARGs as more than cross-media entertainment or viral marketing, I opened the book from the back first, looking in the index for references to past campaigns. There it was: "alternative-reality branding" on pages 111, 113, 115-118, 199.

As examples of "ARBs", the authors mention Halo 2 and Art of the Heist, and make many references to Beta-7. They credit the advertising team for launching the campaigns, but not the creative team behind the curtain of the games. (This was only what I absorbed after a quick flip thru the pages, so I might have missed these details.)

I was tempted to buy the book, but in hard cover it was over $25 and I was cheap. Maybe my library will get a copy...

Chapter 7 - Now It's Story Time: Art of Making a Case through Storytelling

PostPosted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 12:55 am
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imbriModerator
Entrenched


Joined: 21 Sep 2002
Posts: 1182
Location: wonderland

 		Just my opinion, of course, but be glad you saved the money. I wish that I had. I read the book back in March, I don't remember all that much about it other than it (not surprisingly) read like it was written by two arrogant ad guys for a bunch of wannabe arrogant ad guys. Plus, "Alternative-reality Branding"... sigh. I guess you have to respect them for trying to add yet another stupid and completely confusing name into the mix and one that they can claim as their own. Haven't the alternate/alternative debates been done? Even Henry Jenkins has apologized for using "alternative" in Convergence Culture - which is much more bang for the buck, a thousand times more interesting, and also mentions ARG, if only in a sidebar (and, with all the talk of the matrix and fan fiction, the ego and fangirl in me wish he had mentioned Metacortechs - that would have been insanely cool).

If you'd like, I can reread the section on Alternative-Reality Branding and give it a more proper review. I have to admit, I was annoyed by the book before I even got there, so I probably read it with an overly critical mind.

PostPosted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 6:59 am
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FLmutant
Decorated


Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 244
Location: Orlando, FL

 		I see that ARB phrase more and more, but exclusively among advertising and marketing types. I think it stems from a basic fear of the phrase "game". Sometimes I try to get them to use "alternate reality experience" instead, because "branding" is a massive media consumption model in their parlance, so they drain out part of the core community engagement idea from the label.

But that's okay. All the cool kids call it Chaotic Fiction now, right?

*checks his "What the Cool Kids Are Saying - Large Print Edition"*

PostPosted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 2:14 pm
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vpisteve
Asshatministrator


Joined: 30 Sep 2002
Posts: 2441
Location: 1987
Quote:
But that's okay. All the cool kids call it Chaotic Fiction now, right?


I think we just need to sigh and start calling it simply That Thing We Do. Wink
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 2:38 pm
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konamouse
Official uF Dietitian


Joined: 02 Dec 2002
Posts: 8010
Location: My own alternate reality

 		Gee, thanks for putting *THAT* song into my head for the rest of the day.
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 2:43 pm
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imbriModerator
Entrenched


Joined: 21 Sep 2002
Posts: 1182
Location: wonderland
FLmutant wrote:
I think it stems from a basic fear of the phrase "game".


I think it also stems from (or at least shows) a basic ignorance of what they're talking about.

I know it's crazy to get so hooked on an word or phrase, but "alternative reality" (with game, experience, branding, brownies, or any other word after it) just really grates on me. And it's not as if a simple google by the author or editor (or marketer or ad guy) couldn't have fixed it. Though, I suppose that I shouldn't be surprised that marketers and ad guys ditch "alternate" for "alternative" (we're hip. we're edgy. we're alternative. -- about as alternative as the music that tries to pass as such today)

Experience really isn't a bad term, I don't think. I've been using experience for years in talking about these things, especially when talking about "extended realities" or to avoid the "but is it a game" debate. Also, experience and game bring out different ideas to me - experience is much more singular but also exudes a certain power. Game, on the other hand, feels much more communal and what it lacks in power implies action and play. Though, to bring it back, "Alternative Reality Experience" implies something different than "Alternate Reality Experience." And that just drives me batty Smile

PostPosted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 4:26 pm
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vpisteve
Asshatministrator


Joined: 30 Sep 2002
Posts: 2441
Location: 1987
konamouse wrote:
Gee, thanks for putting *THAT* song into my head for the rest of the day.


No, that would be That Thing You Do.

/me traipses off....
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 31, 2007 4:30 pm
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