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 Forum index » Meta » General META Discussion
Brand suckers
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Simulacra
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Joined: 17 May 2003
Posts: 123
Location: Down the rabbithole

 		Brand suckers
When something new emerges, why are we so eager to connect this to major brands? Is it because brand equals resources and resources equals an interesting game or is it because we are brand suckers, just like everyone else?

A penny for your thoughts on this matter.
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 22, 2004 2:15 pm
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sauceykat
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Joined: 10 Jul 2003
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 		Huh?

PostPosted: Thu Jul 22, 2004 2:18 pm
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SpaceBass
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Joined: 20 Sep 2002
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 		Do you mean like connecting ilovebees to Halo 2? I don't know if it was eagerness so much as the fact that the Halo 2 trailer has the website in the end of it.
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 22, 2004 2:20 pm
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sauceykat
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 		That's what I though Simulcra was referring to but I was wanting confirmation...it's like, if you want to say it...just say it man. The reason ILB is being linked to Halo2 is because there seems to be a link (ie. the website flashing at the end of the Halo2 spot appears to be ilovebees.com). If it's not, then it's not. There's no branding conspiracy going on (as far as I know).

/me looks around with suspicion and puts on his tinfoil hat.

D-

PostPosted: Thu Jul 22, 2004 2:26 pm
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BoJangles
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Joined: 14 Mar 2003
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 		People associate things as it helps remove the fear of the unknown.

Mel
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 22, 2004 2:27 pm
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vpisteve
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Joined: 30 Sep 2002
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 		Hmm, yeah. I think this 'eagerness' for lack of a better word, is a way to reassure ourselves that this may be a well funded, highly resourced thing that's not going to meltdown midway through.

I'm still not convinced about the xbox tie in though (no offense to those who've seen the trailer Smile ). I just need to see it for myself.
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 22, 2004 2:28 pm
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sauceykat
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 		Maybe the question is: Why are you so afraid to link a game to a brand, hmmmm? heh

D-

PostPosted: Thu Jul 22, 2004 2:28 pm
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Wolf
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Joined: 26 Sep 2002
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 		<----- Nice. I always wanted a 25 cent prints image for my icon. Now I can die happy.

Quote:
this may be a well funded, highly resourced thing that's not going to meltdown midway through.


But be not confused...well funded and highly resourced is no guarantee of quality, just as underfunded and stressed-out is no guarantee of failure.

I know these things.
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 22, 2004 2:39 pm
Last edited by Wolf on Thu Jul 22, 2004 2:52 pm; edited 1 time in total
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rowan
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Joined: 12 Apr 2004
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vpisteve wrote:
I'm still not convinced about the xbox tie in though (no offense to those who've seen the trailer Smile ). I just need to see it for myself.


No offense taken. I personally didn't believe the post on Dana's blog and Uke's account of it, which is why I went right out to see it. Even when the trailer came on I was thinking "there is no way ilovebees is going to show up on here." But I am very glad that I did go and check it out. I no longer have to keep wondering about "is it really true, or are all these ppl on crack?" Laughing Even all the analysis and image manipulation of the videos we've found doesn't come close to the thrill when you see it on the big screen in a darkened theatre. So, for everyone who still has doubt, if you can, get a Loews Theatre and watch it for yourself. And don't blink - or you just might miss it. Very Happy
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 22, 2004 2:42 pm
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vpisteve
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Joined: 30 Sep 2002
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Wolf wrote:
<----- Nice. I always wanted a 25 cent prints image for my icon. Now I can die happy.

Quote:
this may be a well funded, highly resourced thing that's not going to meltdown midway through.


But be not confused...well funded and highly resourced is no guarantee of quality, just as underfunded and stressed-out is no guarantee of failure.

I know these things.


Oh yes, that goes without saying, obviously. Very Happy
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 22, 2004 3:04 pm
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Simulacra
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Joined: 17 May 2003
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SpaceBass wrote:
Do you mean like connecting ilovebees to Halo 2? I don't know if it was eagerness so much as the fact that the Halo 2 trailer has the website in the end of it.


I am not specifically refering to the ilovebees experience, it's just something that I have noticed - that many players seem very interested in finding out if there's a major brand behind it all. The question "Is it a brand?" seems to be one of the first many people ask themselves when something new emerges (and considering the origins of internet-based ARG, this is no surprise).

If this hunch is right, ARG players are behaving just as the good brand designer intended: that many of our categories or classes (in the philosphical senses of the words) of the world are defined by brands. Thus making it possible to conclude that: "This feels just like the Matrix (tm) or that movie with Michael Douglas"
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 22, 2004 3:07 pm
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sauceykat
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Joined: 10 Jul 2003
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 		Well, personally I think it's deeply ingrained in our culture--a part of our folk taxonomy. It's not surprising considering our pop culture. But really, is that necessarily a bad thing? Everybody compares things to what they are familiar with, and it's fun to guess who is behind a game, whether it's somebody we know in the ARG community or a large corporation.

D-

PostPosted: Thu Jul 22, 2004 4:17 pm
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Simulacra
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sauceykat wrote:
Well, personally I think it's deeply ingrained in our culture--a part of our folk taxonomy. It's not surprising considering our pop culture. But really, is that necessarily a bad thing? Everybody compares things to what they are familiar with, and it's fun to guess who is behind a game, whether it's somebody we know in the ARG community or a large corporation.

D-


Well, I agree it's deeply integrated and it has become "folk" (in the Bachtinian sense of the word). But I wouldn't call our culture simply a popular culture, it's a commercialised mass media culture. Brands aren't created at the grassroot level, but rather from the top of the pyramid. The familiarity of a brand is created by buying space. I do have a problem when my associations are bought without my consent or possibility of refusal. (And let's face it: have you ever seen a graphical designer wear big visible brands? We don't shit where we eat.)

Anyway, this is a big discussion but it is relevant to ARGs because of the question:

Should an ARG use branding techniques to get well known or should it remain a mystery?

Having worked professionally with developing brands and different kinds of reality games, this is a very interesting issue indeed. People will, as you point out, look for the origin of something that might be a game. But should their suspiciouns be directed at a recognisable brand?
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 22, 2004 4:32 pm
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SpaceBass
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Joined: 20 Sep 2002
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Simulacra wrote:
Should an ARG use branding techniques to get well known or should it remain a mystery?

I'm not sure why you assume that a branded ARG is using the brand just to gain attention? For instance, the Beast was a promotion for a brand (the A.I. movie). If the ARG is being used as a marketing tool, then it's promoting the brand, not the other way around, right?
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 22, 2004 4:41 pm
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Simulacra
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SpaceBass wrote:
I'm not sure why you assume that a branded ARG is using the brand just to gain attention? For instance, the Beast was a promotion for a brand (the A.I. movie). If the ARG is being used as a marketing tool, then it's promoting the brand, not the other way around, right?


Of course. Finding that an ARG is a brand promotion always turns me off. "Aww, it was just a commercial." But the ARG can be a brand in itself as well if it for example associates itself with certain values, uses a certain graphical style and has a catchy name. Is that a good thing?
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 22, 2004 4:49 pm
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