The BBC is promoting its coverage of the Winter Olympics with this creative TV spot. The network foregoes the celebrity athlete and highlight footage infused approach one would expect in an Olympics ad. The cost of securing big name athletes might have inspired it. Whatever the reason, the result is a memorable animated spot highlighted by its eye-catching art style and an imaginative premise.
Watch it at YouTube.
CVG has put together a checklist of features and specs for Apple iPad, with plenty of photos of the device. Quite a few outlets are griping today about what it s missing, be it webcam, Flash support, 16:9 ratio screen, robot legs, etc. CVG focuses on what’s there.
Check it out CVG.
Writing for FastCompany, Kevin Ohannessian looks at the in-game digital content delivery channel Cerberus Network built into Mass Effect 2. BioWare, along with Mass Effect publisher EA, are using the network to promote and deliver downloadable content for the role-playing game. BioWare points out that planned additional content for the title will be both free and fee-based. Ohannessian talks to BioWare’s Dr. Greg Zeschuk about the strategy behind building the network into the game. He also gets input from industry pundits on whether having DLC for console games is reaching ‘must-have feature’ status akin to multiplayer.
Read the article at FastCompany.
Writing for Ad Age, Steve Knox pens a piece on how interrupting the essential cognitive process of schemas is one way to get people talking about brands. It’s a heady concept, but made easy to grasp thanks to Knox s plentiful real-world examples. Knox runs an in-house marketing division for branding giant Procter & Gamble, so evil cat-stroking mastermind undertones aside, it s a worthy read.
Read the article at Ad Age.
Citing a Nikkei report, Japan game news site Andriasang says that Sony has revealed that about ten titles will be available when the PlayStation 3 motion controller launches. Sony said that games will include sports and pet simulation. Andriasang says the article in the Japan newspaper focuses on the importance of added functionality for both PS3 and Xbox 360 consoles. But the site adds that Nikkei completely ignores Microsoft s console motion device Natal, instead pointing to anime videos coming to Xbox 360. Read more at Andriasang.
EA Sports head Peter Moore has said his division is already looking into creating 3D content for PlayStation 3, and that sports games will be key to driving adoption of the technology. Talking to CVG, Moore likened the trajectory that 3DTV adoption will follow to HDTV, which he said sports had played a big part in helping showcase. He called it no coincidence that sports programming such as ESPN s 3D network and matches from this summer’s FIFA World Cup have been among the earliest 3D content announced. Moore said that EA Sports is absolutely looking to create 3D games. He also pointed out that it’s important to develop games specifically with the 3D experience in mind, citing James Cameron’s Avatar as exemplary of that approach for 3D film.
Read more at CVG.
Atari has partnered with Syfy in a co-promotion for massively multiplayer game Star Trek Online, reports science-fiction news site Airlock Alpha. Atari and Syfy are creating an online hub for the game at the network’s Syfy.com Game Center web site. Syfy plans on organizing contests around the game as well as offering digital download bundles with exclusive content through the site. The network will also broadcast TV marathon showings of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Enterprise starting Feb. 1 and leading up the game’s Feb. 2 launch date. Syfy’s senior vice president Alan Seiffert said the deal with Atari is part of making a significant commitment to growing our presence in gaming. Read more at Airlock Alpha.
Microsoft is conducting an agency review in the UK in preparation for a campaign repositioning the Xbox 360, reports NewMediaAge. The company is asking agencies for proposals for changing the way consumers perceive the console, presenting it as an entertainment center rather than a game system. NewMediaAge says Microsoft’s strategy extends to digital including social media, and also has an experiential marketing component. The account is worth about 1.5 million GBP.
Read more at NewMediaAge.
Research firms Nielsen and Deloitte have released a pair of reports on media activities favored by Americans. As reported in Adweek, the reports both show that television still dominates media consumption in the US. Nielsen’s most recent A2/M2 Three Screen Report found that Americans spent an average of 129 hours a month watching TV during the third quarter of 2009. That compared to 27 hours spent surfing the internet. A survey conducted by Deloitte for State of the Media Economy: Fourth Edition showed that among Americans 14-75 years old, 71 percent chose TV viewing as their preferred media activity. Deloitte’s report also showed TV as the top activity for every age group with the exception of Millennial Americans, or those aged 14-26 years old, who gave listening to music a slight edge over TV. Adweek has a table featuring Deloitte s data for all age groups.
Industry Gamers reports that it has added game news veteran Mark Friedler as publisher. The addition reunites Friedler, who headed the original GameDaily News, with his former editors James Brightman and David Radd. Brightman now heads up Industry Gamers content as editor-in-chief while Radd serves as senior editor. Friedler described his new role as helping build the business and deliver unique content and products for the site. Read more at Industry Gamers.
