What is the story with those dominion ads??

[Mozkito]

Cerlin said:
Well obviously they are trying to take advantage of the stereotype that gamers, who are assumed to all be pre-pubescent boys living at home, cannot resist the siren lure of a half naked woman.

You have no idea how many times I clicked those ads

[Endoperez]

And I have no idea what ads have to do with the thing advertised.

A good ad may get me interested, and if I'm interested, I'll buy a game. A bad ad won't make me interested, so I won't buy the game. If I'm interested in a game and see an ad, it doesn't really do anything, does it?

What I don't understand is a bad ad making people NOT buy a game they already are interested in. This last one is what people claim Shrapnel has done. Well, whatever, but to me the ad matters less than the pretty pictures in the cover, and those don't matter at all.


As I said, I have no idea what ads have to do with the advertised product - it existed before the ads, and it will be the same even after the ads. It's the same, nothing has changed. I'm tired and rambling, but why would anyone be interested in ads, except to laugh at them and make fake bog beast plushie ads, which this threads hasn't had at all.

[S.R. Krol]

VedalkenBear said:
However, given Shrapnel's responses in this thread, I can say that they've lost at least one customer.

Hunh, wha? So if we announced Dominions IV tomorrow you wouldn't be the least bit interested?

Guys, unless there's an ad running I haven't seen I'd like to point out that (a) All the women are fully clothed. There's not even a bikini-clad model, chainmail or otherwise. About the most 'revealing' article of clothing is a garter. (b) The most suggestive position is laying on a couch. No one is spread eagle, or bending over shot from behind, etc.

The women could very well be selling watches, shoes, or hair care products. They're just silly ads. You're playing a game with blood slaves and false gods in it. Is an attractive (fully clothed) women really something to get in a lather about?

Obviously you guys have already bought the game. If the forum was being flooded with people who don't own the game, discovered us through the ads, and registered just to ***** about the ads that would be rather interesting. But that's not happening, nor I think there is a danger of that occurring.

Relax. Have some fun. Don't like the ads? Block them with your browser. In the history of computer gaming these ads aren't going to be making anyone's Top 10 Offensive Ad Campaign lists...

[Wrana]

To Ironhawk:

what you should do is tell your marketing dept to at least make a *head nod* towards actually selling a product rather than pandering to the lowest common denominator.

Well, that theory is slightly dead & have been so at least from 90s... So no marketing-guy in his right mind (whether THAT's possible is another question) will hear to such a heretical notion. And you said youself that you understand that the single person's opinion has no chance to be heard... Maybe you should either try for a full-scale campaign or just spit at it & be on your way?
To SRKrol:

not even a bikini-clad model, chainmail or otherwise

And WHY? Chain-mail bikinis are a time-honored tradition, after all...

[DonCorazon]

Lowest common denominator!? Sir, I am offended.
Just because I openly admit that my dream is to play Dom 3 with a scantily clad Salma Hayek does not me a lowest common denonominator.

Sir, have you not yourself ever felt the inclination to gaze upon a beautiful woman? Have your eyes ever lingered overly long at a Budweiser ad. Do not fear the stirrings in your loins and strike out with wrath at the creators of your desire.

We had a senator here who did much the same until he was caught playing footsies in the men's bathroom with a cop.

Nay, let your lustful nature loose and frolic in the woods.

DC of Pangea

[Ironhawk]

S.R. Krol said:
Obviously you guys have already bought the game. If the forum was being flooded with people who don't own the game, discovered us through the ads, and registered just to ***** about the ads that would be rather interesting. But that's not happening, nor I think there is a danger of that occurring.

To hear a comment like this from someone attached to Shrapnel only confirms that I really should be losing respect for them. Effectively you have just told me that since I am not a prospective customer you dont care. Great. Good to know.

Now when you actually do release Dom4 or <insert other game I might buy here> I will know to reconsider.

[Omnirizon]

I have to agree with everyone that says the add is funny. It is so completely tongue-in-cheek I don't see how anybody can find it offensive (unless you don't like girls). But then again tongue in cheek is, by definition, humor in a subtle lack of seriousness.

[Sir_Dr_D]

I think that some of you are over reacting.

The point of the add isn't so much as using sex to sell the game, but rather using shock value to sell the game. The adds are meant to be ironic, which makes them eye catching ,and funny. I like them.

[S.R. Krol]

Ironhawk said:

To hear a comment like this from someone attached to Shrapnel only confirms that I really should be losing respect for them. Effectively you have just told me that since I am not a prospective customer you dont care. Great. Good to know.

Now when you actually do release Dom4 or <insert other game I might buy here> I will know to reconsider.

Unnh, no, I don't think that was my point. All I was saying was that the ads are meant to bring new eyes into the fold and all the complaints in the thread are coming from people who already own the game. If it was truly something so offensive (e.g. "John Romero is going to make you his *****") then I would assume that there would be some sort of furor from folks outside the community. There isn't.

And again, I really don't understand where the hostility comes from towards the ads, or frankly anything in this thread. You have a concern about the ad. Others don't. And then I'm sure there is a huge percentage of people who feel nothing either way. Everyone has an opinion, and everyone's opinion is valid.

Can you honestly say that because you don't like a banner ad campaign you'll have to think about purchasing a game? Not buying a game because the uninstall wipes out your registry, I can see that. Buggy, broken games that never get fixed, I can see that, too. But a banner ad campaign? Really?

I'll leave you guys with a paragraph from the blog regarding the banner ads when they first went up...

"We’re here to sell games. We want people to be aware of our games, and I’m fairly certain our developers want the same thing. We’re always going to be looking for new ways to attract attention and get more eyes on the games. Whether it’s experimenting with social network sites, or running off beat ads, we’re going to try out new methods. See what works and what doesn’t. We’re an independent publisher. We’re not going to ever get the cover article, or be the exclusive story on some cable show. We have to approach things differently. What all this means is that the ads aren’t going anyplace. To those couple of folks who aren’t keen on them, sorry."

[Annette]

Ironhawk said:

To hear a comment like this from someone attached to Shrapnel only confirms that I really should be losing respect for them. Effectively you have just told me that since I am not a prospective customer you dont care. Great. Good to know.

Now when you actually do release Dom4 or <insert other game I might buy here> I will know to reconsider.

I'm sorry, but I don't see where Scott is saying we don't care about you as a customer. He's saying that you are not the target audience for the ads.

Of course we care about customers. I think you've been around long enough to know that we continually provide excellent post-purchase support to our customers. I am saddened to think we would lose you, or anyone else, as a customer because of a banner ad running on our site. Please allow me to share some of the feedback we've had just in the past couple of months through our customer support center:

"wow! great service, thanks a bunch :-)"
- Patrick T., April 9, 2008

"Very fast response. Thank you," - Alfred E., April 9, 2008

"\o/ That worked, all is well now Thanks for sorting this out for me."
- Jason N., April 9, 2008

"I will continue to support your company as titles come out. Thanks for the quick response. My best to you all." - Dave O., March 17, 2008

"Thank you very much for the good customer service :-)"
- Raf G., March 12, 2008

"Thank you for your great customer service." - Jack H., February 18, 2008

"Thanks. Customer support here is quick." - Angelo S., January 16, 2008

As a 47 year old female, I don't find the ads offensive. I think they're out of the ordinary and bizarre, something that will attract attention. Obviously, our opinions differ, and that's what makes the world go 'round.

At any rate, I hope you would judge us as a company based on the quality of our product and the service we have provided you - not on an ad and the subsequent discussion of such ad.
We apologize that our banner ads offend you.