What is the story with those dominion ads??

[Dedas]

Yahoo! Marketing is the best.

[Agrajag]

I've been gone for quite some time due to internet and computer problems. (That are still ongoing )
So I'll just post my opinion on some main points in this huge thread:
>>The ads are funny
I think they are mildly amusing, which is more than I can say for most commercials.

>>The ads objectify women
1) Pfft.
2) It's not the duty of Shrapnel Games to strengthen the moral fiber of society, they just want to sell games.
3) I don't think there's any problem with ads objectifying women, the real problem is when people objectify <anyone>.

>>Gratuitous violence
Is awesome.
Exploding piles of gore and blood?
That's what you call fun!
Seriously, these are games we are talking about.

>>boys so pretty that they'd make straight men go gay.
I'm not gay, but if there were boys pretty enough to make me go gay then I probably wouldn't mind (in the same way I wouldn't mind dying since I'd be dead.)
Also, adblock+noscript (so I only saw the first one since it was reposted in many ways)

[Foodstamp]

When I first saw the ads, I thought they were supposed to be ironic. I thought the women in the ads with Dominions were supposed to be a juxtapose of advertisement that we were all supposed to take as being funny and oddball.

I am really amazed that people are offended and feel Shrapnel games is trying to insult their intelligence. When I see these ads, I applaud them for daring to be different and mixing two completely different things together to draw attention.

[Wrana]

To Foodstamp:

Yet, in our societies, sexuality is more taboo than these other things. Makes no sense at all, period.

Well, the society with taboo on sexuality was the one which conquered most of the Earth's surface and got into space.
You can call it amazing (which is the best ), illogical or even perverted, but you shouldn't doubt its efficacy. And it's all about efficacy, right? (At least so positivist science tells us).
And so you probably shouldn't wonder that people who are fascinated by this conquest are less-than fond of overt demonstrations of sexuality... However, this isn't the case here at all!
To All:

but because it is insulting. The ad is basically saying "We know our target audience

This is the key. (I don't want to place long quote here - the thread is long enough already! ) For people who feel insulted by such ads it's just a sign - of not exploitation of women, but of their own exploitation which is waved before their noses. So the Foodstamp's analogy is quite off the mark: while there are pornographic computer games, there aren't those in which player is just an object of outside manipulation (sorry, forgot the TV! But we are speaking of the computer gamers here - and they by definition prefer to be somewhat active...). And just as everybody had had sex, everybody also is quite familiar with marketologists who "know what you want" MUCH better than yourself.
And this is why I both find ads humorous - as they just bring the fact that these "knowing" ones actually just don't care the freck into light - and the humor somewhat sick - as the fact that ones who don't care are considered knowledgable isn't actually THAT funny.
Dixi.
Hope that it's the last post in this thread.

[Dedas]

Check out the new ad guys! I know you will be pleased with the frisky hunk.

But where o where is our beloved Beast of Bog?

[vfb]

I think the ninja is pretty ambiguous. But very pretty nevertheless. Is it a ninja girl? Or a ninja boy with an eyebrow kit.

And good thing I was forewarned, and wearing my protective goggles, or I would have caught teh gay from the frisky hunk for sure! Yeah!

[VedalkenBear]

That new ad definitely seems to be better than the previous...

Edit: Oh, come on! You reference Gift of the Heavens in a Dominions ad and don't show a comet? Work with it!

[llamabeast]

I don't really mind too much about the ads. Well, I think they're shoddy and poor, but I'm not interested in discussing them particularly. However, I'm really disappointed by Shrapnel's reaction to their customers' opinions here.

I think it's absolutely fair enough to say "you have a right to your opinions, but on this occasion we're going to follow our business model and go ahead with our campaign; we're sorry that not all of you will like it". But the staff have been outright mocking and sarcastic here - why?

If someone like Jurri, an important part of the community, is driven away from the forums just because Shrapnel staff couldn't make the effort to be polite and thoughtful, I am appalled. And ultimately it is shooting yourself in the foot, since the community here is, I believe, very important to Dominions' success.

Previously I've always been impressed by Tim's responses on the forums. Here I have to agree with Sombre and say my opinion on the company has taken a complete 180. How can you be so careless with your customers' opinions?

[VedalkenBear]

I agree with you, llamabeast, at least so far as Mr. Krol is concerned. I have said as much to him, and I am following up with as much 'lambast' as I can in the correct channels. Annette, to me, has the mentality that you say would be 'fair'. The difference in the tone of their responses is incredible and cannot be understated from this customer's POV, at least.

Having said that, the newest ad is a vast improvement over the recent debacle. It honestly looks like Honor Harrington.

[llamabeast]

With regard to the adverts themselves: I find myself picking up game boxes with attractive girls in chainmail on the front and so on, so there's no doubt that kind of thing works (sadly). I think that, apart from those exploitation arguments etc, the main problem with the old adverts was that they just looked poor. It looked like someone had downloaded a picture of a girl and written some text on in MS Paint.

The new ninja looks much better. I think adverts with at least some marginal link to the subject material are much more effective.

I also predict that the male model one will do disastrously.