Corporate Logos as Costume Bits?
I couldn't favor external corporate sponsorship. Having more in-game logos available wouldn't be a bad thing.
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I've got two alts who could really benefit from the Wyvern logo and bandolier.
Paragon City Search And Rescue
The Mentor Project
Dr. Todt's theme.
i make stuff...
Your example was just as ludicrous the first time. I would think that a look at the real world and seeing all the places that companies ARE willing to put their logos would indicate your argument has no basis in reality.
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Except, this is a game not the real world. NCSoft has to take a lot of things into consideration before they allow certain things to take place. The billboard ads were static and not something players could influence. Logos would be different, they'd be placed directly in control of players. Player behavior would be connected to them, like it or not. NCSoft could be held responsible, at least here in the sue happy US.
In my opinion it could open a can of worms for NCSoft and might not be worth the aggravation that could be a result. If that's something they want to get involved with though that's their choice. There would be legal contracts and lawyer fees to pay and they might have to pay a royalty depending on how big the brand is. This game isn't big enough for a company like Disney to want to give away it's logo to, or pay to use its logo. WoW maybe, but not CoX. The game in the OP was free to play, companies might assume that means a larger audience to influence with product placement.
I don't understand the people that want more reality in their game entertainment. Why not just play real life if that's what you want. You and your friends can hang out wearing the same Coke t-shirts. Or fill in your brand of choice instead of Coke.
One big question...
Do these real world corporations "exist" in this alternate universe that CoH exists in? If not, then it would make absolutely no sense to be flashing their logos anywhere in Paragon City or the Isles.
Regardless, Pepsi still licenses logo tee-shirts. |
Hmmm...
Well, TBH, my question was more about how players would feel about corporate logos than whether it would actually be a good idea for the corporations. I personally think that corporations tend to believe that any publicity is good publicity. It's just not always EFFECTIVE publicity.
The Free Realms thing works because it's "synergy" and the two divisions are just pushing money around that all belongs to the parent company in the end.
If Pepsi thought that putting their logo in City of Heroes would produce a measurable increase in sales of real-world product then I have no doubt that they would be in negotiations to make that happen, and worrying very little about how the brand was being used as long as no direct damage was being done to Pepsi itself.
If Pepsiman entered Paragon City as a contact and players could buy a six-pack of Pepsi to get a code that would unlock his missions, and the end result was a "Pepsi Splash" temp power and a logo costume piece, Pepsi would be interested in that IF they believed that all or most of the 120k+ subscribers would go out and buy one or more six-packs as a result.
Granted, that's not a huge blip on Pepsi's radar. Something like that would be measured against the "game fuel" campaign that they had with WoW, where the potential number of "eyes" was magnitudes larger and no actual product purchase was neccesary. Still, a measurable blip is a successful campaign.
Taking over the world while wearing the pepsi logo in a video game probably wouldn't factor very highly into their list of concerns if it could be shown that they were making real money by allowing that. If that WAS a concern, well, the mission is only blue-side; problem solved.
There's enough advertising in every aspect of our lives....No need to ad more here.
COH/CoV - Virtue
8 Ball - Lev 50 Kin/Energy Defender
The Canadian Fist - Lev 50 Ice/EM Blaster
Omega Ghost - Lev 50 Robo/Dark MM
Ghostfall - Lev 50 Arachnos Crab Soldier
Real-world logos? No thanks. In-game corporate logos? Absolutely.
Arc 55669 - Tales of the PPD: One Hell of a Deal (video trailer)
Arc 64511 - The Wrecking Ball
Arc 1745 - The Trouble With Trimbles
Arc 302901 - HappyCorpse
Paragon City Search And Rescue
The Mentor Project
I will admit, real world logos would never happen here.
But it does remind me fondly of an old Marvel RPG that I was in with a few friends where one guy's character was literally a super-speedster sponsored by UPS. He worked as a delivery man. He was their public face. He wore the logos.
It was fething hilarious when it was later leaked out that his powers were 'tweaked' by Mr. Sinister.
Now! This is it! Now is the time to choose! Die and be free of pain or live and fight your sorrow! Now is the time to shape your stories! Your fate is in your hands!
Actually, what happened with the whole in-game advertising programme anyhow?
Last time I saw any was when Vin Diesel was glowering out of every. Single. Billboard... about a year ago for Babylon A.D. (Probably the scariest in-game event they've had.)
Is it time for the dance of joy yet?
I think the company that the ads were run through went broke.
I think the company that the ads were run through went broke.
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Like any good advertising company, they had to piss people off by extending loading times to fit the oversize ads they put in, just to make extra sure people noticed them. The ads have since since been limited to fit within the normal load times of the game though, I believe.
Can't remember the name of the game, but I wanna say one of the Wipeout sequels.
Edit:
The game was Wipeout HD. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/so...wipeout-advert
Link also includes a side by side comparison of load times for the curious.
the reason i cannot count them is because the number is zero
Oh, because it never happened to you it never happens at all.
I guess that example, minus the sponsor logo, that happened to me must be a figment of my imagination. The point was, since you missed it, that if something like that happens it reflects poorly on the sponsor even though they didn't endorse the behavior.