TV Target Marketing Strategy...

Just a few thoughts on TV commercials CoH could make... targeted to specific specialty cable networks and tweaked to appeal to that channel's primary demographic... feel free to add your own ideas...

* Animal Planet - (voice over has a thick Australian accent) "Here we see the shy Council soldier in its natural habitat... what a beauty! Oh dear... it looks like a 5th Column... the Council's natural predator... has spotted it and is sneaking up behind... this might not be pretty... but it's natural selection at its best..."

* MTV - Skulls Girlfriend: "That's mine over there... the one with the skull mask... no... the other one... I think... Anyway... I'm not going to be his girlfriend forever... I'm going places... I'm moving up in the world... you won't see me barefoot and pregnant still in high school... come Issue 24... I won't be his girlfriend anymore... I'll be his MINION..."

* Comedy Central - Old Man: "Tank a mob... phaah! In my day you could herd an entire MAP! And don't get me started on diminishing returns..." His Wife(glancing at his lap): "Honey, you got started on diminishing returns YEARS ago..."

* FOX Network - FOX Network Executive: "City of Heroes is smart and it's trendy... It has a depth of story that is captivating and believable, likable characters... Not only can you play the game but you can enjoy the story at the same time... so... obviously... we are cancelling it immediately..."

* TLC - Game Reviewer: "SUCH a fabulous game! I adored it! The color combinations and style represented were unbelievable! While those choosing the Free to Play option will have MORE than enough to keep them happy... the Paragon Market is simply TOO delish to resist for long... I give City of Heroes a fab five out of five! It's too bad I never made it out of the Costume Creator... but I'm sure the rest of the game is okay too..."

* G4 - Morgan Webb: "City of Heroes is a game that has withstood the test of time... staying alive when other MMORPG's have faded into history... it's player base is extremely loyal.. (glances to the left uneasily)... EXTREMELY loyal... sticking with the franchise even when other super hero MMO's took the field to challenge it... I am sure that... (looks down at the script and blanches, looks left then takes a deep breath and continues) I am sure that everyone watching will agree it is the ultimate gaming experience once they try the new Free to Play format... (looks left once more)... There... I did it... now please put the gun down!" Voice from Off Camera: "That was just practice... now do it in the bikini..."

* Discover - Capt Sig Hansen over the radio: "I'm in trouble... I repeat... I AM in trouble... Crew of the Northwestern seeks team to help take down Lusca GM in Bering Sea... please send tell.." Capt Jonathan Hillstrand: "What kind of reward does that give?" Sig: "Merits and a badge..." Captain Keith Colburn: "Sign me up!" Capt Jonathan: "Me too... and some guy named Elliot is yammering in broadcast that he wants in..." Sig: "No thanks... I have that jerk on global ignore..."

* SyFy - (visual of families enjoying a day in the park...) "Populace: Unsuspecting" (a few adults start to frown... look up into sky while shading their eyes) "Invasion: Imminent" (broad shot of a line of shadow sweeping over the grass... parents grab their children and start to run) "Rikti: Here" (screen fills with the face of a Rikti general) "Humanity: Doomed" (screen goes black for a moment then displays the City of Heroes logo) "Heroes: Needed"

I am in awe.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

* HBO - (Black screen. A grim, elderly female voice speaks:) "What do you know about fear?" (CUT TO: A slow forward shot sweeping over a snow-covered wilderness. We hear the sounds of a harsh, cold wind blowing with mournful instrumentation in the background. Back to black:) "Fear is for the winter, when the snows fall a hundred feet deep." (CUT TO: The same, but we see white wisps darting in and out of the trees, traveling with the camera. CUT back to black) "Fear is for the Long Night, when the White Walkers move through the woods." (CUT TO: Same, except the number of wisps has increased. The camera starts to pan up as we travel. Voiceover:) "When the sun hides for years, and children are born and live and die all in darkness." (With the following, the Lord Winter rises from a clearing ahead, with its back to us and turns toward the camera as we approach:) "That is the time for fear." (CUT TO BLACK, fade up "City of Heroes: The Winter Event is Coming")

History Channel
Pawn Stars: (Customer comes walking in with a Jet Pack)

Rick: What can I do for you?

Customer: Hi, I'd like to sell my authentic "Hero Jet Pack".

Rick: Uh, Okaaaay. How did you get that?

Customer: Well, a few years back, my father was on a tour of duty in some insane
place called Shadow Shard, where gravity is really crazy and of lot of guys get these
to travel around. When he rotated back Stateside, he still had it with him.
He passed away recently, and I got the Jet Pack as part of the estate settlement.

Rick: So are you looking to pawn it or sell it?

Customer: I'd like to sell it.

Rick: So what are you figuring to get for it?

Customer: Well, they usually go for about 10,000 from General Hammond's supply, so I
guess, I'd like that.

Old Man: That's not gonna happen son. Typically these items are army issue,
they have limited fuel, export permissions can be tricky, and there just isn't a large
resale value for them.

Rick: <shrugs> I can give you 250 for it. If it's still working.

Customer: That's a lot less than I was hoping for - could you come up to, say 5000?

Rick: As the Old Man said, we've got to sell it, and there just isn't a lot of resale value
to them - you can also get these from surplus at Wentworths for a few hundred.
The best I could do is 350, and even that's probably too much.

Customer: (thinking it over) Well.... I guess I could let it go for 350. It's just sitting
around the house, and my wife is dreading what would happen if one of the kids
gets ahold of it.

Rick: 350 it is (shaking hands). Let's go do the paperwork - Chumley, write him up.

...

End of Show scene

...

(Chumley and Big Hoss out in the parking lot.)

Big Hoss: Ok, let's fire this bad boy up and see how it flies.

Chumley: (with the jet pack more or less strapped around him) Hoss, how come I
have to be the one wearing the pack?

Big Hoss: Well, we have to find out if it works, and that means you have to test it.
Fire it up!

(there's a click, a loud whooshing sound followed the the sound of Chumley smacking
into the shop wall at a high rate of speed).

Big Hoss: Yep. Looks like it works...


(Fade to commercial)



Cheers,
4

Sensational ideas and the only reason we don't see them on TV is the cost/benefit ratio for TV commercials.

If I felt up to it I would do one based on "Storage Wars" where Hester buys a locker full of Inanimate Carbon Rods. "I can get 250 a piece at any store".

YUUUP!