Most videogame advertising isn't aimed at people who play games but people who buy games - they're not always the same people.
Parents buy games for their kids but they don't have a clue about them, which is why licensed tat like Harry Potter and Madagascar sells by the truckload. Target video makes parents sit up and take notice, and crucially it also gets kiddies nagging their parents. They are a sham, no two ways about it, but the fact we're even having this discussion proves they can't fool the people who know their stuff.
On the other hand, the sort of adverts that don't show anything at all about the product - like the PSP ads - are aimed at people who do play games, or at least have some awareness of games and trendy technogadgets. They don't need to spell out what a PSP is to these people, rather they seek to create desire by selling the possiblities that come with the product, like looking at photos of "your girlfriend's white bits" at the bus-stop.
Parents buy games for their kids but they don't have a clue about them, which is why licensed tat like Harry Potter and Madagascar sells by the truckload. Target video makes parents sit up and take notice, and crucially it also gets kiddies nagging their parents. They are a sham, no two ways about it, but the fact we're even having this discussion proves they can't fool the people who know their stuff.
On the other hand, the sort of adverts that don't show anything at all about the product - like the PSP ads - are aimed at people who do play games, or at least have some awareness of games and trendy technogadgets. They don't need to spell out what a PSP is to these people, rather they seek to create desire by selling the possiblities that come with the product, like looking at photos of "your girlfriend's white bits" at the bus-stop.
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