Market to Me: Marketing Consoles
February 2008 Issue
Features
- From the Editors
- Craft Check: Make Your Own Tiara
- Gaming in the Media: “I’m Not Offended, I’m Just Bored”: Gawker Cuts to the Heart of our Apathy
- Market to Me: Marketing Consoles
Interviews
- Industry Interview: Kelley Barnes-Herrmann
- Video Interview: Gabrielle Munoz
Articles
- An Atypical Princess: Ashelia B’Nargin Dalmasca
Author: Melissa Velte
- Princess Peach: Feminist?
Author: Drew Mackie
- Should Gamers Embrace Femininity?
Author: Natalie Hill
Melissa discusses they ways in which Final Fantasy XII's Ashe overcomes negative princess stereotypes.
Drew takes a look at the portrayal of Princess Peach and analyzes her history from a feminist perspective.
Natalie makes the case that embracing femininity allows for more diversity in gaming.
Gamer Stories
Reviews
Odds 'n Ends
The old ad campaign standby of “sex sells” is a phrase that most of us are all too familiar with. As the oft-overlooked minority in the gaming community, women are frequently forced to tolerate this method of sexual pandering by witless ad agents who aren’t creative enough to come up with a campaign that doesn’t rely on bare midriffs and cleavage. We suffer through video game ads adorned with busty bikini models, regardless of game content.
The idea that video games often market themselves by marketing to oversexed heterosexual males is no revelation. But what about the consoles themselves? Do they pander to that same base instinct, or do the ad agents in charge of their campaigns aim higher? Caution: This post contains images that are not safe for work!
Sega Saturn
In the past, the answer was fairly uncomplicated, though vastly offensive. Take, for instance, this ad for Sega Saturn:
Lauded as one of the most infamous gamer-targeted ads of all time by gamer organizations like gamepro.com, this 1996 console ad demonstrates the prevailing mindset of the time: games are played by adolescent males, therefore, they should be the target audience for console ads. Sega attempted to pimp its 32-bit processing power by implying that video game quality is the only thing powerful enough to draw the eyes of its target audience away from bare female flesh. The tag phrase, “In case you didn’t notice, there’s a beautiful naked woman on this page,” drives that point home with poignant clarity. But it’s the fine print that’s really spectacular:
“She’s got blonde hair, blue eyes, and the best body her money can buy. SO WHAT?! There’s no time for distractions when you’re deep into Sega Saturn. Besides, check out those screen shots. Ba-dah-boom, ba-dah-bing, know what I mean?”
On the surface, it’s merely infuriating. Sega’s objectification of the female form pushes far into stereotype territory, as they perpetuate the “blonde-blue-eyed” vision of female perfection, and then they ice the proverbial cake with a tacky reference to plastic surgery. An overwhelming good-ol’-boy attitude infests the entire ad, as the writer does his best to figuratively wink at the reader through conspicuously cheesy wordplay. The “ick” factor only amplifies from there, however, once you read through a second time, and catch the none-too-subtle implication of the phrase, “deep into Sega Saturn.” It would seem Sega thought their console was not only a suitable distraction from women, but perhaps even verged into sex toy territory as a surrogate for sexual contact.
Maybe this blatantly repugnant imagery aided in Sega Saturn’s dismal failure (and the feminist in me would like to think so). But regardless, it would seem that today’s companies have learned from Sega’s mistakes, and have moved far forward in their console ad campaigns.
Nintendo Wii
Take a moment to consider the ads for new generation consoles that you’ve seen. Almost all fall under the same category as the following ad for the Nintendo Wii:
Just what is that category, exactly? Thankfully, it is “utterly asexual.”
Perhaps advertisers have realized that not all gamers are heterosexual males. An ad campaign based on naked women hardly appeals to heterosexual females (or homosexual males, for that matter). Also, it’s horribly inappropriate for the very young children who often love video games as much as their older siblings do. Ads for the Wii, Playstation 3, and XBox 360 show up not only in magazines, but during popular television shows, on billboards, on buses, and in virtually every other advertising medium available. This high visibility probably takes partial credit for the content of those ads, as they are now seen by more than just those gamers who subscribe to video game magazines. Not only do ads have to be appropriate for all targeted age — and gender — brackets, but it would also be unwise for them to rub parents the wrong way, now that parents are becoming increasingly aware of the role video games play in their children’s lives. I wonder how many mothers would have bought Sega Saturns for their 11-year-old sons if they’d seen that print ad.
Closing Thoughts
The new-gen console ads are simple and straightforward. Some might equate those adjectives to “boring,” but perhaps that’s exactly what was needed. A console should sell itself, based on playability, game choices, cost, and simple fun. If a console is worth its salt, it doesn’t need offensively oversexed ads. All it really needs is its reputation, which is gained by providing an enjoyable experience to all gamers, regardless of what form of naked human they prefer to gaze upon.
