What is the story with those dominion ads??

[Ironhawk]

S.R. Krol said:
I mean Hell, we've already had one thread go on for seven pages and now we're in a second thread at three pages on the ads. So hey, it works.

This statement is a total trivialization of the point tho, Krol. You are making the grand assumption that since the ad has provoked debate that it will be insured to also bring higher Dominions/other Shrapnel Game sales. How can you just assume this when at least myself and several others have said we were offended by it and have lost respect for Shrapnel?? You'd think our opinion would actually count for something, given that we have proven we are loyal repeat customers...

[quantum_mechani]

Just to play the devils advocate here... an add featuring a swastika would no doubt generate a lot of threads and and discussion, while not necessarily being a good thing.

[vfb]

In accordance with Godwin's Law, I declare this thread dead!

[S.R. Krol]

@Quantum_Mechani: Yeah, but c'mon. We can talk about potential extremes but why? As it stands these are terribly tame ads.

@Ironhawk: No assumption, just facts that it has indeed brought much more exposure than the other ads. Does exposure equal instant increase in sales? Hard to say, but then again marketing isn't always about specific products but awareness. You see a billboard with 'Just Do It' on it. No product. But you automatically recognize it's Nike, right?

So if the ads pique someone's curiosity and they check us out but don't buy Dom 3, that's still good. Maybe during the visit they discovered Eat Electric Death! or War Plan Pacific or winSPMBT.

I'm also curious by something. You say that as a loyal repeat customer the fact that you find the ad offensive should mean something. So, what should we do? Remove them?
What about the loyal repeat customers that don't find them offensive? Don't their voices count?

As they say you can't please everyone all the time. If you don't like them they're not forever. Nature of the beast is ever changing.

I'd also like to point out it's not like we aren't listening. We're not squashing opposing viewpoints, or anything draconian like that. But we've been happy with the performance of the ads and so until that changes, we're sorry, but they shall remain.

[Foodstamp]

Lighten up. Even my girlfriend thinks the chick is hot.

[Jazzepi]

Personally I think the ads with the women on them are stupid. If you're going to try to sell a product, then you should advertise the product. The banner ads that were animated screen shots of the battles were much better.

It's a good thing I'm already playing Dom 3, ads with scantily clad women on them, with text that has too low contrast with the background, and is too small to read anyways, wouldn't have brought me here.

Jazzepi

[capnq]

DonCorazon said: You guys must get offended a lot if you live in the US. Not sure how you could even watch TV here given all the programming you must find offensive, if the Dom ad falls into that category.

I don't watch much TV, either, although that's more because I find it either depressing or offensively stupid. I'm not sure I'm even going to bother buying a converter box when they switch to all digital broadcasting next February.

[Wrana]

To Ich:

what are you referring to? The Aprils fools forum thread?

Precisely. It contained all things that you mentioned.
As for visionaries - frankly, I have enough where I live. And I read Exile, too. So, while you are in good company, you just have no chance of getting a crown in it.
And direction in which things DO go has enough darker tendencies without seeing one in just black humor of some punks-gone-within-system.

[Ironhawk]

S.R. Krol said:
I'm also curious by something. You say that as a loyal repeat customer the fact that you find the ad offensive should mean something. So, what should we do? Remove them?

Of course not. I'm not like organizing a protest or embargo or something - I dont expect the opinion of a single person to count for much when weighed against the marketing budget. But if you are actually serious in asking what you should do instead of making a rhetorical platitude, then what you should do is tell your marketing dept to at least make a *head nod* towards actually selling a product rather than pandering to the lowest common denominator.

[VedalkenBear]

I might also point out that someone should keep track of the relative 'for/against' positions. And, as Ironhawk states, a little more thought into the advertising would help avoid future unpleasantness.

However, given Shrapnel's responses in this thread, I can say that they've lost at least one customer.