EA’s Latest Marketing Techniques Stir up Controversy

Often used for good or evil, marketing can work in mysterious ways to help sell a product, regardless of what it is. In the case of marketing being used for evil, you might imagine that the target product wouldn’t sell at all. After all, who’s interested in purchasing a product surrounded by controversy. Duh… pretty much everyone. Take a look at Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. With all the controversy that surrounded the “Hot Coffee” mod, copies of the game sold like hotcakes.

Now, if there’s one company who markets like there’s no tomorrow, it’s Electronic Arts. In fact, recent rumors have been floating around that claims the company actively spends 3x as much money to market a game than to develop it. It’s insane to think about, but at the same time, it’s believable. EA’s games are even advertised on TV… aside from generic Xbox or PlayStation commercials, how often do you see a specific game advertised?

With the company’s upcoming title, Dante’s Inferno, EA has gone far to market it, in some cases, too far (depending on who you ask). Most recently, GameSpot and EA teamed up to offer this hellish-3D shooter a $6.66 discount for those who pre-ordered the game. Clearly, it’s attention EA is looking for.

As Ars Technica reports, the company has been marketing the game for a while, in some of the most unimaginable ways. At one convention, for example, “Christian” protesters showed up to protest the game, and even held signs that said, “EA = Electronic Anti-Christ”. Usually this would be bad for publicity, but not so here. EA actually hired these protesters. The hilarious thing? Bad publicity is good publicity, because we’re all talking about it, and that’s exactly what EA wants. Funny, huh?

EA has finally decided to simply send editors of prominent gaming sites checks for $200. The point? If the checks are cashed, the gaming press is greedy. If they’re not, the gaming press is wasteful. “By cashing this check you succumb to avarice by harding filthy lucre, but by not cashing it, you waste it, and thereby surrender to prodigality. Make your choice and suffer the consequence for your sin,” the included note stated. “And scoff not, for consequences are imminent.” The sin theme remains, if nothing else, on-topic.