Blizzard Knows Their Audience Like the Romans Knew the Sabine Women
In a world where Internet gaming is one of humanity’s fastest-growing addictions, Blizzard has decided to do the marketing equivalent of lacing their weed with PCP. Their new ads use the twin nerd-pillars of Mr. T and William Shatner to make World of Warcraft so utterly enticing even I vaguely feel like watching someone play it.
I’ve got to say it’s somewhat irresponsible, releasing a siren’s call like that when you know damn well the damage that these games can do. There are plenty of articles about people addicted to online gaming, but I’ll link this one, because it’s Australian, has the word “doona” in it, and claims that at present 30 percent of kids are addicted to the Internet.
Admittedly, “addicted” is a loose term; I mean, am I really addicted to pornography just because I can’t imagine life without its sweet, warming glow filling my loins each evening? Clearly not. And in a country like Australia, there’s not much else to do besides get stung by various scorpions, hoping to find one whose venom is a hallucinogen.
But regardless, how can Blizzard in good conscience expect any tender young nerd to resist THIS?
It’s Captain Kirk! And he’s wearing a JEDI ROBE! The only way they could have nailed their demographic more clearly would have been if Juggernaut rushed by at the end asking for corms.
So cut it out, Blizzard. The greasy, loveless existences of all the pale, stringy-haired kids I have to wade past at the Internet cafe are on your head.
December 7th, 2007 at 8:37 am
A sabine women reference? My esoterica zone has been overstimulated. Let me get a towel.
December 7th, 2007 at 10:06 am
I’d have prefered a direct reference to the works of Sappho.
December 7th, 2007 at 11:15 am
The game isn’t addicting (okay, well maybe it is). But, the reason people don’t quit is more because of the friends you make while playing.
I think of it more like $15 chat service that let’s you play a game…. kind of like an expensive version of Yahoo messenger.
December 7th, 2007 at 11:45 am
Frankly, the idea of Mr. T hacking a computer to create a new WoW class is irresistably funny to me.
But he should have been Horde-side.
December 7th, 2007 at 11:56 am
I think it’s amazing how much the character actually looks like Mr. T.
December 7th, 2007 at 12:47 pm
Who would actually decide to play World of Warcraft because of these commercials? Who is the guy who is on the fence about playing, and all it takes is Mr. T to convince him?
December 7th, 2007 at 12:57 pm
I wonder the same thing about ALL advertising, for nearly everything, and yet ad revenue is effective enough to be the primary source of income supporting the entire television and internet entertainment industry. It baffles me.
December 7th, 2007 at 1:01 pm
Matt D., I started playing World of Warcraft because it was on South park. I thought that if Matt Stone and Trey Parker would make an entire episode about something, it had to be worth checking out, right? (Also my season 10 DVD set came with the free starter demo)
I was wrong.
December 7th, 2007 at 1:20 pm
I’m surprised you didn’t mention the Toyota Tacoma tie in with World of Warcraft. Do a search for Toyota and Warcraft on Youtube, and watch the hilarity ensue. What demographic are they trying to hit there?
December 7th, 2007 at 1:53 pm
I don’t play WoW, but I’m not on the fence about it. Frankly, anybody can get any celebrity to shill for anything (I think Cracked had an article about it), and I’m waiting for a commercial that breaks all the rules of commercials and forces me to spend money on their product. It would probably have something to do with Lost.
December 7th, 2007 at 2:40 pm
Help with the reference;
“Juggernaut rushed by at the end asking for corms.”
December 7th, 2007 at 2:57 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgAPFKDL6Sg
http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com/2007/02/299000347_d62adc2956_o.jpg
http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com/2007/07/ihasmanycorms1.jpg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHg5SJYRHA0
December 7th, 2007 at 3:02 pm
WTF! When does juggernaut use the word “crom”?
December 7th, 2007 at 4:43 pm
you son of a bitch. I got roll’d again.
December 7th, 2007 at 5:20 pm
The cats want corms. Juggernaut is another internet meme. I spliced the two in an attempt at pastiche humor, but clearly I failed to communicate that in your case. Try me again on Monday.
December 7th, 2007 at 6:00 pm
Rickroll’d in the middle of a melange of lolcats and the juggernaut!? Swaim, you cheeky sonofabitch, I need a towel.
December 7th, 2007 at 7:05 pm
My aspergers has nothing to do with my internet usage.
December 7th, 2007 at 7:11 pm
Not your fault! I picked the name noinfo for a reason. It’s not easy being boarder line retarded.
December 7th, 2007 at 10:44 pm
Huh. I first read that as Juggernaut wants corn.
And the videos actually turn me off from playing World of Warcraft. I love Mr. T. and Shatner and all, but it’s not like Candace Michelle or that sexy Borg gal from Voyager were the ones pitching the games, no it does nothing for me, really.
December 7th, 2007 at 11:02 pm
the juggernaut never says he wants corm. but if he DID, that would be combining two things nerds find arousing, just like shatner, jedis, and WoW…
December 8th, 2007 at 1:14 am
Guys, think about it. They’re not trying to sway new users. Everyone’s at least tried WoW. the ads are pure nerd-cred to recover disgruntled ex-subscribers and to keep their customers loyal.
You don’t buy WoW once. You buy it *every month*. So every month, they have to convince all their players to pay for it again. And there are a lot of ex-WoW players or people on the fence about quitting.
Hell, Mr.T and Shatner? thats awesome enough that i almost wanna give the game another chance. Poorly timed in my case; Mass Effect is my master now.
December 8th, 2007 at 3:10 pm
If being addicted to porn is wrong, then lordy do I want to be right.
My penis is so tired. It hurts when I get an erection, as if it knows that my calloused hands are going to clutch it, and squeeze the juices out of it.
Please, someone kill me.
December 8th, 2007 at 6:44 pm
I assumed World of Warcraft is trying to repair its non-geek image by going to TV advertising, after getting thinly veiled accusations that WoW makes people crazy.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/life/main/5336859.html
December 9th, 2007 at 12:14 am
Noticeboth Shatner and Mr T are both heavily refrenced in Family Guy. That is the connection. Next on the shill list will be Peter or Stewie, possibly Meg (she hasnt been seen for a few episodes and can be claimed playing WOW).
Meg will be that Ork or Forsaken chick that everyone chases though the instances, even though she grabs all the good loot. Even better, itll be Mila Kunis in the commercial.
December 9th, 2007 at 3:10 pm
David Wong thinks pornography is addictive.
December 11th, 2007 at 1:58 pm
>
That’d sell me on it.
February 4th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
help to repair windows vista zip…
no kidding!…
March 28th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
Just so you know, Jean Claude Van Dame did a french commercial for WoW, and so did some spanish guy…for a spanish commercial.