Nah, more like just buying up a number of the ones that get posted there for auction.
It'd be a brilliant viral marketing move, and Microsoft already has a proven track record of brilliant viral marketing (or specifically, they work with some 3rd party contractors that are brilliant at viral marketing, such as the guys behind the "I love bees" Halo campaign).
It'd just be chump change to them in terms of marketing budget to bid up and win a number of the auctions...
And there is already plenty of precedent in the industry for duplicitous moves like this - forums are seeded with paid for evangelists to talk up a platform or publisher, and have been for a while (I have worked at publishers that did this).
Ubisoft put out a hiring call for essentially a paid modeling gig, and from that put together the FragDolls - a groups that tries to portray themselves as "a team of real girl players" while downplaying their artificial creation and industry ties.
So, not saying specifically that MS _did_ do anything here, but it wouldn't be out of the norm for some of the things I have this industry do in the past, and it'd be too easy a way to create "buzz". ;)
(Note that I am actually not much of a fan of conspiracy theories, but even if MS didn't do this, it'd still be a brilliant marketing move that some marketing department could use.)
The point would be to bid some up to ludicrous prices on eBay, because that ehn generates headlines on evening news and news website thereby increasing the buzz of "insane demand that just can't be satiated". Those headlines that ran earlier this week and the end of last week in the mainstream media were great marketing whether it was genuine or manufactured, and probably more effective than any tv spot. ;)
And as far as the Frag Dolls, oh I know the rage - they drive my wife, in many ways a more hard core gamer than I, absolutely nuts. We haven't bought a single Ubisoft game since they started that...
And please don't mention the 'Frag Dolls' in my presence, or I might start to rant, and foam at the mouth, before falling over backwards.
You'd think, after living with me for many years and getting the "Real Women Play Real Games With Real Food In Front Of Them" rants, he'd learn not to mention these stains.
HI. I'm the wife, and I'm part of the Die-Ubi-Marketing-Team fanclub. We should meet! :D
It'd be a brilliant viral marketing move, and Microsoft already has a proven track record of brilliant viral marketing (or specifically, they work with some 3rd party contractors that are brilliant at viral marketing, such as the guys behind the "I love bees" Halo campaign).
It'd just be chump change to them in terms of marketing budget to bid up and win a number of the auctions...
And there is already plenty of precedent in the industry for duplicitous moves like this - forums are seeded with paid for evangelists to talk up a platform or publisher, and have been for a while (I have worked at publishers that did this).
Ubisoft put out a hiring call for essentially a paid modeling gig, and from that put together the FragDolls - a groups that tries to portray themselves as "a team of real girl players" while downplaying their artificial creation and industry ties.
So, not saying specifically that MS _did_ do anything here, but it wouldn't be out of the norm for some of the things I have this industry do in the past, and it'd be too easy a way to create "buzz". ;)
(Note that I am actually not much of a fan of conspiracy theories, but even if MS didn't do this, it'd still be a brilliant marketing move that some marketing department could use.)
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And please don't mention the 'Frag Dolls' in my presence, or I might start to rant, and foam at the mouth, before falling over backwards.
Reply
And as far as the Frag Dolls, oh I know the rage - they drive my wife, in many ways a more hard core gamer than I, absolutely nuts. We haven't bought a single Ubisoft game since they started that...
Reply
You'd think, after living with me for many years and getting the "Real Women Play Real Games With Real Food In Front Of Them" rants, he'd learn not to mention these stains.
HI.
I'm the wife, and I'm part of the Die-Ubi-Marketing-Team fanclub. We should meet! :D
Reply
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