EA To Launch Largest 'Sims' Internet Ad Campaign Ever
June 03 2009 - 3:03AM
Dow Jones News
Electronic Arts Inc. (ERTS) Tuesday will go full throttle with
its largest-ever Internet ad marketing campaign for a "Sims"
game.
The make-up of the "Sims 3" campaign suggests Redwood City,
Calif.-based EA is adjusting how it focuses advertising to account
for the more diverse audience now buying videogames, plus the new
tastes of 16-to-24-year-olds, which is virtually any videogame's
sweet spot.
It's an important bet, say analysts. "One of the key challenges
now is making sure EA can effectively market its games," BMO
Capital Markets analyst Edward Williams said, in a note to
clients.
As part of the new campaign, characters from EA's new "Sims 3"
game will make an appearance on Viacom Inc. (VIA) Web sites MTV and
Comedy Central, where they will "mess with the pages," according to
EA senior marketing director John Buchanan.
Sims characters will also make a re-appearance on Google Inc.'s
(GOOG) YouTube video sharing site, after making a cameo in mid-May.
The same will be true of social networks MySpace, partly owned by
News Corp. (NWS), which also owns Dow Jones Newswires, and
Facebook.
EA wasn't disclosing how much it's spending on the campaign's
online ad portion. Buchanan would only say it's significantly more
than EA has ever spent on any other Sims game.
While traditional media is still a focus, the company saw a need
to invest more heavily into the Internet because its key customer
demographic now feeds on Twitter, social networks and other
Internet-based phenomenon that didn't exist when EA had to
introduce its last Sims game four years ago, he said.
"The 16-to-24-year-old set is consuming so much media online, we
must spend more to be there, and we must have a very extensive
online ad campaign," Buchanan said.
"Sims 3" is the first iteration of the game without the full
attention of Will Wright, the legendary Sims franchise creator. The
latest has morphed from Wright's version that made game play out of
providing for the basic needs of a community to one where those
needs now include emotional stability. Sims creatures now can have
hangups like kleptomania, commitment issues, "hates outdoors" or 70
other different character traits embedded in the story.
EA shares are trading 1% lower to $23.23.
-By Ben Charny, Dow Jones Newswires; 415-765-8230;
ben.charny@dowjones.com