If you promise boobs, you'd better deliver

Today's lesson in responsible online marketing is the cautionary tale of Evony, a multiplayer game supported by "freemium" upgrades (making cash payments for optional items in an otherwise free game) and buying up as much Internet ad space as humanly possible. Which, in and of itself, is fine. The problem arose when its ads went from guys in armor and goofy helmets (below at left) to girls with boobs to girls with bigger boobs to just boobs (shown above right, needless to say). See the chronological chest expansion here. The copy got more suggestive along the way too, ultimately advertising discretion and secrecy alongside sexual imagery.  The only reason to keep it a secret is to prevent bullies from dunking your head in the toilet. And according to the comments, Evony is the subject of a lot of message board spam, which makes sense. We don't know what makes online advertisers think they have free reign to badger people, but it's worth emphasizing that getting our attention isn't the end goal of marketing—selling the product is. Getting our attention is a means to that end. And people who sign up for Evony expecting boobs won't buy anything when they get chain mail and codpieces instead.

—Posted by David Kiefaber

July 14, 2009 in Evony, Kiefaber | Permalink