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PlayStation (Games) Entertainment Games

ESPN Football's Bizarre Viral Marketing? 49

Posted by simoniker from the videos-actually-kinda-hilarious dept.
LilSerf writes "Four days before Sega debuted their new 'first-person football' feature for ESPN Football 2K4, a mysterious personality called Beta-7 premiered a site detailing the injuries he suffered as a beta-tester for the game. The site is a blog going back to March 21, 2003, the day he first claims to have tested the game and blacked out as a result. The story includes mysterious packages from other injured testers, surveillance footage of his 'episodes', and bootleg video of the 'secret' game features - suspiciously not posted until after the official announcement by Sega. Consensus in the boards on his site seems to be that this is a hoax by Sega - what do Slashdot readers think?"
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ESPN Football's Bizarre Viral Marketing? More

ESPN Football's Bizarre Viral Marketing?

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  • I think these people got hit in the head a few too many times with the ol' pigskin.
    • When it comes to "viral marketing" (or herpes ads as I prefer to call them), I'll take a dodgy website over a spray-painted streaker anyday.

      I couldn't give a *insert expletives here* over someone getting their kit off, but to stuff up my favourite sport for the sake of some pathetic companies only opportunity to pull a scam^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H promote their worthwhile products and services is unforgivable.

      If this is viral advertising I want the vaccine...

      Q.

  • The video, in particular, screams marketing schmo with theatrical aspirations. This kinf of viral marketing (hate the term, sounds vomit inducing) isn't a bad thing at all, though. It forces the marketers to be interesting enough to keep your attention, rather than try to give you their spiel when you can't walk away.

  • A Fairly Ham-Fisted Hoax. (Score:4, Informative)

    by joe90 ( 48497 ) on Friday July 11, 2003 @01:13AM (#6412694) Homepage
    From the domain registrars whois db:

    "The data contained in Go Daddy Software, Inc.'s WHOIS database,while believed by the company to be reliable, is provided "as is"with no guarantee or warranties regarding its accuracy. Thisinformation is provided for the sole purpose of assisting youin obtaining information about domain name registration records.Any use of this data for any other purpose is expressly forbidden without the prior writtenpermission of Go Daddy Software, Inc. By submitting an inquiry,you agree to these terms of usage and limitations of warranty. In particular,you agree not to use this data to allow, enable, or otherwise make possible,dissemination or collection of this data, in part or in its entirety, for anypurpose, such as the transmission of unsolicited advertising andand solicitations of any kind, including spam. You further agreenot to use this data to enable high volume, automated or robotic electronicprocesses designed to collect or compile this data for any purpose,including mining this data for your own personal or commercial purposes. Please note: the owner of the domain name is specifiedin the "registrant" field. In most cases, Go Daddy Software, Inc. is not the owner of domain names listed in this database.Registrant: Domains by Proxy, Inc. 15111 N Hayden Rd., Suite 160 PMB353 Scottsdale, Arizona 85260 United States Registered through: Go Daddy Software (http://www.godaddy.com) Domain Name: BETA-7.COM Created on: 18-Jun-03 Expires on: 18-Jun-04 Last Updated on: 19-Jun-03 Administrative Contact: Private, Registration BETA-7.COM@domainsbyproxy.com Domains by Proxy, Inc. 15111 N Hayden Rd., Suite 160 PMB353 Scottsdale, Arizona 85260 United States (480) 624-2599 Technical Contact: Private, Registration BETA-7.COM@domainsbyproxy.com Domains by Proxy, Inc. 15111 N Hayden Rd., Suite 160 PMB353 Scottsdale, Arizona 85260 United States (480) 624-2599 Domain servers in listed order: NS.RACKSPACE.COM NS2.RACKSPACE.COM"

    It's only been registered for about 3 weeks.
  • A couple years ago, they did a bogus cam girl site. Can't remember much about it. But basically the lady was a stereotypical sports-hating airhead who somehow managed to flame ESPN in ever sentence.
  • That's gotta be the stupedist, funniest thing I've seen in at least a day or two.
  • I think this sort of thing is pretty cool. Another interesting way to advertise and I am seriously thinking about getting an XBOX from just viewing that video. Sega, come back to gamecube!!!
  • This reader thinks that LilSerf has a Sega check in the mail for keeping their game on the front page of Slashdot Games ;)

  • Great. (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Chemical Serenity ( 1324 )
    Assuming this is a hoax, you've just bought into the whole thing and become a tool to propogate it... to us.

    Thanks, typhoid Lilserf. :-P

  • I think this Slashdot article is an ad too (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Kris_J ( 10111 ) on Friday July 11, 2003 @01:53AM (#6412814) Homepage Journal
    I'm not going to follow links because this Slashdot thread itself appears astroturfed, or whatever the latest buzz-word is to denote Internet content seeded by paid advertisers.

  • Well... (Score:3, Funny)

    by Gunsmithy ( 554829 ) on Friday July 11, 2003 @01:59AM (#6412829) Homepage
    I bet Acclaim [indiantelevision.com] is going to sue. They have the patent on marketing gone horribly wrong.
  • and by the way, SCO's doing that lawsuit thing for the money.

  • I don't care (Score:2, Insightful)

    by vuud ( 678736 )

    Its a friggin fake... "Uhhh it messed up my brain, and I am going to figure out how sega did this and make them take responsibility. I am going to do this by playing this game more and more - hey look at what these super cool commands do! Hey at least it cured my crack habit."

    What a moron. If it is a true thing then I say poor moron.

    • Re:I don't care (Score:3, Interesting)

      by qqtortqq ( 521284 )
      Registrant:
      Domains by Proxy, Inc.
      15111 N Hayden Rd., Suite 160
      PMB353
      Scottsdale, Arizona 85260
      United States

      Who bothers to use the equivalent of a P.O. box for domain registration for a simple blog? No one. Its a fake.

      Domain Name: BETA-7.COM
      Created on: 18-Jun-03

      From the site: "March 22, 2003. The day I died and Beta-7 was born... "

      Beta-7 seems to have been born less than a month ago in reality.
      Nuff said.
      • I can see it's a joke... but really, the blog says that July 03, 2003: "WELCOME, FRIENDS OF BETA-7! FINALLY got the site up! (CUE MAJESTIC HORNS AND ANGELIC CHOIR...)"

        So it's not really significant that the domain was registered almost a month before...

        Except that his friend was working on the site for almost a month before that...

        Also interesting is that the guy has no ability to read. He says that he emailed Sega twice, when in reality, he filled in online forms both times. Got automated responses whic

  • What I think. (Score:5, Funny)

    by whee ( 36911 ) on Friday July 11, 2003 @02:06AM (#6412847)
    I was also a beta tester of this game. Personally, I think it's all a hoax. There no way a game could have a permanent physical effect on someTHIRTY-FOUR! FIFTY-TWO! DOWN! SET! HUT!bfhgda;lbkaj;
  • From the site:

    Got a delivery today from Beta-13! It's a surveillance video [beta-7.com] showing a mailroom guy pushing a cart by some cubicles when all of a sudden this guy runs into frame and tackles the mail guy! He does a little victory dance, just like I did and then passes out. I recognized the tackler from the beta test, so I knew it was for real.

    Hey, I think I recognized the tackler [microsoft.com] too. Could anybody else dance like that? He's like a monkey, man!

  • effective (Score:5, Interesting)

    by hiroshi912681 ( 589840 ) on Friday July 11, 2003 @02:35AM (#6412932)
    normally, I am the adbusters loving anti-advertisement kinda guy... but I think they did a great job. at least you can tell it's a big joke... I probably would be miffed if I had bought into some elaborate site and later found out it was a marketing scheme...

    but, this is probably the funniest advertisement ever... I laughed so hard at this site =P

    I like the authentic touches here and there (kinda surprised about the modchip)... even though the first entry on beta-7 shouldn't be about pre-beta-7 times =P I'm sure you could make a list of the mistakes

    oh well, I'll probably be hating this site later after I've reached my senses. once this kind of marketing is widespread, I will loathe it, I know it.

  • does it mean (Score:2, Offtopic)

    by toddhunter ( 659837 )
    That if I become a slashdot subscriber and choose to turn the ads off, all the stories here will be turned off as well?
    Seems that way these days

  • A slip-up? (Score:3, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 11, 2003 @04:47AM (#6413242)
    In one of his comments on the last news articles, he put his email down as beta-7@sega.com.

    'nuff said.

  • Not as good as... (Score:4, Funny)

    by dackroyd ( 468778 ) on Friday July 11, 2003 @05:58AM (#6413411) Homepage
    the spoof Seaman website http://www.yoot.com/ [yoot.com].

    For y'all that don't know, Seaman was a bizarre virtual creature game for the Sega Dreamcast where you had to talk to a man/fish creature and help him grow up. He'd understand what you said to him and respond intelligently eg:

    Seaman: Do you have a job ?
    You: Yes.
    Seaman: What do you do ?
    You: I'm a programmer.
    Seaman: That sounds like you're quite boring.

    I'm still not sure what the 'aim' of the game was.

    • That was a cool game.

      Seaman: "You're in computers? Do you work late hours?"
      Me: "No, I guess not. Not right now at least."
      Seaman: "Hmm... You must be very good at what you do!... or not very thorough..."
      Me: "Both!"

      Seaman: "Do you love yourself?"
      Me: "uh.... I don't know"
      Seaman: "Do you love yourself?"
      Me: "Sure. Yes."
      Seaman: "I bet you love yourself at least twice a day"

  • Maybe there was an NDA in effect? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by MImeKillEr ( 445828 ) on Friday July 11, 2003 @07:58AM (#6413686) Homepage Journal
    suspiciously not posted until after the official announcement by Sega

    Hmm. Don't most companies require their beta testers to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs)? Ever think that maybe the site didn't come up until after the announcement because of one?

    Before clicking the video link, I was thinking I would end up seeing some guy flopping on the ground due to the flicker rate of the video game (anyone know the technical name?) like when the Simpsons went to Japan, saw some bizarre video on TV & went into a goup kiniption fit. Instead, we see what has to be an obvious fake. That, or the guy got ahold of some bad pot prior to tackling his TV tray.

    Alas, I can't see the rest of the site now as its throwing up DNS errors from my end.
  • The Sega Marketoids exceeded their bandwidth allotment (after being /.'ed no doubt) or the "beta tester" ran out of money or ran into a mail room guy .... conspiracy theories abound!

  • GMD Studios (Score:3, Informative)

    by jafuser ( 112236 ) on Friday July 11, 2003 @02:34PM (#6417757)
    http://www.beta-7.com/blog/archives/000003.html [beta-7.com] which has a comment written by a "Jim" who's name links to GMD Studios [gmdstudios.com], a "groundbreaking new media production firm based in Orlando, Florida".

    More werid crap can be found by replacing the "000003" in the URL with any other padded number in that general vicinity.

    I'll admit I like the approach. It's kind of a bit entertaining to see a marketing company which blatantly badmouths it's client in it's marketing material (even if it is part of the plan) =)
    • Would it be this [gmdstudios.com] jim?

      Jim Rhoades
      Vice President of Media Development & Creative Director

    • The same GMD Studios located in Winter Park, Florida where Beta-7 was invited to test the 'exciting new product?'

      Very good work detective. Especially since the page you were referring to has disappeared. Guess they were just too slow.

  • if this started a parental outcry of South Park porportions and caused the downfall of Sega, ESPN and console gaming in general? Hmmm... then we'd be left with PCs, MSNBC and Ultimate Frisbee... conspiracy?
  • Did that surveillance video of the mail boy getting tackled remind anybody of Terry Tate: Office Linebacker [reebok.com]? It's almost a straight out copy of Terry Tate's impressive technique.

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