Viral marketing

KNiVES

KNiVES

KNiVES

Soldato
Joined
4 Jan 2005
Posts
15,009
So I was reading NeoGAF just now, and there was very blatant viral marketer doing the rounds, and everyone was onto him almost straight away - his post history was filled with nothing but PS3speak like 'Best with Cell Broadband Engine' and inadvertently put copyright symbols next to PS3 and all that. Even said Resistance is the best console FPS game.

A thought struck me just now. There's a couple of people on OCuK who are nearly as bad as this particular fellow. I don't particularly want to name them right now, but there was a whole lot of disturbing ****ed up logic in their chosing PS3 over other platforms, especially when it comes to trivial things like interface, online accessibility and even complete hyperbole about games that bombed. Am I not that far off, or am I going crazy ?

Try not to mention names, we've all been here long enough to know what I'm talking about, and none of us wants a holiday :p


http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=199070
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=199593
This is what I'm talking about. Check the whole threads. It's just silly. (that thread title had one 'r' in it but he edited it to try and weasel back out of it) I know one or two people who are scarily similair to that guy.
 
Last edited:
I don't think we have anyone along those lines, but there does seem to be a few people who don't tend to base their opinions on logic. No need to name names, we all know who's opinions hold any weight and who's don't.

Also, it's possibly not just limited to this section.
 
It's probably a fairly common practice, where some are very good at what they do, and some are blessed with the subtlety of a raging elephant. If you think about it, a lot of these companies know that a lot of people frequent these forums, and will try their best to sway opinion. It hardly costs any time and resources too; just post on a message board and away you go.

I would imagine a few TV companies and such do it on AVforums for example (and some have been rooted out there before). It's a clever marketing tool I think, but these people need to keep their heads down, especially around topics where they just cannot back up their stuff. Case in topic being 'Resistance is the best console FPS'. I would assume better viral marketers just back up and expand on currently existing strong points, and carry them further.
 
I think its a bit different when they start spouting copyright and marketing slogans. I dont believe we really have anyone here who suffers such a disease as viral marketer.

Although, our poor fellow members could be worse. We do have highly opinionated people who sometimes believe in their opinion so thoroughly that it overrides all other logic and reason. As soon as logic or reason is presented the mind backfires and we get those wonderful thread closures.

To be frank, I think we do alright, considering the whole console wars/fanboy philosophy.
 
I would like to think we would spot anyone too blatant.

Although we do have a few people registered with Sony and Microsoft email addresses, and there is the odd new user that I keep an eye on for a while;) (it can be fun checking new users).

P.S.
I think it was Nokia who led to the first real astroturfing campaign in regards to games consoles online (with their Ngage advertising).
 
haha, too funny, I want that job! :D

"Playstation®3 saved my marriage, it can save yours too!"
 
KNiVES said:
So I was reading NeoGAF just now, and there was very blatant viral marketer doing the rounds, and everyone was onto him almost straight away - his post history was filled with nothing but PS3speak like 'Best with Cell Broadband Engine' and inadvertently put copyright symbols next to PS3 and all that. Even said Resistance is the best console FPS game.

A thought struck me just now. There's a couple of people on OCuK who are nearly as bad as this particular fellow. I don't particularly want to name them right now, but there was a whole lot of disturbing ****ed up logic in their chosing PS3 over other platforms, especially when it comes to trivial things like interface, online accessibility and even complete hyperbole about games that bombed. Am I not that far off, or am I going crazy ?

Try not to mention names, we've all been here long enough to know what I'm talking about, and none of us wants a holiday :p


http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=199070
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=199593
This is what I'm talking about. Check the whole threads. It's just silly. (that thread title had one 'r' in it but he edited it to try and weasel back out of it) I know one or two people who are scarily similair to that guy.
Click to expand...

No possibility that there a few scary posters who use ****** up logic in defense of crappy xbox manufacturing standards that might be ms viral marketers, the slant of your argument makes me have my suspicions of you.

;)
 
If that poster was viral marketing he was doing a very bad job of it, i always thought it was supposed to be more subtle lol. It seems in the 2nd thread he gets busted big time, if you read from about page 4 in that some of his older threads are pro xbox360, he could be consolefrenic though, it reminds me of the Sony defence force website that was linked to wii60 site, and was used to bait the Nintendo/ Microsoft supporters. Did you look at the website he made with interviews with the Console manufactures its just funny (in a sad kind of way) http://www.freewebs.com/myps3pwnz/ . Quite sad though if someone made this up either as a "true" PS3 site or a 360/Wii supporter trying to make it look like one, as it fails on both counts.
 
I like the ps3 :(

Logic being i like mgs and the original killzone, also I do like the ps in general after owning the previous 2 consoles :)
 
It's life, just like someone will support Man Utd over Leeds, like someone will be anti-English or Pro-Scottish or people don't agree in eating meat and others believe it's an essential part of the diet.

Really don't see what the problem is, a healthy debate shows both sides of any story.
 
~J~ said:
It's life, just like someone will support Man Utd over Leeds, like someone will be anti-English or Pro-Scottish or people don't agree in eating meat and others believe it's an essential part of the diet.

Really don't see what the problem is, a healthy debate shows both sides of any story.
Click to expand...
A healthy debate is always good, as long as both sides of the argument are backed up with facts and statistics. It's when people blindly choose one over another without any logical reasoning to do so, they're the ones who make you want to slam your own (or their ;)) head into a desk.

The majority of people here seem to have developed good reasons for their decision to favour one console over another (if they've indeed done so), but the few that haven't are the ones I try to avoid. You can't argue or reason with them and trying to do so is an exercise in futility. Best just to leave them in their own happy little world tbh.
 
Davey_Pitch said:
A healthy debate is always good, as long as both sides of the argument are backed up with facts and statistics. It's when people blindly choose one over another without any logical reasoning to do so, they're the ones who make you want to slam your own (or their ;)) head into a desk.

The majority of people here seem to have developed good reasons for their decision to favour one console over another (if they've indeed done so), but the few that haven't are the ones I try to avoid. You can't argue or reason with them and trying to do so is an exercise in futility. Best just to leave them in their own happy little world tbh.
Click to expand...

Fanboy! :p
 
Nickg said:
really? i thought that was just down to dumb consumers?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't fall into that trap, there are some very intelligent people that I know of that use Mac and fall into the entire trap. The entire "Mac vs PC" debate smacks of viral talk - after all they aren't one and the same thing... a Mac is a "product" whereas a "PC" is a generic term for the modern computer, in a sense PCs and Macs are the same, they are both based on Von Neumann architecture, the main differences are that "cosmetic" (I use the term liberally).

The same with iPods and MP3 players, everyone knows what an iPod is but try and tell them you are out of stock of iPods but have plenty of other MP3 players and they will just look at you blankly. I would suspect that it is a kind of viral brainwashing. It may play on people's ignorance, but its entirely based on the type of brand heavy culture that we live in.

People get used to the fact that they can't just walk into McDonalds and ask for a hamburger, they have to actually say the name "Big Mac" "Quarter Pounder" or whatever, ditto Whopper and everything else. "Something so important and so unique, we gave it a name, rather than say what it is".

Hence why everyone is so excited about "Wispa" coming back, despite it is entirely the same chocolate, in a slightly different shape to the Dairy Milk bubbly. Because it has meaning!

/cynicism

EDIT : Just out of curiosity, I decided to take a look at what wikipedia had to say about viral marketing, and one of its links down below directly linked to wkipedia's entry on Sony. Just amusing, thats all. I personally wouldn't want to be associated with viral marketing.
 
Last edited:
Needles said:
No possibility that there a few scary posters who use ****** up logic in defense of crappy xbox manufacturing standards that might be ms viral marketers, the slant of your argument makes me have my suspicions of you.

;)
Click to expand...

Getting strangely defensive now aren't we :p
 
This forum is obviously very pro-Xbox and has been for a while, to be honest it's one of the most one-sided forums I read (for a neutral forum).

That said suggesting anyone who has a difference of opinion (one that bucks the trend) is a Sony viral marketer brings it to a new low. :o
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom