Exactly How Much can Marketing Insult Video Gamers?

Seriously, how stupid do platform holders think we are.

Posted by Staff
Exactly How Much can Marketing Insult Video Gamers?
Kelly Herdrich is a 28 year old "stay at home mom, writer, and international traveler" - Mmmm, that's an achievement in itself. And Kelly doesn't stop there. As far as we can tell, Kelly's a bright and breezy character and a hard worker too. In between internationally travelling and bringing up two kids, she's also had time to write about the following subjects in the last month:

Princeton Review Releases 2009 College and University Rankings.

President Accepts Recommendation to Execute Army Private Ronald Gray.

Knoxville Church Shooting Brings Communities Together.

Tuscany at a Glance: Siena with Children.

First Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Trailer to Be Released Tonight.

TurboTax Software Vs. TaxCut Software.

Bombings in Bangalore; Impact on America.

That's just a sample of one month's output: politics, travel, film trailers, tax software comparative reviews; Kelly's also covered, knitting, printable birth announcements, how to tell if you're pregnant, a nightlife guide to Lower Manhattan, Google's Knol and more.

Yup, Kelly's a veritable power house of copy on a range of subjects that would challenge most writers who aren't travelling around Tuscany while staying at home. Today she even turned her magpie talent to the latest PlayStation 3 firmware update.

Here's what the doyen of copy has to say about it in her piece called, "PS3 Update 2.42 Now Available; Playstation Reminds Public Why PS3 is Best".

"Thanks to ingenious design features of the Playstation 3, you might not even know that a new version was updated to your PS3 yesterday."

So, automatic background updating for Kelly's PS3. But wait, there's more:

"For those still putting off their PS3 purchase, don't. This latest update reminds the public that PS3 really does offer something unique."

For the truly dull of mind, Kelly's got even more insight, "PS3 update 2.42 just brings the ease and connectability of Playstation 3 to the forefront again.... This type of ease, along with ever appearing updates such as PS3 version 2.42, puts Playstation in its own playing field."

Kelly also manages to discern the fact that PS3 has now finally managed to beat Wii with this latest update. Read the following pearl:

"Life with Playstation's release, which should be soon according to Internet buzz, will include the one thing Wii holds over Playstation's head. This update will allow users to get their news and weather information directly from their Playstation.

"Once this happens, Playstation 3 really will have it all, allowing users to surf the Internet, get their news and weather, watch and download television shows and movies in the best available format, and play some of the most lifelike games I've ever seen. PS3 update 2.42 is just the tip of the iceberg."

As far as we're aware, this is the first thing Kelly's had to say about PS3 or any video game console for that matter. Maybe she's been hiding her expertise under a bushel? Maybe it's only now that a marketing person at Sony in America figured that getting someone who speaks to 'Moms' via a paid content portal would be a good way to try to negatively impact Wii sales (note, no Xbox 360 blackening here).

Either way, the piece is without doubt the nastiest, least impressive, most misinformative slice of pap we've read in a considerable time. At best it's ill informed, keyboard ka-ka slopped off to the uninformed masses. At worst it's a deeply, deeply cynical attempt at marketing-lead wire-crossing.

You can check out all of her last months outpourings at Associated Content - that's Associated Content, not PaidforContent.
Companies:

Comments

deleted 30 Jul 2008 17:51
1/10
so wadda ya gonna do about it eh?
tyrion 30 Jul 2008 17:55
2/10
haritori wrote:
so wadda ya gonna do about it eh?

Not fair. I've now got the Illinois Nazis from Blues Brothers in my head.

"So, what're you going to do about it, whitey?"
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TimSpong 30 Jul 2008 18:03
3/10
tyrion wrote:
Not fair. I've now got the Illinois Nazis from Blues Brothers in my head.


I hate....

The freaking Blues Brothers with over-rated Dan Ackroyd and even more over-rated John Belushi.

I needed to get that off my chest.

Thank you

Tim
deleted 30 Jul 2008 18:12
4/10
Tim Smith wrote:
tyrion wrote:
Not fair. I've now got the Illinois Nazis from Blues Brothers in my head.


I hate....

The freaking Blues Brothers with over-rated Dan Ackroyd and even more over-rated John Belushi.

I needed to get that off my chest.

Thank you

Tim


Thank god someone else in this world thinks Dan Akroyd is over rated! the guy couldnt act his way out of a rice paper bag! and dont get me stated on the Belushi family, and as for the blues brothers, can someone point out the bit thats good?

now give me Caddy Shack, Murray, Chase and Dangerfield! and theirs a good movie!
russ 31 Jul 2008 05:50
5/10
wow....erm..........that's a lot of hyperbole for a bug fix. I'm especially impressed by her complete lack of fact about the update.
Watcher 1 Aug 2008 23:34
6/10
Wow, that is an impressive amount of time and energy you put into debunking an opinion piece on a small website. What exactly was wrong about the article again? Automatic update item? Looks like she noted that in the comments after some other mental giants commented on it.

I really like how your site gave a massive 3 insightful and fantastic paragraphs to this update. Really gave a lot of insight into the PS3 process of updating and system in general. Oh that wasn't your point? Ah, there is the difference between your gem and Kelly's... purpose.

By the way Doyen is a man, not a woman as Kelly seems to be. If you want to use 75 cent words at least check the definition first.
Dave 2 Aug 2008 10:29
7/10
Astroturf

Thatisall
Twoozle 2 Aug 2008 19:30
8/10
Watcher wrote:
By the way Doyen is a man, not a woman as Kelly seems to be. If you want to use 75 cent words at least check the definition first.


She still talks s**t.
mrAnthony 3 Aug 2008 11:39
9/10
yes! me too, whats with the blues brothers, and if i hear someone singing "everybody, needs somebody" again, i will sqweam.
PreciousRoi 3 Aug 2008 14:21
10/10
All y'all hatin' on the Blues Brothers are f**ked up, but then, most of you are European, so I suppose you can be excused for having no soul. That movie is just plain awesome, the music is awesome, Ackroyd is who he is, but f**king John Belushi? The man was electricity itself, he oozed talent all over the place during his tragically shortend life. He could do it all...sing, write, do physical stuff that was almost beyond belief from a man his size and shape...he was a comedic Titan walking the earth, leaving footprints no one since has been able to fill, and I'm sure, had he not died, would have proved an extremely skilled dramatist as well. The Blues Brother Band itself featured some of the best musicians availible, and you also got cameos and songs with A-R-E-T-H-A, Cab Calloway, and Ray Charles, who was brilliant. At the time, a couple of white boys giving those kinds of props to black artists was rare, if not unheard of, still don't see enough of it.

The Blues Brothers and Animal House are two of the best movies of their time and type, and have some of the greatest soundtracks of any film. Belushi's "Money, Thats What I Want" has always been a personal favorite of mine.
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