When she's not busy blowing the heads off of enemies to get to the next level, she's usually playing video games.
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TheGameDame
Last night I turned on my PS3 hoping to spend a little quality time with “Little Big Planet.” Instead, I got to play “Download Updates.” I got the high score on all 3 levels (100%!) so I was pretty proud of myself. Sadly, my joy turned to anger when I saw one of the pods under the “What’s New” section. The category? “Girlz Play Too.” The headline? “OMG LILAC PSP.” The product? The Limited Edition Hannah Montana PSP® Entertainment Pack.
My roommate immediately ran into the kitchen, grabbed the fire extinguisher and prepared for the firestorm he knew would ensue.
Although I feared spontaneous combustion, I clicked the ad and saw this:
You can’t tell from my screen grab, but if you go to the official OMG Lilac PSP site, you’ll see that the image on the PSP screen rotates through a few scenes to show everyone what it is that girlz <3 2 play! The screenshots made me want to vomit. There are a couple of colorful fantasy lands, what I’m assuming is a shot from the Hannah Montana game and – my personal favorite – PONIES!!! Unless that pony can breathe fire and transform into a soul-sucking alien when enemies get too close, it can go to hell.
Does Sony REALLY believe that the reason girls don’t buy their handheld system is because it isn’t going to match their lip gloss color? NO! It’s because it’s expensive, hard to hold and therefore a pain in the ass to operate – the same reason guys don’t buy it. And do they feel that the games promoted on this site are representative of the games all girls play? Come on, guys. Who did you hire for this campaign? The same agency that created this ad?
There’s a quote on Joystiq from John Koller, SCEA’s Director of Hardware Marketing: “While SCEA has a broad range of PSP owners from under 12 to over 45 years old, we saw a tremendous opportunity for us to connect with the female and ‘tween’ demographic and create a PSP system that girls will love.” Guess what, John? I’m a girl and I think this ad is crap. It gives the male demographic more reason not to take girl gamers seriously. Thanks, dude.
For years, marketers have targeted video games to guys. I think one of the main reasons the Nintendo Wii was such a hit with women is because Nintendo included them in their ads having a good time AND fully clothed. It’s a super simple move, but one that seems pretty rare amongst most consoles and game developers. It’s Marketing 101 stuff. If you want a certain audience to buy your product, you’re going to have to bring them into the conversation. But there’s another level to this. DO NOT assume the conversation girls want to have with you is about “Pretty Pony Punkin Patch” and that you’re going to get their business by marketing sweet little cupcake games. That’s not to say that there aren’t girls (or boys) out there who would enjoy those games, it’s just to say that the days of assuming that all girls play with Barbie and all boys play with GI Joe are over. And those unwilling to admit that and push their advertising forward are going to piss off girl gamers who like to blog.
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This is why, at least in part, that the DS is blowing away the PSP. Whether you look at sales numbers, installed base, usage, or even developer support, Nintendo’s little handheld runs circles around Sony’s.
Nintendo offered a selection of colors, without highlighting one or another as a “girl” or “boy” hue, they offer a variety of games without pushing one or another towards one gender or demographic, and they focus more on the games than trying to be “cool” with one particular marketing target.
Sony has, for all of its boasting that they brought gaming into the mainstream with the PS2, seems to have completely lost touch with modern culture. Hell, I’m a guy, and even I found the ad campaign pretty off the mark.
For the record, my 13-year-old daughter, the “target demographic” for this, felt that the lilac color was too pink for her liking, and gagged at the very thought of playing a Hannah Montana game. So she went back to her black DS and played some Mario Kart.
Left by The Grumbly Gamer on September 4th, 2009