GameSlice: Behind the Scenes of the Computer and Video Game Industry

GameSlice Daily Editorial

Week Ending October 25, 1999

Editorial
on trends in the gaming
industry and
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SPECIAL ADVERTISING EDITION
continued...

The Latest 3D Hardware Ads
Only a few years ago 3DFX started to demonstrate the importance of strong brand awareness in the marketplace for 3D cards/chipsets, and now companies like ATI, Nvidia, and Diamond are trying to go head-to-head with 3DFX's successful advertising campaign. How do the competitors' ads stack up?
ATI

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Wow, doesn't this guy look mean! Take one gander at this leather-clad multi-pierced biker dude and make the connection with a cutting edge multi-million transitor 3D graphics chip, right? Wrong. There's nothing worse than an ad that clearly went in completely the wrong creative direction, and in this case ATI took a very wrong detour from Advertising 101. Now, unless this guy is a character model out of the Kiss: Psycho Circus game, would someone please tell me what purpose he serves? Putting this guy in a 3D accelerator card ad makes as much sense as making Mr. Rogers the spokesman for Kingpin. Oh wait, I get it…This guy is the "fury" in the "Rage Fury Pro." <rolls eyes>
Grade: F
Nvidia

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I remember having a long chat with an executive at Nvidia almost a year ago where I was told to expect an incredibly strong marketing blitz for the Nvidia brand name in 1999. Well, months later, the result of Nvidia's effort is this utterly forgettable ad which makes the Nvidia graphics chip seem like it's the chip of choice for processing things like Excel spreadsheets. Without any indication of the fact this chip is meant for gaming (besides the short mention in the copy), Nvidia seems to have forgotten that games sell these graphic chips, it's not the other way around. Although Nvidia currently has the lead over 3DFX in terms of technology, when advertising like this is contrasted with 3DFX's integrated marketing and branding campaign, the average consumer would have little choice but to think 3DFX was the chip of choice for the gamer.
Grade: D
Diamond Multimedia

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I always love it when an advertising group tries to drive home emotion with the tagline and it triumphantly fails in its quest. Are you ready for "One Hellish Nightmare?" Although I don't even know what the tagline means – or why anyone would want a 3D chip to give you a hellish nightmare – Diamond and S3 have already started to advertise them new joint-products, including the Viper II which features S3 texture compression. Although the Quake 3 screenshot certainly catches your attention, you can't give points for a simple cut and paste job with a severely lacking tagline. Bottom line: Any ad that features a cut-and-paste Quake 3 screenshot is going to grab attention. How about some originality next time out?
Grade: C
More Ad Reviews: Unreal Tournament >>>