You can’t move on TV without being transported to some 30-second world that would put an RPG to shame.They are, in short, telling visual stories in which the rules of the real world don’t apply; in fact must not apply. Their consumers, presumably, want to inhabit an alternative universe when they guzzle soda, as they inhabit an different place when they play games. Games are escape and ad-makers long to offer escape to the buyers of their products.
- Just because you notice it a lot doesn't make it a trend. Yes, lots of new ads, Coke's especially, use video game shorthand. Remember in 1995 when all of Microsoft's ads were in web-safe colors? Frankly, the case could be made that more ads are starting to look like YouTube.
It’s also no coincidence that the best creative work for advertising is coming from game makers. EA’s ads for Madden, The Sims 2 and NBA Live have been astounding, as have Sony’s work on its hardware brands.
- Creative advertising doesn't come from the advertisers. It comes from the agencies the advertisers have hired. The most distinctive, abstract stuff comes from a combination of great agencies and brands that have the freedom to play - Madden, Sony, Nike, Apple (which, rather than playing, has been product-centric for many years now), Microsoft and Coke. We don't need to know what Coke is or how it tastes after 100 years, but it's got to maintain its brainspace. So, it does cool ads. Same with the PS3. Stupid hunka stupid that it is, everybody knows the PS2, so they have room to play. If I was launching a new video game franchise, I'd go the opposite route - ESRB logo, gameplay, features, benefits, coming soon / buy now. After I'm in charge of Madden I'll do something "cool."
