EA Will Attempt To Run Rejected SB Ad During NBA All-Star Game

Watch EA's "Go To Hell" Spot

Electronic Arts, which was rejected by CBS in its bid to run its "Go to Hell" tagline in a Super Bowl ad promoting the forthcoming "Dante's Inferno" videogame, will also attempt to run the ad during the NBA All-Star Game February 14 on TNT. EA submitted ads to the cable net with both the "Go to Hell" tagline and an alternate, softened version using "Hell awaits" that will run during Sunday's Super Bowl. It is not yet known whether TNT will allow the "Go to Hell" version. Either way, the two prominent anchors of the February sports calendar represent key portions of a marketing campaign for the M-rated, action-adventure game that has developed over the past nine months. EA Senior Product Manager Phil Marineau said, "This is an absolutely great way to get in front of a massive audience, and do so without the threat of a DVR. The Super Bowl is a great forum for us, and we will continue to be aggressive and out there throughout February, and the All-Star Game is another key portion of that." Marineau added the high-profile marketing activities by EA, which also included a buy during the NFC title game for role-playing game "Mass Effect 2," are part of an emerging corporate strategy for the game publisher. "It's about [creating] fewer titles, but doubling down on those titles and turning them into major events," Marineau said (Eric Fisher, SportsBusiness Journal). MARKETING DAILY's Aaron Barr reports EA has booked time during the events with the "hopes of gaining a mass audience for franchise (or potential franchise) titles." Marineau said that the strategy is "intended to broaden EA's ability to reach the 'hit buyers' of games, who tend to only buy three or four titles a year" (MARKETING DAILY, 2/3 issue).

ALL-STAR PREP: SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL's Fisher reports NBA Digital this week is "reviving within NBA.com its All-Star Scene area, an ambitious All-Star Game-themed digital programming effort that debuted a year ago." NBA Digital this year on All-Star Scene will debut "12 hours of live programming on Friday, Feb. 12, including an All-Star version" of NBA Digital's interactive talk show, "The Jump." The area will "include a variety of channels dedicated to player developed content, user-generated material, and integration with real-time Facebook and Twitter feeds." Fisher notes the "social-media element will particularly manifest itself" during NBA Commissioner David Stern's February 13 state of the league address, during which he will "answer fan-submitted questions" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 2/1 issue). MEDIAWEEK.com's Mike Shields reported the NBA has "launched the NBA.com All-star Slam Dunk Live application for both the Android Market and Apple's App Store." The $0.99 application "gives users access to four different cameras feeds during" the February 13 Sprite Slam Dunk Contest (MEDIAWEEK.com, 2/1).