I read an article recently about the evolution of our thinking, as it relates to the Internet. It’s theory was that people do less thinking for themselves because they can quickly get answers by searching online. While we would be losing a more patient, thorough way of figuring things out we also gain the ability to multi-task in a much quicker environment.

Assuming that it’s true, to some degree at least, I can’t help but wonder what that means for branding. Companies have traditionally spent gobs of money to plant a seed of branding in someone’s mind because it has likely meant loyal customers. However, a simple search for “computer” will turn up more options than any single person can handle. While branding helps delineate to a certain degree, does the name “Dell” carry the same weight it used to? You can sift through product descriptions, consumer reviews and competitor products in the same amount of time it takes just to drive to a Best Buy. Consumers can be more educated, make quicker decisions, and find the right product much easier than they used to.

Look at marketing in general. I remember when TV commercials dropped to 30 seconds from 60 and people thought it just wasn’t enough time to hook the consumer. With Internet surfing you probably have 3 seconds to grab attention and websites limit messaging to 15 seconds of play time. To make any money off online advertising there has to be an instant hook accompanied by a compelling reason to purchase. Even companies like Ford, which traditionally run TV ads proving that their trucks are “built Ford tough” now target online readers with “$1,500 cash back” incentives instead.

I’m not so convinced that Branding means as much any more, especially with the reduction of an already low attention span by consumers.

attention span · banner · best buy · brand · consumer · dell · internet · marketing

I certainly did NOT click on the Evony banner with a darn-near-naked woman next to the button that simply says “Play Now”. I certainly did not notice the placement of the button was conveniently located near her woman lumps. If I had tried to “Play Now” I absolutely did not fill out the form hovering above a seductive woman, whose photo scrolled in the background allowing me to see a lot more of her body than I expected. And you can bet that I did not have any pre-conceived thoughts about what this might be. Nope, not me.

Evony is blatantly selling sex to gain more male customers to their online game

OK, so there’s only a little truth in that. Very little. In fact, I did not sign up. Since I had no idea what this company was or the kind of game I was going to play (only reason I knew it was a game was from their “11 Million Players” notification at the top of the landing page the banner sent me to). Instead, I typed Evony into my Google search box and decided to check out the Wikipedia information to get the scoop.

Evony's banner simply states "Play Now" over the half-naked woman

What a shock! Turns out that the game is a MMORTS (Massively Multiplayer online real-time strategy for you non-geeks) for building cities. Say whu? What do the advertisements with half-naked women have to do with building cities? Nothing, I found out. I guess I’ve been hiding under a rock and missed the hoopla about Evony’s advertising strategy. It worked on me… I mean, for all readers labeled my ‘wife’, it caught my eye.

There has long been the question in marketing about when a company has hit rock bottom. I’ve humorously stated many times that if we just put pictures of half-naked blondes that we’d grab the attention about at least 150 million Americans. The reason that’s always been a joke is because most companies attempt to build a brand. Good or bad, that’s the intention. Unless your brand has a bunny as an icon you might walk the tightrope of displaying fleshy curves pretty tight. Of course it will grab attention but you have to understand what kind of attention it will bring in. Customers with a false notion of your product are less likely to stay around and more likely to get upset about deceptive practices.

Evony uses a different landing page for their default website.

I did not, and will not, sign up for the Evony game for these reasons. Rather, I would be much more likely to sign up when the game is portrayed clearly and a friend recommended it to me. That’s the kind of customer that becomes loyal and helps lead to a profitable business that will be around for a while. Excuse me while I go get some coffee from a local drive-thru called “Body Shots”…

advertising · banner · evony · game · gaming · marketing · mmorts · review · sex sells · social