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Virtua Tennis Pigeons Divebomb Wimbledon

Posted by simoniker on from the coo-coo-cracktastic dept.

Thanks to several readers for pointing to a GameSpot story indicating Acclaim will use spray-painted homing pigeons to advertise Virtua Tennis 2 at this year's Wimbledon tennis tournament. According to Acclaim's marketing director, Larry Sparks, "The Virtua Tennis 2 pigeon marketing campaign is highly targeted as it brings awareness of the game directly to tennis enthusiasts.. the Wimbledon tournament is famous for the occasional descent by pigeons onto Centre Court, but our advertising pigeons are trained to go straight for the fans and flap their logos in front of them." Acclaim are sadly infamous for other desperately outlandish publicity stunts, such as getting proud parents to name their baby Turok and trying to place videogame adverts on gravestones.

9 of 62 comments (clear)

  1. Cruelty to .... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Tennis Fans at Wimbledon?

    Husband: What's that pink and white stuff on your shoulder honey?
    Wife: Eeeeeeeekkkk... It's pigeon crap with paint flakes in it!

  2. Bandwidth thieves by metalslinger · · Score: 5, Funny

    Hey stop stealing our bandwidth for our ip over carrier pigeons!

    --
    /. Heroics - 99.999%
  3. Stupid idea by RealityMogul · · Score: 3, Funny

    People are really going to buy your products when you send filthy birds to fly in potential customers faces and take a shit on their head.

    Why don't you feed them non-digestable pellets with the Acclaim logo on them too.

    1. Re:Stupid idea by tha_mink · · Score: 2, Funny

      People are really going to buy your products when you send filthy birds to fly in potential customers faces and take a shit on their head.

      Shitting on customers has worked in corperate america for years; why stop now?

      --
      You'll have that sometimes...
    2. Re:Stupid idea by RealityMogul · · Score: 4, Funny

      Are you sure? I thought we switched shitting on employees and shareholders for the last couple years.

  4. Wow... by psyco484 · · Score: 3, Funny
    I can't help but think this will backfire horribly for them. Picture a pigeon hovering over some unfortunate person. Now picture the person looking up just in time for the pigeon to drop a little present and for them to see the advertising...sure it's memorable, but now this person is going to think about birds crapping on them whenever they see the name Acclaim.

    Maybe this isn't too likely, but hey, it could happen. And honestly, couldn't they just be paying the game's staff more?

  5. I wonder by aridhol · · Score: 3, Funny
    Will Acclaim be responsible enough to use a "bird-friendly" paint? Make sure those fumes don't damage them. Be sure that the paint is non-toxic, so the birds don't absorb something they shouldn't. And be sure to collect and clean every bird.

    In short, I don't think they should be doing this. Maybe the SPCA or PETA should be supervising this.

    --
    I can't say that I don't give a fuck. I've just run out of fuck to give.
  6. Acclaim's "Marketting" by Elwood+P+Dowd · · Score: 4, Funny

    Apparently getting a good ranking in GameSpy's "25 dumbest moments in gaming" just goaded them on.

    --

    There are no trails. There are no trees out here.
  7. Missing the point by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    No, their advertising schemes aren't to name people Turok, deface tombstones, or divebomb Wimbledon.

    They are still using the same old marketing scheme - get people talking about them by pretending to have a really weird marketing scheme.

    It's meta marketing.