Today, September 19th, the game Ford Bold Moves Street Racing (known as Ford Street Racing in the EU) is on its way to retailers. The new release from Eidos, for PS2, Xbox and PC, features high-performance Ford vehicles such as the 1968 Mustang GT and the new 2007 Shelby GT500. Is this a good move on behalf of Ford or could it backfire on them?
At face value, the game does seem to offer significant potential for Ford. The race genre is clearly relevant to the brand, and the different vehicles add realism to the game. And what better emotion to associate with a car than the sense of achievement that comes from accelerating past the competition to take the checkered flag?
Ford has taken a significant step in featuring their cars in a realistic game, in which a progressive damage system allows every hit taken by a vehicle to affect its appearance, performance and drivability. Previously, car manufacturers such as Porsche were unwilling to let their vehicles look anything other than pristine, revealing a basic lack of understanding of what gamers want. Gamers want realism, and cars that crash and continue unscathed and unaffected are hardly realistic. Quoted in ClickZNews, Eidos Marketing Manager David Bamberger states, “What’s great about Ford is they get it. They understand gamers and are open to understanding gamers more.”
An understanding of gamers really is an essential prerequisite for advertisers seeking to exploit this growing communication channel. Underwriting the cost of a game with high production values is a considerable investment which requires due diligence. Product placement or billboard-style 3-D ads in existing popular games carry less risk, but also offer less potential to engage the end-gamer.
Bold Moves also features another innovation called Maximum Team Control™ Racing. This unique game element allows a user to switch on the fly among three vehicles in their fleet to dominate a race.
So do gamers think the game is a bold move by Ford? The following comments from Blue’s News suggest that while some features are well-received, some commentators – as we saw in the case of Dell recently - are all too happy to make fun of a big company:
• “Why hasn’t anyone thought of letting you swap cars in the middle of races before! It makes so much sense! And you will need to swap cars when you have a mechanical problem just like a REAL FORD! It’s taking things to a whole new BOLD level!”
• “Swap cars when you have a mechanical problem just like a REAL FORD. Hee Hee….F-ix O-r R-epair D-aily.”
Unfortunately reviews of the game are mixed. The following from AceGamez sums up the reaction:
“Ford Street Racing is a budget game with some high production values, like a reasonable reproduction of LA, some neat ideas in the Team Racing mode, a good range of handling types and convincing AI drivers. The problem is, it’s limited and boring.”
If the game really is limited and boring, then perhaps Ford could have made a better investment. I would suggest that Bold Moves Street Racing obeys three of the key rules of branded game integration:
1. The game undoubtedly fits the young adult target market to which Ford would like to appeal.
2. The brand undoubtedly fits the game. The cars add realism and interest.
3. The game should enhance perceptions of the brand. Just the association with a racing game will imply speed and excitement.
But unless the game has the longevity to make people want to play on an ongoing basis, its impact may be short-lived. Much of the value of game play comes from repeat exposures to a positive experience with the brand. Without that, Ford may be missing out.
What do you think? Do you have examples of using gaming as part of the marketing mix that you can share? If so, please post a comment.
(Click here to download the Millward Brown Point of View “Taking Gaming to the Next Level.”)
(16 votes, average: 3.38 out of 5)
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