I was not heavily involved in this project, but I do remember the details around it's conception. At the time (spring 2009), EA was having a particularly bad year(s). Marketing budgets were getting slashed left and right.
The EA Sports budgets were getting hammered as well. Games like Tennis, NCAA Basketball, and NHL10 weren't likely to get funding in a good year, but especially not in a bad year. W+K and the advertising team were tasked with coming up with a commercial that could showcase the entire EA Sports lineup for 2009. Then the smaller titles could draft off the advertising dollars of the larger games.
Whether that marketing strategy was smart or not is debatable. One of EA's big problems is lack of focus. It spends too much energy on too many games instead of concentrating all effort and time into the top 2-3 games.
But the creative effort of this commercial was spot on. It captured the essence of what every fan and gamer feels when they pick up a controller. Everyone can relate to these normals throughout the commercial. The emotional pull of Sports was well captured and it showcased the games in a fascinating and powerful way.
Commentary (1)
The EA Sports budgets were getting hammered as well. Games like Tennis, NCAA Basketball, and NHL10 weren't likely to get funding in a good year, but especially not in a bad year. W+K and the advertising team were tasked with coming up with a commercial that could showcase the entire EA Sports lineup for 2009. Then the smaller titles could draft off the advertising dollars of the larger games.
Whether that marketing strategy was smart or not is debatable. One of EA's big problems is lack of focus. It spends too much energy on too many games instead of concentrating all effort and time into the top 2-3 games.
But the creative effort of this commercial was spot on. It captured the essence of what every fan and gamer feels when they pick up a controller. Everyone can relate to these normals throughout the commercial. The emotional pull of Sports was well captured and it showcased the games in a fascinating and powerful way.