Why a Killer Video Game is the U.s. Army’s Best Recruitment Tool
Posted by admin in brand puma on January 24th, 2010
By David Verklin and Bernice Kanner
Authors of Watch This, Listen up, Click Here
Since the last draftee reported for duty in December 1972, Uncle Sam has had to hustle to staff an all-volunteer armed force. In the case of the U. S. Army, that meant recruiting 80,000 new soldiers every year — essentially replacing more than the entire workforce of BellSouth every 12 months.
Advertising did the trick initially. After “Today’s Army Wants to Join You” fizzled, in January 1981, “Be All You Can Be” became the battle cry. For two decades, wrapped around ads that made this branch look as adventurous as an Outward Bound course, it resonated with 17-to-24-year-olds (of whom the Army is the nation’s largest employer). Then, in 2001, that was scuttled for an “Army of One. ” (”Even though there are 1,045,690 soldiers just like me, I am my own force . . . “) Critics scoffed that the new tin slogan was misguided (isn’t conformity more valued than individuality in the barracks?); the Army countered that it was effective.
Then Iraq exploded.
Despite adding thousands of additional recruiters, upping the enlistment bonus and funding for college, fattening the ad budget, and ratcheting up the patriotic appeal, the Army could not fill its boots.
So the Army added more marketing weaponry. It hosted town hall meetings where civilians could meet soldiers and hear about their accomplishments. It tried product placement: Army mechanics on the Discovery Channel’s Monster Garage tricked out a Jeep. And it launched a thoroughly engaging computer video game that quickly became a gold standard of “advergames” for its effectiveness and realism. Gamers take such real military roles as Intelligence (18F), Engineer (18C), Communications (18E), and Combat Medic (18D), and fire the same weapons the Army has. And when they fire on the run, their aim is less accurate.
Before it was released on July 4, 2002, many expected the $7. 3 million game would join the ranks of the $436 hammer and $640 toilet seat as a study of excess. Few predicted “America’s Army” would become the artillery’s most effective marketing tool, conveying the authentic military experience in a voice that prospective recruits want to hear.
More than seven million users have registered (anonymously so as to squelch any fear of recruiter harangues) with 10,000 to 50,000 new ones downloading the shoot-em-up daily. In a dozen running and gunning missions, players advance through the stages of soldierhood — drilling in basic training, target practicing with an M-16, learning about basic emergency medicine, and, finally, diving into combat. The game has been downloaded more than 16 million times, 20 percent of entering cadets at West Point have played it, and between 20 and 40 percent of new Army recruits have played it as well.
“They seek it out rather than the other way around,” noted Chris Chambers, deputy director of the Army Game Project within the Army’s Office of Economic and Manpower Analysis. At an average cost of 10 cents per hour versus $5 to $10 per hour for a TV commercial, it delivers immersion rather than mere impression.
“America’s Army” has proven to be such powerful weaponry that an official game store does brisk business selling collectible action figures, clothes, coffee mugs, and other doodads emblazoned with the logo. The Army builds parties and tournaments across the country around it. A wireless version and sequels including “America’s Army: Special Forces,” where players try to earn a Green Beret by completing Special Forces missions, have been released. Apple created a knockoff: Boot Camp. And the Army now even uses it extensively in training.
Uncle Sam Wants You . . . to play . . . and he’s not the only one. Everyone is getting in on the virtual action. Some, like the Army, create a whole game that functions as a sales brochure. Just as the Army promoted its pro-military message through gameplay, the United Nations World Food Program aims to educate about its mission to combat hunger worldwide. In “Food Force,” players steer a helicopter over the war-torn island of Sheylan, (a fictional cross between Sri Lanka and Somalia) and drop relief supplies to a population with little shelter and less food. Or they create food rations, schedule shipments, or take a supply truck through hostile terrain.
In the racing game, “Volvo Drive for Life” (playable on Microsoft’s Xbox), players are rewarded not for finishing first, but for avoiding accidents. Wander in for a test drive at a Volvo dealer and you can try it in the showroom. Dealers can bestow game cartridges on select prospects and customers. After its royal mascot tromped through “Fight Night Round 3″ (on Xbox 360), Burger King created action games around its bizarre king and made them available for just $3. 99 to customers who bought a value meal. (Most games sell for at least 12 times that). Nike went beyond athletes wearing its shoes in the video game NBA 2K6: Tournament players are given different pairs of virtual footwear and choose which to put on from their Nike shoe locker depending on the task. They can also personalize the shoes with the same customization feature that’s on Nike’s iD web site.
In other advergames, marketers hitch a ride. In “CSI: 3 Dimensions of Murder,” Visa’s fraud-monitoring capabilities shine when a suspicious charge on a victim’s credit card triggers investigation by a forensic-sciences team. In Tom Clancy’s “Splinter Cell Chaos Theory,” the protagonist, secret agent Sam Fisher, scales a bright neon sign for Axe deodorant and quietly enters a lunchroom inhabited by a Diet Sprite Zero vending machine. (Axe also created Mojo Master, an online game about picking up women. ) In “Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow,” Fisher retrieves a message from a Sony Ericsson smart phone to learn who the villain is. In “Burnout Revenge,” players drive and crash a Carl’s Jr. delivery-truck. And players in Activision’s ‘True Crime” titles take a break from fighting gangs to recover stolen Puma sneakers.
Some marketers install games on corporate web sites or designated URLs, like “Life Saver Candy Stand,” or FiletoFish. com, the web site where a division of McDonald’s posted “Shark Bait” (in English and Spanish). Players must protect the filet-of-fish sandwich from attacking sharks. For Wachovia, Carat’s Fusion recreated the tricky 17th-hole par 3 at the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. Players evaluate distance and wind conditions on this 217-yard hole to pick a club: Crowd noise lets them know if they’ve made a good virtual swing. Wachovia has sponsored the annual PGA championship since 2002: The game was fashioned to promote that, sell tickets, and create viral buzz. H&R Block’s “Deduct-A-Buck” game at the deductabuck. com web site is tax-time seasonal. Players who correctly answer questions about what they can legally write off in this Seventies-TV-quiz-show-style game win prizes.
Hollywood and Nashville hardly launch a movie or song anymore without serving up a side of game. And despite hefty royalty rates for movie titles, an action hit will almost certainly be reincarnated on a console. Turner’s “Witchblade” promoted the TV series, and games built around Men in Black II, Spider-Man, and Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course were meant to promote the new releases. Along with ads for Sprite, the sci-fi game “Planetside” featured ads for the movie Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo, and in the free version of “Anarchy Online” a 15-second trailer for V For Vendetta played in a continual loop. Ads for Batman Begins in “Splinter Cell” were timed to its release in local markets.
The Da Vinci Code got its own PS2 game. Paramount Pictures crafted a Mission: Impossible III game for cell phones while Miami Vice had an accompanying game to play on Sony’s handheld PSP.
This is about more than fun and games. Yankee Group estimates that by 2007 a serious gamer will lurk in every fourth home in America. Nielsen says three out of four residences with guys under age 34 have a game system. More people slay orcs in the medieval-style quest for virtual gold and power, “World of Warcraft,” than live in Denmark. In 2006, gamers across the globe owned more than 100 million PlayStation2s and 40 million Xboxes. In the United States, video games already raked in more money than the movie box offices, and Yankee Group says the industry will top $8. 3 billion by 2008. PricewaterhouseCoopers says globally it will reach $55 billion by 2009. That explains why a cottage industry in Los Angeles builds game consoles into the backs of Lincoln Navigators.
Collectively, interactive ads embedded in quizzes and games made up more than $1 billion of the $12. 5 billion in online ad revenue in 2005, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau. Nielsen (which now measures the industry) expects advertising spending within games will jump from $75 million in 2006 to $1 billon by 2010. Mitch Davis, CEO of Massive, thinks it could be almost twice that — and account for about 3 percent of all media spending, just shy of what advertisers spend on the Internet.
Copyright © 2007 Carat North America, Inc. from the book Watch This, Listen Up, Click Here by David Verklin and Bernice Kanner Published by John Wiley & Sons Inc. ; April 2007;$24. 95US/$29. 99CAN; 978-0-470-05643-1
Bernice Kanner was a marketing expert and the author for thirteen years of New York magazine’s “On Madison Avenue” column. Her books include The 100 Best TV Commercials: . . . and Why They Worked and The Super Bowl of Advertising: How the Commercials Won the Game.
Visit www. watchlistenclick. com for more info.
Why a Killer Video Game is the U.s. Army’s Best Recruitment Tool
Posted by admin in brand puma on January 19th, 2010
By David Verklin and Bernice Kanner
Authors of Watch This, Listen up, Click Here
Since the last draftee reported for duty in December 1972, Uncle Sam has had to hustle to staff an all-volunteer armed force. In the case of the U. S. Army, that meant recruiting 80,000 new soldiers every year — essentially replacing more than the entire workforce of BellSouth every 12 months.
Advertising did the trick initially. After “Today’s Army Wants to Join You” fizzled, in January 1981, “Be All You Can Be” became the battle cry. For two decades, wrapped around ads that made this branch look as adventurous as an Outward Bound course, it resonated with 17-to-24-year-olds (of whom the Army is the nation’s largest employer). Then, in 2001, that was scuttled for an “Army of One. ” (”Even though there are 1,045,690 soldiers just like me, I am my own force . . . “) Critics scoffed that the new tin slogan was misguided (isn’t conformity more valued than individuality in the barracks?); the Army countered that it was effective.
Then Iraq exploded.
Despite adding thousands of additional recruiters, upping the enlistment bonus and funding for college, fattening the ad budget, and ratcheting up the patriotic appeal, the Army could not fill its boots.
So the Army added more marketing weaponry. It hosted town hall meetings where civilians could meet soldiers and hear about their accomplishments. It tried product placement: Army mechanics on the Discovery Channel’s Monster Garage tricked out a Jeep. And it launched a thoroughly engaging computer video game that quickly became a gold standard of “advergames” for its effectiveness and realism. Gamers take such real military roles as Intelligence (18F), Engineer (18C), Communications (18E), and Combat Medic (18D), and fire the same weapons the Army has. And when they fire on the run, their aim is less accurate.
Before it was released on July 4, 2002, many expected the $7. 3 million game would join the ranks of the $436 hammer and $640 toilet seat as a study of excess. Few predicted “America’s Army” would become the artillery’s most effective marketing tool, conveying the authentic military experience in a voice that prospective recruits want to hear.
More than seven million users have registered (anonymously so as to squelch any fear of recruiter harangues) with 10,000 to 50,000 new ones downloading the shoot-em-up daily. In a dozen running and gunning missions, players advance through the stages of soldierhood — drilling in basic training, target practicing with an M-16, learning about basic emergency medicine, and, finally, diving into combat. The game has been downloaded more than 16 million times, 20 percent of entering cadets at West Point have played it, and between 20 and 40 percent of new Army recruits have played it as well.
“They seek it out rather than the other way around,” noted Chris Chambers, deputy director of the Army Game Project within the Army’s Office of Economic and Manpower Analysis. At an average cost of 10 cents per hour versus $5 to $10 per hour for a TV commercial, it delivers immersion rather than mere impression.
“America’s Army” has proven to be such powerful weaponry that an official game store does brisk business selling collectible action figures, clothes, coffee mugs, and other doodads emblazoned with the logo. The Army builds parties and tournaments across the country around it. A wireless version and sequels including “America’s Army: Special Forces,” where players try to earn a Green Beret by completing Special Forces missions, have been released. Apple created a knockoff: Boot Camp. And the Army now even uses it extensively in training.
Uncle Sam Wants You . . . to play . . . and he’s not the only one. Everyone is getting in on the virtual action. Some, like the Army, create a whole game that functions as a sales brochure. Just as the Army promoted its pro-military message through gameplay, the United Nations World Food Program aims to educate about its mission to combat hunger worldwide. In “Food Force,” players steer a helicopter over the war-torn island of Sheylan, (a fictional cross between Sri Lanka and Somalia) and drop relief supplies to a population with little shelter and less food. Or they create food rations, schedule shipments, or take a supply truck through hostile terrain.
In the racing game, “Volvo Drive for Life” (playable on Microsoft’s Xbox), players are rewarded not for finishing first, but for avoiding accidents. Wander in for a test drive at a Volvo dealer and you can try it in the showroom. Dealers can bestow game cartridges on select prospects and customers. After its royal mascot tromped through “Fight Night Round 3″ (on Xbox 360), Burger King created action games around its bizarre king and made them available for just $3. 99 to customers who bought a value meal. (Most games sell for at least 12 times that). Nike went beyond athletes wearing its shoes in the video game NBA 2K6: Tournament players are given different pairs of virtual footwear and choose which to put on from their Nike shoe locker depending on the task. They can also personalize the shoes with the same customization feature that’s on Nike’s iD web site.
In other advergames, marketers hitch a ride. In “CSI: 3 Dimensions of Murder,” Visa’s fraud-monitoring capabilities shine when a suspicious charge on a victim’s credit card triggers investigation by a forensic-sciences team. In Tom Clancy’s “Splinter Cell Chaos Theory,” the protagonist, secret agent Sam Fisher, scales a bright neon sign for Axe deodorant and quietly enters a lunchroom inhabited by a Diet Sprite Zero vending machine. (Axe also created Mojo Master, an online game about picking up women. ) In “Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow,” Fisher retrieves a message from a Sony Ericsson smart phone to learn who the villain is. In “Burnout Revenge,” players drive and crash a Carl’s Jr. delivery-truck. And players in Activision’s ‘True Crime” titles take a break from fighting gangs to recover stolen Puma sneakers.
Some marketers install games on corporate web sites or designated URLs, like “Life Saver Candy Stand,” or FiletoFish. com, the web site where a division of McDonald’s posted “Shark Bait” (in English and Spanish). Players must protect the filet-of-fish sandwich from attacking sharks. For Wachovia, Carat’s Fusion recreated the tricky 17th-hole par 3 at the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. Players evaluate distance and wind conditions on this 217-yard hole to pick a club: Crowd noise lets them know if they’ve made a good virtual swing. Wachovia has sponsored the annual PGA championship since 2002: The game was fashioned to promote that, sell tickets, and create viral buzz. H&R Block’s “Deduct-A-Buck” game at the deductabuck. com web site is tax-time seasonal. Players who correctly answer questions about what they can legally write off in this Seventies-TV-quiz-show-style game win prizes.
Hollywood and Nashville hardly launch a movie or song anymore without serving up a side of game. And despite hefty royalty rates for movie titles, an action hit will almost certainly be reincarnated on a console. Turner’s “Witchblade” promoted the TV series, and games built around Men in Black II, Spider-Man, and Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course were meant to promote the new releases. Along with ads for Sprite, the sci-fi game “Planetside” featured ads for the movie Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo, and in the free version of “Anarchy Online” a 15-second trailer for V For Vendetta played in a continual loop. Ads for Batman Begins in “Splinter Cell” were timed to its release in local markets.
The Da Vinci Code got its own PS2 game. Paramount Pictures crafted a Mission: Impossible III game for cell phones while Miami Vice had an accompanying game to play on Sony’s handheld PSP.
This is about more than fun and games. Yankee Group estimates that by 2007 a serious gamer will lurk in every fourth home in America. Nielsen says three out of four residences with guys under age 34 have a game system. More people slay orcs in the medieval-style quest for virtual gold and power, “World of Warcraft,” than live in Denmark. In 2006, gamers across the globe owned more than 100 million PlayStation2s and 40 million Xboxes. In the United States, video games already raked in more money than the movie box offices, and Yankee Group says the industry will top $8. 3 billion by 2008. PricewaterhouseCoopers says globally it will reach $55 billion by 2009. That explains why a cottage industry in Los Angeles builds game consoles into the backs of Lincoln Navigators.
Collectively, interactive ads embedded in quizzes and games made up more than $1 billion of the $12. 5 billion in online ad revenue in 2005, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau. Nielsen (which now measures the industry) expects advertising spending within games will jump from $75 million in 2006 to $1 billon by 2010. Mitch Davis, CEO of Massive, thinks it could be almost twice that — and account for about 3 percent of all media spending, just shy of what advertisers spend on the Internet.
Copyright © 2007 Carat North America, Inc. from the book Watch This, Listen Up, Click Here by David Verklin and Bernice Kanner Published by John Wiley & Sons Inc. ; April 2007;$24. 95US/$29. 99CAN; 978-0-470-05643-1
Bernice Kanner was a marketing expert and the author for thirteen years of New York magazine’s “On Madison Avenue” column. Her books include The 100 Best TV Commercials: . . . and Why They Worked and The Super Bowl of Advertising: How the Commercials Won the Game.
Visit www. watchlistenclick. com for more info.
Why a Killer Video Game is the U.s. Army’s Best Recruitment Tool
Posted by admin in brand puma on January 13th, 2010
By David Verklin and Bernice Kanner
Authors of Watch This, Listen up, Click Here
Since the last draftee reported for duty in December 1972, Uncle Sam has had to hustle to staff an all-volunteer armed force. In the case of the U. S. Army, that meant recruiting 80,000 new soldiers every year — essentially replacing more than the entire workforce of BellSouth every 12 months.
Advertising did the trick initially. After “Today’s Army Wants to Join You” fizzled, in January 1981, “Be All You Can Be” became the battle cry. For two decades, wrapped around ads that made this branch look as adventurous as an Outward Bound course, it resonated with 17-to-24-year-olds (of whom the Army is the nation’s largest employer). Then, in 2001, that was scuttled for an “Army of One. ” (”Even though there are 1,045,690 soldiers just like me, I am my own force . . . “) Critics scoffed that the new tin slogan was misguided (isn’t conformity more valued than individuality in the barracks?); the Army countered that it was effective.
Then Iraq exploded.
Despite adding thousands of additional recruiters, upping the enlistment bonus and funding for college, fattening the ad budget, and ratcheting up the patriotic appeal, the Army could not fill its boots.
So the Army added more marketing weaponry. It hosted town hall meetings where civilians could meet soldiers and hear about their accomplishments. It tried product placement: Army mechanics on the Discovery Channel’s Monster Garage tricked out a Jeep. And it launched a thoroughly engaging computer video game that quickly became a gold standard of “advergames” for its effectiveness and realism. Gamers take such real military roles as Intelligence (18F), Engineer (18C), Communications (18E), and Combat Medic (18D), and fire the same weapons the Army has. And when they fire on the run, their aim is less accurate.
Before it was released on July 4, 2002, many expected the $7. 3 million game would join the ranks of the $436 hammer and $640 toilet seat as a study of excess. Few predicted “America’s Army” would become the artillery’s most effective marketing tool, conveying the authentic military experience in a voice that prospective recruits want to hear.
More than seven million users have registered (anonymously so as to squelch any fear of recruiter harangues) with 10,000 to 50,000 new ones downloading the shoot-em-up daily. In a dozen running and gunning missions, players advance through the stages of soldierhood — drilling in basic training, target practicing with an M-16, learning about basic emergency medicine, and, finally, diving into combat. The game has been downloaded more than 16 million times, 20 percent of entering cadets at West Point have played it, and between 20 and 40 percent of new Army recruits have played it as well.
“They seek it out rather than the other way around,” noted Chris Chambers, deputy director of the Army Game Project within the Army’s Office of Economic and Manpower Analysis. At an average cost of 10 cents per hour versus $5 to $10 per hour for a TV commercial, it delivers immersion rather than mere impression.
“America’s Army” has proven to be such powerful weaponry that an official game store does brisk business selling collectible action figures, clothes, coffee mugs, and other doodads emblazoned with the logo. The Army builds parties and tournaments across the country around it. A wireless version and sequels including “America’s Army: Special Forces,” where players try to earn a Green Beret by completing Special Forces missions, have been released. Apple created a knockoff: Boot Camp. And the Army now even uses it extensively in training.
Uncle Sam Wants You . . . to play . . . and he’s not the only one. Everyone is getting in on the virtual action. Some, like the Army, create a whole game that functions as a sales brochure. Just as the Army promoted its pro-military message through gameplay, the United Nations World Food Program aims to educate about its mission to combat hunger worldwide. In “Food Force,” players steer a helicopter over the war-torn island of Sheylan, (a fictional cross between Sri Lanka and Somalia) and drop relief supplies to a population with little shelter and less food. Or they create food rations, schedule shipments, or take a supply truck through hostile terrain.
In the racing game, “Volvo Drive for Life” (playable on Microsoft’s Xbox), players are rewarded not for finishing first, but for avoiding accidents. Wander in for a test drive at a Volvo dealer and you can try it in the showroom. Dealers can bestow game cartridges on select prospects and customers. After its royal mascot tromped through “Fight Night Round 3″ (on Xbox 360), Burger King created action games around its bizarre king and made them available for just $3. 99 to customers who bought a value meal. (Most games sell for at least 12 times that). Nike went beyond athletes wearing its shoes in the video game NBA 2K6: Tournament players are given different pairs of virtual footwear and choose which to put on from their Nike shoe locker depending on the task. They can also personalize the shoes with the same customization feature that’s on Nike’s iD web site.
In other advergames, marketers hitch a ride. In “CSI: 3 Dimensions of Murder,” Visa’s fraud-monitoring capabilities shine when a suspicious charge on a victim’s credit card triggers investigation by a forensic-sciences team. In Tom Clancy’s “Splinter Cell Chaos Theory,” the protagonist, secret agent Sam Fisher, scales a bright neon sign for Axe deodorant and quietly enters a lunchroom inhabited by a Diet Sprite Zero vending machine. (Axe also created Mojo Master, an online game about picking up women. ) In “Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow,” Fisher retrieves a message from a Sony Ericsson smart phone to learn who the villain is. In “Burnout Revenge,” players drive and crash a Carl’s Jr. delivery-truck. And players in Activision’s ‘True Crime” titles take a break from fighting gangs to recover stolen Puma sneakers.
Some marketers install games on corporate web sites or designated URLs, like “Life Saver Candy Stand,” or FiletoFish. com, the web site where a division of McDonald’s posted “Shark Bait” (in English and Spanish). Players must protect the filet-of-fish sandwich from attacking sharks. For Wachovia, Carat’s Fusion recreated the tricky 17th-hole par 3 at the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. Players evaluate distance and wind conditions on this 217-yard hole to pick a club: Crowd noise lets them know if they’ve made a good virtual swing. Wachovia has sponsored the annual PGA championship since 2002: The game was fashioned to promote that, sell tickets, and create viral buzz. H&R Block’s “Deduct-A-Buck” game at the deductabuck. com web site is tax-time seasonal. Players who correctly answer questions about what they can legally write off in this Seventies-TV-quiz-show-style game win prizes.
Hollywood and Nashville hardly launch a movie or song anymore without serving up a side of game. And despite hefty royalty rates for movie titles, an action hit will almost certainly be reincarnated on a console. Turner’s “Witchblade” promoted the TV series, and games built around Men in Black II, Spider-Man, and Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course were meant to promote the new releases. Along with ads for Sprite, the sci-fi game “Planetside” featured ads for the movie Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo, and in the free version of “Anarchy Online” a 15-second trailer for V For Vendetta played in a continual loop. Ads for Batman Begins in “Splinter Cell” were timed to its release in local markets.
The Da Vinci Code got its own PS2 game. Paramount Pictures crafted a Mission: Impossible III game for cell phones while Miami Vice had an accompanying game to play on Sony’s handheld PSP.
This is about more than fun and games. Yankee Group estimates that by 2007 a serious gamer will lurk in every fourth home in America. Nielsen says three out of four residences with guys under age 34 have a game system. More people slay orcs in the medieval-style quest for virtual gold and power, “World of Warcraft,” than live in Denmark. In 2006, gamers across the globe owned more than 100 million PlayStation2s and 40 million Xboxes. In the United States, video games already raked in more money than the movie box offices, and Yankee Group says the industry will top $8. 3 billion by 2008. PricewaterhouseCoopers says globally it will reach $55 billion by 2009. That explains why a cottage industry in Los Angeles builds game consoles into the backs of Lincoln Navigators.
Collectively, interactive ads embedded in quizzes and games made up more than $1 billion of the $12. 5 billion in online ad revenue in 2005, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau. Nielsen (which now measures the industry) expects advertising spending within games will jump from $75 million in 2006 to $1 billon by 2010. Mitch Davis, CEO of Massive, thinks it could be almost twice that — and account for about 3 percent of all media spending, just shy of what advertisers spend on the Internet.
Copyright © 2007 Carat North America, Inc. from the book Watch This, Listen Up, Click Here by David Verklin and Bernice Kanner Published by John Wiley & Sons Inc. ; April 2007;$24. 95US/$29. 99CAN; 978-0-470-05643-1
Bernice Kanner was a marketing expert and the author for thirteen years of New York magazine’s “On Madison Avenue” column. Her books include The 100 Best TV Commercials: . . . and Why They Worked and The Super Bowl of Advertising: How the Commercials Won the Game.
Visit www. watchlistenclick. com for more info.
Why a Killer Video Game is the U.s. Army’s Best Recruitment Tool
Posted by admin in brand puma on December 25th, 2009
By David Verklin and Bernice Kanner
Authors of Watch This, Listen up, Click Here
Since the last draftee reported for duty in December 1972, Uncle Sam has had to hustle to staff an all-volunteer armed force. In the case of the U. S. Army, that meant recruiting 80,000 new soldiers every year — essentially replacing more than the entire workforce of BellSouth every 12 months.
Advertising did the trick initially. After “Today’s Army Wants to Join You” fizzled, in January 1981, “Be All You Can Be” became the battle cry. For two decades, wrapped around ads that made this branch look as adventurous as an Outward Bound course, it resonated with 17-to-24-year-olds (of whom the Army is the nation’s largest employer). Then, in 2001, that was scuttled for an “Army of One. ” (”Even though there are 1,045,690 soldiers just like me, I am my own force . . . “) Critics scoffed that the new tin slogan was misguided (isn’t conformity more valued than individuality in the barracks?); the Army countered that it was effective.
Then Iraq exploded.
Despite adding thousands of additional recruiters, upping the enlistment bonus and funding for college, fattening the ad budget, and ratcheting up the patriotic appeal, the Army could not fill its boots.
So the Army added more marketing weaponry. It hosted town hall meetings where civilians could meet soldiers and hear about their accomplishments. It tried product placement: Army mechanics on the Discovery Channel’s Monster Garage tricked out a Jeep. And it launched a thoroughly engaging computer video game that quickly became a gold standard of “advergames” for its effectiveness and realism. Gamers take such real military roles as Intelligence (18F), Engineer (18C), Communications (18E), and Combat Medic (18D), and fire the same weapons the Army has. And when they fire on the run, their aim is less accurate.
Before it was released on July 4, 2002, many expected the $7. 3 million game would join the ranks of the $436 hammer and $640 toilet seat as a study of excess. Few predicted “America’s Army” would become the artillery’s most effective marketing tool, conveying the authentic military experience in a voice that prospective recruits want to hear.
More than seven million users have registered (anonymously so as to squelch any fear of recruiter harangues) with 10,000 to 50,000 new ones downloading the shoot-em-up daily. In a dozen running and gunning missions, players advance through the stages of soldierhood — drilling in basic training, target practicing with an M-16, learning about basic emergency medicine, and, finally, diving into combat. The game has been downloaded more than 16 million times, 20 percent of entering cadets at West Point have played it, and between 20 and 40 percent of new Army recruits have played it as well.
“They seek it out rather than the other way around,” noted Chris Chambers, deputy director of the Army Game Project within the Army’s Office of Economic and Manpower Analysis. At an average cost of 10 cents per hour versus $5 to $10 per hour for a TV commercial, it delivers immersion rather than mere impression.
“America’s Army” has proven to be such powerful weaponry that an official game store does brisk business selling collectible action figures, clothes, coffee mugs, and other doodads emblazoned with the logo. The Army builds parties and tournaments across the country around it. A wireless version and sequels including “America’s Army: Special Forces,” where players try to earn a Green Beret by completing Special Forces missions, have been released. Apple created a knockoff: Boot Camp. And the Army now even uses it extensively in training.
Uncle Sam Wants You . . . to play . . . and he’s not the only one. Everyone is getting in on the virtual action. Some, like the Army, create a whole game that functions as a sales brochure. Just as the Army promoted its pro-military message through gameplay, the United Nations World Food Program aims to educate about its mission to combat hunger worldwide. In “Food Force,” players steer a helicopter over the war-torn island of Sheylan, (a fictional cross between Sri Lanka and Somalia) and drop relief supplies to a population with little shelter and less food. Or they create food rations, schedule shipments, or take a supply truck through hostile terrain.
In the racing game, “Volvo Drive for Life” (playable on Microsoft’s Xbox), players are rewarded not for finishing first, but for avoiding accidents. Wander in for a test drive at a Volvo dealer and you can try it in the showroom. Dealers can bestow game cartridges on select prospects and customers. After its royal mascot tromped through “Fight Night Round 3″ (on Xbox 360), Burger King created action games around its bizarre king and made them available for just $3. 99 to customers who bought a value meal. (Most games sell for at least 12 times that). Nike went beyond athletes wearing its shoes in the video game NBA 2K6: Tournament players are given different pairs of virtual footwear and choose which to put on from their Nike shoe locker depending on the task. They can also personalize the shoes with the same customization feature that’s on Nike’s iD web site.
In other advergames, marketers hitch a ride. In “CSI: 3 Dimensions of Murder,” Visa’s fraud-monitoring capabilities shine when a suspicious charge on a victim’s credit card triggers investigation by a forensic-sciences team. In Tom Clancy’s “Splinter Cell Chaos Theory,” the protagonist, secret agent Sam Fisher, scales a bright neon sign for Axe deodorant and quietly enters a lunchroom inhabited by a Diet Sprite Zero vending machine. (Axe also created Mojo Master, an online game about picking up women. ) In “Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow,” Fisher retrieves a message from a Sony Ericsson smart phone to learn who the villain is. In “Burnout Revenge,” players drive and crash a Carl’s Jr. delivery-truck. And players in Activision’s ‘True Crime” titles take a break from fighting gangs to recover stolen Puma sneakers.
Some marketers install games on corporate web sites or designated URLs, like “Life Saver Candy Stand,” or FiletoFish. com, the web site where a division of McDonald’s posted “Shark Bait” (in English and Spanish). Players must protect the filet-of-fish sandwich from attacking sharks. For Wachovia, Carat’s Fusion recreated the tricky 17th-hole par 3 at the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. Players evaluate distance and wind conditions on this 217-yard hole to pick a club: Crowd noise lets them know if they’ve made a good virtual swing. Wachovia has sponsored the annual PGA championship since 2002: The game was fashioned to promote that, sell tickets, and create viral buzz. H&R Block’s “Deduct-A-Buck” game at the deductabuck. com web site is tax-time seasonal. Players who correctly answer questions about what they can legally write off in this Seventies-TV-quiz-show-style game win prizes.
Hollywood and Nashville hardly launch a movie or song anymore without serving up a side of game. And despite hefty royalty rates for movie titles, an action hit will almost certainly be reincarnated on a console. Turner’s “Witchblade” promoted the TV series, and games built around Men in Black II, Spider-Man, and Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course were meant to promote the new releases. Along with ads for Sprite, the sci-fi game “Planetside” featured ads for the movie Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo, and in the free version of “Anarchy Online” a 15-second trailer for V For Vendetta played in a continual loop. Ads for Batman Begins in “Splinter Cell” were timed to its release in local markets.
The Da Vinci Code got its own PS2 game. Paramount Pictures crafted a Mission: Impossible III game for cell phones while Miami Vice had an accompanying game to play on Sony’s handheld PSP.
This is about more than fun and games. Yankee Group estimates that by 2007 a serious gamer will lurk in every fourth home in America. Nielsen says three out of four residences with guys under age 34 have a game system. More people slay orcs in the medieval-style quest for virtual gold and power, “World of Warcraft,” than live in Denmark. In 2006, gamers across the globe owned more than 100 million PlayStation2s and 40 million Xboxes. In the United States, video games already raked in more money than the movie box offices, and Yankee Group says the industry will top $8. 3 billion by 2008. PricewaterhouseCoopers says globally it will reach $55 billion by 2009. That explains why a cottage industry in Los Angeles builds game consoles into the backs of Lincoln Navigators.
Collectively, interactive ads embedded in quizzes and games made up more than $1 billion of the $12. 5 billion in online ad revenue in 2005, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau. Nielsen (which now measures the industry) expects advertising spending within games will jump from $75 million in 2006 to $1 billon by 2010. Mitch Davis, CEO of Massive, thinks it could be almost twice that — and account for about 3 percent of all media spending, just shy of what advertisers spend on the Internet.
Copyright © 2007 Carat North America, Inc. from the book Watch This, Listen Up, Click Here by David Verklin and Bernice Kanner Published by John Wiley & Sons Inc. ; April 2007;$24. 95US/$29. 99CAN; 978-0-470-05643-1
Bernice Kanner was a marketing expert and the author for thirteen years of New York magazine’s “On Madison Avenue” column. Her books include The 100 Best TV Commercials: . . . and Why They Worked and The Super Bowl of Advertising: How the Commercials Won the Game.
Visit www. watchlistenclick. com for more info.
Why a Killer Video Game is the U.s. Army’s Best Recruitment Tool
Posted by admin in brand puma on December 24th, 2009
By David Verklin and Bernice Kanner
Authors of Watch This, Listen up, Click Here
Since the last draftee reported for duty in December 1972, Uncle Sam has had to hustle to staff an all-volunteer armed force. In the case of the U. S. Army, that meant recruiting 80,000 new soldiers every year — essentially replacing more than the entire workforce of BellSouth every 12 months.
Advertising did the trick initially. After “Today’s Army Wants to Join You” fizzled, in January 1981, “Be All You Can Be” became the battle cry. For two decades, wrapped around ads that made this branch look as adventurous as an Outward Bound course, it resonated with 17-to-24-year-olds (of whom the Army is the nation’s largest employer). Then, in 2001, that was scuttled for an “Army of One. ” (”Even though there are 1,045,690 soldiers just like me, I am my own force . . . “) Critics scoffed that the new tin slogan was misguided (isn’t conformity more valued than individuality in the barracks?); the Army countered that it was effective.
Then Iraq exploded.
Despite adding thousands of additional recruiters, upping the enlistment bonus and funding for college, fattening the ad budget, and ratcheting up the patriotic appeal, the Army could not fill its boots.
So the Army added more marketing weaponry. It hosted town hall meetings where civilians could meet soldiers and hear about their accomplishments. It tried product placement: Army mechanics on the Discovery Channel’s Monster Garage tricked out a Jeep. And it launched a thoroughly engaging computer video game that quickly became a gold standard of “advergames” for its effectiveness and realism. Gamers take such real military roles as Intelligence (18F), Engineer (18C), Communications (18E), and Combat Medic (18D), and fire the same weapons the Army has. And when they fire on the run, their aim is less accurate.
Before it was released on July 4, 2002, many expected the $7. 3 million game would join the ranks of the $436 hammer and $640 toilet seat as a study of excess. Few predicted “America’s Army” would become the artillery’s most effective marketing tool, conveying the authentic military experience in a voice that prospective recruits want to hear.
More than seven million users have registered (anonymously so as to squelch any fear of recruiter harangues) with 10,000 to 50,000 new ones downloading the shoot-em-up daily. In a dozen running and gunning missions, players advance through the stages of soldierhood — drilling in basic training, target practicing with an M-16, learning about basic emergency medicine, and, finally, diving into combat. The game has been downloaded more than 16 million times, 20 percent of entering cadets at West Point have played it, and between 20 and 40 percent of new Army recruits have played it as well.
“They seek it out rather than the other way around,” noted Chris Chambers, deputy director of the Army Game Project within the Army’s Office of Economic and Manpower Analysis. At an average cost of 10 cents per hour versus $5 to $10 per hour for a TV commercial, it delivers immersion rather than mere impression.
“America’s Army” has proven to be such powerful weaponry that an official game store does brisk business selling collectible action figures, clothes, coffee mugs, and other doodads emblazoned with the logo. The Army builds parties and tournaments across the country around it. A wireless version and sequels including “America’s Army: Special Forces,” where players try to earn a Green Beret by completing Special Forces missions, have been released. Apple created a knockoff: Boot Camp. And the Army now even uses it extensively in training.
Uncle Sam Wants You . . . to play . . . and he’s not the only one. Everyone is getting in on the virtual action. Some, like the Army, create a whole game that functions as a sales brochure. Just as the Army promoted its pro-military message through gameplay, the United Nations World Food Program aims to educate about its mission to combat hunger worldwide. In “Food Force,” players steer a helicopter over the war-torn island of Sheylan, (a fictional cross between Sri Lanka and Somalia) and drop relief supplies to a population with little shelter and less food. Or they create food rations, schedule shipments, or take a supply truck through hostile terrain.
In the racing game, “Volvo Drive for Life” (playable on Microsoft’s Xbox), players are rewarded not for finishing first, but for avoiding accidents. Wander in for a test drive at a Volvo dealer and you can try it in the showroom. Dealers can bestow game cartridges on select prospects and customers. After its royal mascot tromped through “Fight Night Round 3″ (on Xbox 360), Burger King created action games around its bizarre king and made them available for just $3. 99 to customers who bought a value meal. (Most games sell for at least 12 times that). Nike went beyond athletes wearing its shoes in the video game NBA 2K6: Tournament players are given different pairs of virtual footwear and choose which to put on from their Nike shoe locker depending on the task. They can also personalize the shoes with the same customization feature that’s on Nike’s iD web site.
In other advergames, marketers hitch a ride. In “CSI: 3 Dimensions of Murder,” Visa’s fraud-monitoring capabilities shine when a suspicious charge on a victim’s credit card triggers investigation by a forensic-sciences team. In Tom Clancy’s “Splinter Cell Chaos Theory,” the protagonist, secret agent Sam Fisher, scales a bright neon sign for Axe deodorant and quietly enters a lunchroom inhabited by a Diet Sprite Zero vending machine. (Axe also created Mojo Master, an online game about picking up women. ) In “Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow,” Fisher retrieves a message from a Sony Ericsson smart phone to learn who the villain is. In “Burnout Revenge,” players drive and crash a Carl’s Jr. delivery-truck. And players in Activision’s ‘True Crime” titles take a break from fighting gangs to recover stolen Puma sneakers.
Some marketers install games on corporate web sites or designated URLs, like “Life Saver Candy Stand,” or FiletoFish. com, the web site where a division of McDonald’s posted “Shark Bait” (in English and Spanish). Players must protect the filet-of-fish sandwich from attacking sharks. For Wachovia, Carat’s Fusion recreated the tricky 17th-hole par 3 at the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. Players evaluate distance and wind conditions on this 217-yard hole to pick a club: Crowd noise lets them know if they’ve made a good virtual swing. Wachovia has sponsored the annual PGA championship since 2002: The game was fashioned to promote that, sell tickets, and create viral buzz. H&R Block’s “Deduct-A-Buck” game at the deductabuck. com web site is tax-time seasonal. Players who correctly answer questions about what they can legally write off in this Seventies-TV-quiz-show-style game win prizes.
Hollywood and Nashville hardly launch a movie or song anymore without serving up a side of game. And despite hefty royalty rates for movie titles, an action hit will almost certainly be reincarnated on a console. Turner’s “Witchblade” promoted the TV series, and games built around Men in Black II, Spider-Man, and Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course were meant to promote the new releases. Along with ads for Sprite, the sci-fi game “Planetside” featured ads for the movie Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo, and in the free version of “Anarchy Online” a 15-second trailer for V For Vendetta played in a continual loop. Ads for Batman Begins in “Splinter Cell” were timed to its release in local markets.
The Da Vinci Code got its own PS2 game. Paramount Pictures crafted a Mission: Impossible III game for cell phones while Miami Vice had an accompanying game to play on Sony’s handheld PSP.
This is about more than fun and games. Yankee Group estimates that by 2007 a serious gamer will lurk in every fourth home in America. Nielsen says three out of four residences with guys under age 34 have a game system. More people slay orcs in the medieval-style quest for virtual gold and power, “World of Warcraft,” than live in Denmark. In 2006, gamers across the globe owned more than 100 million PlayStation2s and 40 million Xboxes. In the United States, video games already raked in more money than the movie box offices, and Yankee Group says the industry will top $8. 3 billion by 2008. PricewaterhouseCoopers says globally it will reach $55 billion by 2009. That explains why a cottage industry in Los Angeles builds game consoles into the backs of Lincoln Navigators.
Collectively, interactive ads embedded in quizzes and games made up more than $1 billion of the $12. 5 billion in online ad revenue in 2005, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau. Nielsen (which now measures the industry) expects advertising spending within games will jump from $75 million in 2006 to $1 billon by 2010. Mitch Davis, CEO of Massive, thinks it could be almost twice that — and account for about 3 percent of all media spending, just shy of what advertisers spend on the Internet.
Copyright © 2007 Carat North America, Inc. from the book Watch This, Listen Up, Click Here by David Verklin and Bernice Kanner Published by John Wiley & Sons Inc. ; April 2007;$24. 95US/$29. 99CAN; 978-0-470-05643-1
Bernice Kanner was a marketing expert and the author for thirteen years of New York magazine’s “On Madison Avenue” column. Her books include The 100 Best TV Commercials: . . . and Why They Worked and The Super Bowl of Advertising: How the Commercials Won the Game.
Visit www. watchlistenclick. com for more info.
Japanese Animation Movies are a Part of Life That We All Should Enjoy Seeing
Posted by admin in brand puma on December 18th, 2009
The world of animation has many different types of animated movies for you to watch. Some of these will be movies that are suitable for children. Others will be ones that adults can watch. You have yet more animated movies that can be watched by the entire family. It is into this category that you will find Japanese animation movies.
These many Japanese animation movies that you will see will provide you with all of the enjoyment that you want to see. As you watch these animated movies you will marvel at the different worlds that open to your senses.
Movies are a part of life that we all enjoy seeing. There are many different types of movies that you can see. The various Japanese animation movies will have all of the action and excitement that you are accustomed to. In addition to these scenes of action you can see humor and other emotions that will make you laugh, cry and feel triumphant as the movie progresses.
As with most of the animated movies that you will see today the Japanese animation movies are based on the desires that people have with regards to entertainment. This means that when you are watching some of these animation based movies you will be able to see exaggerated emotions being shown on the faces of the various characters.
You can also see a number of different vehicles and other non-human characters. These characters and objects will bring a contrast to the more human aspects of the Japanese animation movies. There is an interesting fact that you may like to know about the various animation movies that you sometimes see.
While there are many original idea Japanese animation movies some of these will be taken from the popular anime and Manga series. These movies can be entirely new stories or they can be an extension of the program series that is currently airing.
As with a number of movies and animated movies you can find your favorite Japanese animation movies being shown on the internet movie channels, DVD and video forms. There are other times when you can see previews for the newest Japanese animation movies on the preview section of animated cartoons.
Since there are many different tastes for animated movies you should understand that there are many different Japanese animation movies that people can see and enjoy. For movie lovers these Japanese animation movies can be the best way to spend their time. At the end of the movie you will feel as if you have returned from another world.
Download Anime Videos Online at a Minimum Cost
Posted by admin in brand puma on December 17th, 2009
You don’t have to search too much to find opportunities to download anime videos online. However, you shouldn’t jump at the first seemingly tempting offer as well. As with any download on the Internet, you need to exercise caution and be rather choosy.
Since the time exotic Japanese anime series had made their entry to the West, they were making new fans both in Europe and North America. Today, to download anime videos online is often possible thanks to their enthusiasm, which, unfortunately, doesn’t go well with the copyright law.
Pirated and poorly translated anime videos are posted on such amateur websites for downloading, sometimes on a file sharing basis. However, apart from ethical and legal aspects of such activity, anybody looking for quality anime downloads, should realize that these sites are not the answer to his/her needs.
Legal websites, where you can download anime videos online without the fear of penalties and corrupt files, are plentiful too. But even they do vary: some sources can be really good value for money, while others are money waste to a larger extent. And, sadly, scam websites are also not a rarity.
You are usually offered to download anime videos online based on a per-file payment mode, monthly/quarterly/yearly subscription or once-for-a-lifetime unlimited access. What is better for you depends on your individual needs and preference.
Per-download payment mode will eventually add up to quite a hefty sum, especially if you plan to download anime videos online regularly. You may still save in comparison with what you would pay for a DVD, but not as much as you could.
A short-time or yearly subscription is quite good if it opens unlimited free access to anime downloads within the time your subscription is valid. It is still not the cheapest option among possible, but a decent one in case you are not sure for how long your interest for anime videos will last.
The variant offering unlimited downloads is the most advantageous in terms of savings. For a fee that varies between 30 and 50 dollars in most cases, you become a permanent member of the website and can start downloading anime videos online instantly. No limits, no extra charges, no reminders to renew your membership. Clearly, this is a fantastic offer, even if you are not going to watch the cartoons for a lifetime.
Make sure that the site you choose has a wide selection of anime series and not only allow you to download anime videos online, but plenty of other stuff related to this unique Japanese animation style.
Download anime videos online from my cartoon blog today and enjoy hours of exciting entertainment while spending pennies only.
Lovers of Japanese Animes Always Have Something Exciting to See and Feel
Posted by admin in brand puma on December 16th, 2009
For many of us the world of animation does not have any boundaries. These boundaries are however there when you look at the different styles of animation. One of these styles that you will find is that of Japanese animes. These fantastic animations are full of vibrant color and action. As you watch these programs you will feel as if you were living in one of these.
One of the best things that you will find when you are looking at these Japanese animes is that you have many different characters who interact with each other. The view of society that you can find in these animes will provide you with an idea of how intricately the anime is designed. When you look at these different aspects you begin to understand that the creators of these Japanese animes take a lot of trouble to create these interesting worlds.
One of the interesting things that you will find when you look at these Japanese animes is the fact that the source for these comes from manga comics and also from light novels. With all of these animes you can see a number of different influences. For instance there are cartoons where you have vehicles that morph into robots which are controlled by people.
You have people who have superpowers and yet are completely human in the way that they make mistakes just like us. These different Japanese animes are designed to reach a wide target audience. You will for this reason see animes which are suitable for children and ones that are perfect for adults.
While you may feel that adults do not watch these types of Japanese animes you will be proven wrong. As the different Japanese animes you will find there are ones which are targeted at adult audiences. In addition to these adult animes there are ones which any age group can watch and enjoy.
One of the interesting facts that you can find when you look for information about Japanese animes is the various categories these stories are divided into. You will find stories about magical girls. There are stories about robot warriors; you can also find stories about strange creatures like Pokémon.
By looking at these different categories of Japanese animes you will begin to see why there are so many people who love watching and reading about the events that unfold in these worlds. With these wonderful worlds the lovers of Japanese animes always have something exciting to see and feel.
Easy and Creative Stop Motion Animation Techniques
Posted by admin in brand puma on December 14th, 2009
Stop Motion Animation is a very creative hobby. It is also very inexpensive to start out in; and you can probably do it for no cost at all. All you need is a typical digital camera, some basic software, and a few ideas. Here are some thoughts and tips to get your creativity flowing in this hobby.
When thinking about doing some kind of animation you have to think outside the box and realize that just about anything at all will make a good subject. And you have to think about the fact that just about any medium will work well also.
Two Dimensional Ideas
Working in two dimensions gives you a lot of creative and inexpensive options. You can simply draw pictures on paper and erase then redraw them to show the motions you want to make. An alternative to erasing is to draw series of pictures on separate sheets of paper and photograph them individually. This can give you extraordinary results but is very challenging to make sure the images stay cleanly tracked without slippage which would make it very jerky and shaky.
An excellent way to draw pictures is to use some kind of an erasable surface. This tends to be much easier than drawing pictures on paper and two excellent mediums for this are the dry erase board and the chalkboard. These make it very easy to erase potions of your drawing and redraw the motions. I highly recommend using a dry erase board if you want to get some great looking animations and if you have some skill in drawing.
Drawing images of figures and objects then cutting them out and using them in animations is an excellent way to get very creative and very expressive animations. There are two important additions you can make to this style of animation. You can cut the drawing into segments to show motion. An example of this would be to draw a human form then cut it into its different parts like arms, legs, head and torso. This way you can move them individually much as a human moves. Another way to enhance cut out drawings is to make multiple drawings of the same object to show motion or rotation. A good example of this would be a face. You would draw multiple faces such as one with the mouth closed and one with the mouth open. This way you can alternate between the drawings and simulate talking.
Three Dimensional Animation
There are some exciting possibilities available to you when you start to think about doing animation in three dimensions. And the first place you could start is with clay or play-doh. If you don’t have any of these materials you can easily make some out of flour, salt and water. Another very simply yet very expressive technique is to use wire. You can easily shape it into figures and objects. It holds its shape well yet is easy to manipulate into simulations of motion. Wire is so effective that it is often the frame over which many modern figures are made. This technique is called using a wire armature.
Action figures and dolls make great animation subjects as long as they have movable joints and body parts so you can articulate them. But you don’t have to stick with that. Just about any three-dimensional object can be used in interesting ways. You can draw small eyes, noses, and mouths then attach them to any object and come up with an interesting anthropomorphic little project. You can even carve potatoes or apples and get some great videos. And just moving objects around can be the source of some interesting videos. Watching furniture move around a room can be a good idea or watching items move around a desk can also be interesting.
Animating yourself and the real world is also a fun way to approach the hobby. If you stand at attention and take a picture then move forward six inches, stand at attention and take another picture you can come up with a great series of pictures that show you magically sliding around without moving your feet. You can also do the same thing by jumping into the air and snapping a picture of yourself. Move forward six inches, jump, and snap another picture. With this technique you can create an animation that shows you floating around.
Some final tips
Don’t forget the camera. If you really want to make your animations special you should move the camera as you take your series of pictures. You can do this by either zooming in or out or panning from side to side. This moving of the camera is the single best way to make your animations stand out.
While the medium you use for your animation is very important and can turn a plain animation into something special to look at you should put some time and thought into the story of the animation. This is what can turn it into something truly remarkable. Surprise your viewers and keep them guessing as to what will happen next.
Just about anything in your every day world can be transformed into something extraordinary with a little bit of animation magic and a little bit of creativity. Just look around your house and you will discover lots of great ideas.
Add Some Animal Magnetism With Animal Print Rugs
Posted by admin in brand puma on December 13th, 2009
Have you ever come across an animal print rug? If so, there is a good chance that you saw it either in a store or at a friend’s house. The question is, do you like what animal print rugs have to offer? In other words, do you like the way that they look? There are some people who love anything that has an animal print on it. But of course, there are many others who are against this for one reason or the next. As you can imagine, buying an animal print rug is not something that is right for every homeowner. In addition, you may not want to add one of these rugs to every room in your home. But with all of that in mind, there are many reasons to buy an animal print rug, as well as many places that these look good. First off, take a closer look at why you should consider buying an animal print rug. The number one reason for people buying these rugs is that they are animal lovers. Remember, just because you are buying an animal print rug does not mean that it is an actual animal skin; this is nothing more than a myth. If you love animals, there is a very good chance that you will also love what an animal print rug has to offer. Another reason to buy one of these is because they are downright fun! When compared to other rugs on the market today, these are far from being dull and boring. Buying an animal print rug means that you are going to bring a lot of excitement to the room that you decide to keep it in. Of course, animal print rugs are also a great way to liven any room in your home. Sure, you could opt for a plain, solid color rug; there is nothing wrong with this. But if you really want to spice things up, an animal print rug is the way to go. Since these are so unique looking, they are sure to bring a lot of eyes to the floor. Now that you have a better idea of why to buy an animal print rug, the next thing to figure out is where you are going to put one of these. There is no right or wrong place for an animal print rug to lie; you can choose any room in your home that needs a floor covering. The most popular areas are basements and bedrooms, but once again, you need to make up your own mind on this. If you really want to get the most out of your animal print rug, you should consider decorating the rest of your room around the same theme. For instance, you could buy a bedspread that matches the rug print that you decided on. There are many reasons to add an animal print rug to your home as well as quite a few rooms where one of these will look good.