I guess Electronic Arts
It all started during the annual E3 conference, when the game's marketing team staged a protest. Christian picketers urged gamers to trade in their PlayStation consoles for "Pray Stations" to repent for coveting EA's hedonistic title. When Christian bloggers realized that the over-the-top protests were fake, they were understandably outraged over being lampooned.
EA didn't quit while it was behind. According to Ars Technica, other questionable promotional campaigns in support of Dante's Inferno include a sexist "booth babes" contest and the mailing of $200 checks to the owners of popular gaming blogs.
There was a catch to the $200 checks: "By cashing this check you succumb to avarice by hoarding filthy lucre, but by not cashing it, you waste it, and thereby surrender to prodigality," read the check's explanation. "Make your choice and suffer the consequence for your sin."
These cutting-edge stunts may seem clever to the targeted gamer, but this isn't Take-Two. It was easy for Take-Two to get away with the racy "hot coffee" incident four summers ago. Being banned from Wal-Mart
EA doesn't have that luxury. Critics and boycott organizers won't aim at just a single randy release. They'll battle against all of EA.
Industry giants EA and Activision Blizzard
What's your take on EA's guerrilla marketing? Let me know in the comments section below.