Internet Advertising: Evony
Sunday, August 30, 2009 by Sergio
I'm sure many of you will have seen advertising on the web for a free online game called Evony. The premise of the game is to build a medieval empire, or so I've read... I've never played the game myself.
For those that don't know the ads, I have selected a few. They appear in chronological order, documenting the shift from reasonable and relatively representative, to pure lowest common denominator.
There is no lover to save in the game, so this statement is essentially a lie. In my opinion, the ads get more misleading from this point on...
I don't think I have to point out what's wrong with this final ad. Of course, I'm not the only one with objections to this sort of advertising practice. The company behind Evony is now taking legal action against those who have been particularly vocal with their complaints, accusing sites such as The Guardian Online and Bruce On Games of defamation.
I will be very interested in where this leads, as it seems to me that for the most part the defendants have demonstrated more honesty than the plaintiff.
(Thanks to Coding Horror for images and info)
For those that don't know the ads, I have selected a few. They appear in chronological order, documenting the shift from reasonable and relatively representative, to pure lowest common denominator.
There is no lover to save in the game, so this statement is essentially a lie. In my opinion, the ads get more misleading from this point on...
I don't think I have to point out what's wrong with this final ad. Of course, I'm not the only one with objections to this sort of advertising practice. The company behind Evony is now taking legal action against those who have been particularly vocal with their complaints, accusing sites such as The Guardian Online and Bruce On Games of defamation.
I will be very interested in where this leads, as it seems to me that for the most part the defendants have demonstrated more honesty than the plaintiff.
(Thanks to Coding Horror for images and info)
Great post. Threatening legal action against those who have complained seems a bit rich on one level and perhaps totally logical on another - it just keeps the spiral of free publicity (which those complaining unwittingly contribute to) going. Is the last ad for real, by the way? I followed your link, but am still a bit sceptical - it seems kind of ridiculous.
I can assure that the last ad is genuine, I've seen it on a few websites. Although, I think it's now been removed from circulation. They seem to have reverted to designs more akin to the second and the third examples I posted.
Judging by the amount I (and others I know) see Evony ads, they have invested an insane amount in advertising.