Microsoft UK’s Destiny “Ad” is Both Clever and Hypocritical

Jermain of RGN writes "Personally I find Microsoft UK’s tongue-in-cheek way of finding a loophole in their inability to advertise the game, to be both clever and sadly, hypocritical.

Activision has a deal with Sony in regards to Destiny. Everyone who has been following anything related to the title knows this; from exclusive gameplay shown during Sony’s conferences to an exclusive console bundle, the PlayStation 4 is being marketed and the platform to play the game. So not allowing the competition to advertise the game makes sense. Is it right? No but marketing multiplatform games as exclusives is a conversation for another time."

[Eonjay]

I have to agree. It is clever but the message doesn't make sense because the competition has never intruded on Microsoft's advertising deals. Deals that they paid cash for. So yeah, no one is expecting Sony to make a fake ad because Microsoft has COD ad rights.

[Concertoine]

I find this ad funny. How anyone could get their jimmies rustled over a fake perfume ad is beyond me.

If there's a loophole in the contract, if we're talking one of the biggest games of the gen, why would they not take advantage? I mean, come on.

Sony's been playing hardball with exclusive content, exclusive advertising, timed exclusive content just like MS started with the 360. If the trend of Sony utilizing the same techniques as MS continue, then we could very well expect subliminal advertising like this from Sony. Im positive contracts with both companies will be more inclusive from now on, though.

I wouldn't knock Sony for fighting fire with fire.

@below

Im not saying it's not hypocritical, but i don't blame a corporation striving for profit to exploit a loophole in a creative way.

[Eonjay]

Because of this:

http://www.pixeldynamo.com/...

I think the ad is great but this additional statement, denouncing paid exclusive advertising is the height of hypocrisy.

"I wouldn't knock Sony for fighting fire with fire"

I tend to disagree on this point. I would rather see Activision advertise Destiny on both, and COD on both.

[uptownsoul]

And the problem is like you said, Fire with Fire…Not just because Sony may or may not want to. In this day and age where corporations are scrapping for a larger cut of consumers shrinking disposable income, if Microsoft gets no back-lash for this, Sony will be forced to use similar tactics. So watch out for clever AC:Unity, Evolve, CoD:AW "loop-hole" ads.

Heck, you may even see a Sony RoTTR "loop-hole" ad specifically pointing out that the exclusivity on that title has a "duration"

@Mikelarry I hope both sides work on never repeating it, because if they don't the console war, to this point, will seem classy and dignified.

[Mikelarry]

@ uptown

I think this was a one time loophole which I am guessing both side will working on to never repeat itself or face being sued

[Concertoine]

@Eonjay

If i could have it my way, and i think most will agree here, exclusive and timed exclusive content for multiplatform games wouldnt exist at all.

@uptown

That is just untrue. MS got backlash for exclusive content, deceptive advertising, and all that stuff, but that didnt stop Sony from doing the exact same thing. Not because "they were forced to", but because it was successful. Sony will do whatever they need to keep an advantage, or gain one in the case of the PS3.

[darthv72]

I seem to recall having seen adverts for COD for both platforms.

Each time i see a destiny spot i keep expecting to see an xbox logo at the end but its always PS. I havent really been following this game but i thought it was only exclusive content for the game.

didnt know it was exclusive advertising too.

[Christopher]

***Im not saying it's not hypocritical, but i don't blame a corporation striving for profit to exploit a loophole in a creative way.***

I personally do. It's all this loophole finding that leads to all the problems we've had with businesses and how they treat consumers as well as their own employees. Don't get me started on tax loopholes. Personally, I'd rather go for the full on honesty of business. If someone else paid for ad rights, then that's what it is and the best thing to do is to otherwise sell my product as best as I can without slapping someone across the face because I didn't get those ad rights this time.

[Concertoine]

@cgood

That kind of loophole is totally different. A corporation utilizing a loophole to directly affect consumers is bad, and will result in consumer backlash. But utilizing one to undermine another bigtime corporation? I could care less, its what they do, its a competitive industry. This isnt even in the same field as tax loopholes.

I dislike the concept of exclusive advertisement introduced by MS, but if they find a loophole and create something goofy like this, i get a laugh and an annoying corporate practice loses that much more importance.

I mean you say the "honesty of business" as if Sony weren't using their money to say "this game is only coming to us" when it is not. That's dishonesty. MS got smart and made a perfume ad. That's not dishonest, it's clever. Like i said, they're hypocrites, but i can respect ingenuity.

[Christopher]

***That kind of loophole is totally different.***

Not to me. That's the difference between stealing a nickel and stealing $1m dollars. To me, it's all stealing. I'd rather not do it at all than put myself into a slippery slope situation of losing my view of what's right and what's wrong.

That's why I made sure to denote that the above statement was my opinion and not a general thought on how I think others should view it.

***I mean you say the "honesty of business" as if Sony weren't using their money to say "this game is only coming to us" when it is not.***

I see nowhere in my post where I praised Sony for similar things. I've said blatantly that I want everyone to be more open about exclusives and the like as well as when and if they pay for exclusives and the like. This isn't just here to be anti-MS, I'm just responding specific to MS as that is the topic at hand.

Please don't try to lump everyone into one group or the other and take a comment that is seen a negative towards one company to mean that I fit into the mentality of supporting just one console blindly or the like. I'm more than just a one-thought hive mind member. I live in a grey area where I recognize that I can criticize all companies for what I disagree with and compliment them for what I do agree with.

[jmac53]

@Eonjay they could have left it at the first page and it would have been clever but they had to take it that one step further and bring to light all there hypocrisy.

[DVAcme]

@Uptownsoul The comparison with the RotTR situation is not appropriate, I think, cause Microsoft was blatantly seeding confusion to make players believe the game was XB1 excluwive when it's not. Destiny at no moment has been advertised as a Sony-exclusive. It has been advertised as Sony-CENTRIC, and it is to a degree, since the best and best-selling version between the two consoles will be the PS4.

[Mikelarry]

Activision must be loving this, yes yes dance puppets dance so that when their next game comes out they can get even more money from these console manufacturers.

[Eonjay]

http://38.media.tumblr.com/...

There is always a greater evil behind the scenes.

[-Foxtrot]

" doesn't make sense because the competition has never intruded on Microsoft's advertising deals. "

Exactly

Yeah it might be a laugh but it would be funnier if they were BOTH known for this sort of thing. Sony has never done something like this before, most big games last gen were always advertised for the 360, it was just one of those things. I didn't see Sony do this sort of thing around Microsofts deals

People are now saying

"Well if Sony does this in the future will you be saying the same thing"

But the thing is...not really because Microsoft has put themselves in a position to be counter attacked by Sony, they started something, what could follow is just "pay back", it's expected. I could easily see them doing this with Tomb Raider.

[Godmars290]

No. Destiny is coming out simultaneously. With TR there could be a gap up to a year if not longer.

But again, that shows that MS doesn't like to play fair. Just like FF13, which they mainly advertised yet sold fewer copies, shows that can't compete even with advantages.

[qwerty676]

its only a problem cause you're making it problem

stop being so sensitive to everything an learn to just take a laugh.

however browsing this site long enough. Foxtrot whenever ive seen you in an xbox article is always just you bashing the system. you literally take everything thats a "non-issue" and turn it into drama because you hate microsoft. you'll find offense with whatever microsoft does no matter what it is.

just gotta say lighten up man. but i know im speaking to deft ears here.

[Christopher]

I disagree with your logic that it's okay for Sony to do it because MS did it.

To me, I don't like it when either does this sort of stuff. I say people should make a great product, tell us honestly what it does and doesn't do, and sell it based on that. I don't need or want all this PR crap I see today.

"The best entertainment console."

"Only on Playstation"

That stuff needs to go away. It's bragging based on the desire for the business to blatantly just lie about a product without having to prove it at all. Advertising in general is just worthless in this day and age when people can just lie about their products without anyone getting on their backs. Got a diet pill? Dress an actor up like a doctor and sell it. Got an energy drink? Have some guy dressed as a doctor slap a huge stack of papers and say "these doctors trust it, so should you." Of course "these doctors" is made up, but did you buy the lie because it looked official?

Marketing is the statistics of selling products. It's all about finding the right way to phrase it so that it looks best for your product.

But, to me, all they're doing is showing me that they think I'm an idiot. And I don't like anyone who automatically assumes I'm an idiot and don't know what I want in a product.

[Godmars290]

Yeah. looking at that ad you posted, it does come off as snarky whining. It may be funny but its still whining.

[Charybdis]

" doesn't make sense because the competition has never intruded on Microsoft's advertising deals. "
Maybe they (sony and microsoft) should have done that a long time ago.
I would encourage both companies to find loopholes in their exclusive advertising deals where possible.
Only the consumers will benefit from that in the end.

[RosweeSon]

That or when they paid however many million (rumoured to be $50 million! For the GTA4 DLC) did sony take pathetic pot shots, no they just went about their business like any other good company, let's face it not like it didn't get to sony in the end. If companies wanna spend stupid amounts of money to get games exclusively on their console sometimes for a mere matter of weeks before it'll release elsewhere anyway it absolutely crazy business, sure the money could go somewhere much better than just 1-up-ing the competition for a day or 2 how about investing it into the games or the service your already offering how about the customers even (rewards schemes and games wth gold cost money) but nah they rather pay to make tomb raider an exclusive for all of 3-6 months. Think I'll just wait and grab it on ps4 ;)

[annoyedgamer]

Is the Sony-favoring N4G community going to be posting up 100 articles a day denouncing this for the next month because if they are let me know so I can take a break from submitting news. I am certain real submissions will be passed over in favor of this nonsense.

[TheRedButterfly]

You and me both.

[Grindlefly]

Geez if only you saw n4g several years ago. The venom against Sony and ps3 was terrible. 2 wrongs don't make a right but for a lot of ps fans I think it's an element of payback.

Would rather not see it or be a part of it tho and when I click the n4g page every story does seem to have a bloody perfume bottle on it lol

[annoyedgamer]

Well I have been here since 2009. I was introduced by a Sony fan from college. This site was populated by mostly sony fans then. How far back are we talking?

[UnwanteDreamz]

You ever get tired of blaming Sony fans for everything? Isn't it about time to renew that victim card? Extremists suck almost as bad as people who pretend one side is worse than the other. This BS is tit for tat and has been since 07. Let me ask you. Do you think things would be better if this site was mostly XBox fans? If so how and for whom?

[Grindlefly]

Post launch ps3 and for a couple of years after. It was before the bubble system came in so arguments could just go on and on. I remember one argument about the cell processor that had someone insulting my 3 year old son! It's a shame because it's awesome to have a good debate about games but it's got so tit for tat that both sides feel justified in acting foolish as it's been turnaround for them

Sad really as the reality is that we are all passionate about gaming

[2pacalypsenow]

SO its ok for MS to get COD only advertised for xbox but when sony does it they dont let them?

[xtremexx]

lol how are they stopping them?

[2pacalypsenow]

Because they wont let them Have one game . They have to get involved somehow and get xbox out there

[xtremexx]

well it is multiplat.

[JeffGUNZ]

You sound like a kid who had their toy taken away. It's business. We should be happy. If both companies do this, the consumers are the one who benefits. Why we people here mad? Do all of you work for either MS or Sony? We are consumers and this makes the game more clear its MP. Believe it or not, a lot of gamers don't know jack and don't come to sites like these. When Tomb Raider got announced we all hated third party exclusive deals, now MS is finding a loophole to expose a third party deal and now it's not ok?

Make up your minds!

[UnwanteDreamz]

I agree with everything but the last sentence. Still gave you an agree for your mostly fair comment. I would still like all the timed exclusive and exclusive dlc leave gaming rather than both companies 1uping eachnother with ads.

[Sm00thNinja]

Everyone's doing exactly what Microsoft wants. Spreading the word

[GusBricker]

Exactly.

Nicely done, MS, it's definitely working.

[HappyWithOneBubble]

There's nothing to spread but them butt cheeks.

People know Destiny is coming to XB1 just like people know COD is on PS4 and yet Ghost sold more on PS4 even with the XB1 deal.

[ceedubya9]

Man, why are these sites making such a big deal about this? It really isn't that serious. I'm sure Activision wants the Xbox One version to sell well, too, despite any ad agreements. Its a funny little ad. Can't we just laugh at it, move on, and be excited that we get to play this game on our system of choice? So many better things people could write about I'm sure.

[HugoDrax]

"Man, why are these sites making such a big deal about this? It really isn't that serious."

Because the cool thing to do is hate on anything Microsoft does, haven't you heard :-/S

[thricetold]

It's not the "cool" thing, it's the smart thing. Why don't you study this companies history and see why they are hated. Its not about "gamers", it's about consumers and they dont give a damn about neither, they don't even pretend to.

[gamerfan0909]

Lol I can see that there's going to be a million of these articles regurgitating the same thing over and over again spinning this into negative PR. Keep submitting them and keep having the same trolls argue over and over again.

[qwerty676]

i think this is the 5th article ive seen on this so far on here.

[DVAcme]

This statement nails it. Yes, it's clever, but it's also MS calling sour grapes on crap they've been doing for YEARS. And as I mentioned in another post, it's not like Sony and Activision are advertising that Destiny's an exclusive game. Unlike MS tried to do with Tomb Raider.

[Gamer4life888]

I know what I smell. A lawsuit!

[sAVAge_bEaST]

Bravo M$. Keep flaming those console war fires.. you accuse others of doing/ and try to play victim of..

(trying to hide that embarrassing Tweet yesterday.. of the Forza crowd in Japan.?)

[gamerfan0909]

I've seen that tweet and I saw nothing wrong with it. The guy clearly used Jap instead of Japanese to save characters on twitter. I guess people can turn any and everything into negative shit for the sake of it.

[TekKing]

If he wanted to save characters on twitter then why didn't he use "JPN" instead?

[UnwanteDreamz]

Because people like gamerfan are too young to understand that the derogatory term "Japs" was used by most of America during a time when we were putting these people in camps in the US. US citizens in camps cause they were Japanese. There are people still alive today who remember that.

[RosweeSon]

Smells like more shite to me, someone's upset the deal went the other way ;)

[lemoncake]

Very clever pr work. Love it or hate it, Microsoft wins either way.

[mhunterjr]

It's not hypocritical at all... Because they didn't criticize anything.

Anyone who saw the as and read "co-marketing deals are bad, we're angry about this one" is adding their own baseless meaning to it. These deals are nothing new, and both sides have benefited from them in the past.

Microsoft simply found a clever and humorous way to circumvent the advertising embargo. Nothing more, nothing less..

[LAWSON72]

IMO a great move, I do not like seeing game ads pretend they are exclusive by ignoring other platforms. If there is a loophole MS is smart to take advantage of it, same goes for Sony.

[GiantEnemyCrab]

Hypocritical? I'm looking at the article to see where it sights any example where MS blocked Sony from even advertising a game that launches on the same day. I understand with a timed exclusive but not a game releasing on the same day. Even COD advertises for the PS4.

[skoorydook]

I actually quite like it