More Ads that Miss the Mark

[aveyond-dreams]

Imagine my shock when I was confronted by the latest marketing stunt for this game that once again makes me ask the question:

Who are you actually trying to appeal to?

Because a handful of teenagers in cosplay espousing...that is certainly not the sort of thing that would have gotten me to try the game back when I started around that age bracket.

It goes without saying that the resources that went into making this could have easily been spent elsewhere and that the marketing could have been easily more economical - a quick clip of something like a CE in Bozja, snippets of a cutscene from a job quest, all more easy to sit through than stuff like this.

FFXIV deserves better representation than ads like this one and the one that was rightfully dubbed the Cocomelon FFXIV crossover tutorial series. Ads like these make me feel embarrassed by association now and would have absolutely made me feel the same way when I was younger.

Please get it together. You're not building rapport with any audience with this or the other "video series."

[SturmChurro]

Hmm. I wouldn't look too much into this. I think this is just like a WoW ad I saw Asmongold react to where people were in a tavern in cosplay (?).

[Kazhar]

How does it miss the mark?
I mean, you're allowed to dislike it, but to me it seems perfectly in line with the kind of playerbase they want for the game.

[aveyond-dreams]

How does it miss the mark?
I mean, you're allowed to dislike it, but to me it seems perfectly in line with the kind of playerbase they want for the game.

Which in itself says much. All I know is back in the day it was the image of Gaius amidst the flames of the Praetorium and the CGI Black Mage elezen that helped dispel the illusion that FFXIV was just FFXI anime edition. Though it definitely seems that rather than fighting against that perception they seem to want to fully lean into it, tropes and all.

Hmm. I wouldn't look too much into this. I think this is just like a WoW ad I saw Asmongold react to where people were in a tavern in cosplay (?).

I definitely consider stuff like that a waste as well. It was stuff that showed off what the actual game was like that finally drove me to try WoW out, not people "acting" in cosplay.

[SturmChurro]

I definitely consider stuff like that a waste as well. It was stuff that showed off what the actual game was like that finally drove me to try WoW out, not people "acting" in cosplay.

They are probably trying to reach that, like, fantasy RP demographic. Like D&D players. I know things like Critical Role are super popular, so there is an audience for this sort of targeted ad.

[Kazhar]

Which in itself says much. All I know is back in the day it was the image of Gaius amidst the flames of the Praetorium and the CGI Black Mage elezen that helped dispel the illusion that FFXIV was just FFXI anime edition. Though it definitely seems that rather than fighting against that perception they seem to want to fully lean into it, tropes and all.



I definitely consider stuff like that a waste as well. It was stuff that showed off what the actual game was like that finally drove me to try WoW out, not people "acting" in cosplay.

I'm not sure where you're going. Do you think the marketing team is wrong for targeting a certain demographic?
I'd say this is ultimately their call. If they miss the mark, their problem. But I'm pretty sure that they aren't interested in marketing the game as a deep political intrigue with compelling gameplay.

[aveyond-dreams]

I'm not sure where you're going. Do you think the marketing team is wrong for targeting a certain demographic?
I'd say this is ultimately their call. If they miss the mark, their problem. But I'm pretty sure that they aren't interested in marketing the game as a deep political intrigue with compelling gameplay.

I'd much rather they target the gamer bros who like fantasy etc. as opposed to normies who migrate over here from the likes of Nintendogs and Animal Crossing, yes. It's a shame that those are the types that have ended up being catered to in the end as opposed to back in the day when it was the total opposite. Negotiating with Varis, the reformation of Ishgard, etc.

Safer to have a handful of Wols sit around the campfire and brag about how special they are and how they won so much. And then people are surprised when it turns out FFXIV players don't feel at home in other games that don't enable the sort of hero worship/ego praise that this game went full throttle with lately.

[Seraphor]

Do you ever do anything other than complain?

Advertising can be about targeting different markets, within reason, and considering nearly all of WoW's ads are exactly like this, I don't see why it's not something that would work.

I'd much rather they target the gamer bros who like fantasy etc. as opposed to normies who migrate over here from the likes of Nintendogs and Animal Crossing, yes. It's a shame that those are the types that have ended up being catered to in the end as opposed to back in the day when it was the total opposite. Negotiating with Varis, the reformation of Ishgard, etc.

Hardcore raiding gamer bros don't need advertising, they travel by word of mouth and 4chan green texts, and follow their statics wherever they go.

This game is foremost a Final Fantasy game, which means the story is front and center, so why would advertising the story aspect of the game be a mistake?

And it's kinda hard to take your "hardcore raider" persona seriously when you have a demon-twink-roleplayer profile. And don't you spend all your time hanging out in Limsa anyway?

[Hurlstone]

I'd much rather they target the gamer bros who like fantasy etc. as opposed to normies who migrate over here from the likes of Nintendogs and Animal Crossing, yes. It's a shame that those are the types that have ended up being catered to in the end as opposed to back in the day when it was the total opposite. Negotiating with Varis, the reformation of Ishgard, etc.

Safer to have a handful of Wols sit around the campfire and brag about how special they are and how they won so much. And then people are surprised when it turns out FFXIV players don't feel at home in other games that don't enable the sort of hero worship/ego praise that this game went full throttle with lately.

Well thank Vanet that you do not decide who can or cannot play the game. None of us can actually, and thats a good thing! Gatekeeping is an ugly thing and should never be supported or propped up in gaming, or any fandom circle. So what if an Animal Crossing fan wants to play FFXIV? (News flash, they are already here aveyond. I AM ONE OF THEM.) People can have more then one genre interest, you know. Diversity is always a good thing.

As for the ad itself, its harmless. Bit cringy sure, but gets the point of this being an ‘epic’ adventure across well enough (I love the costumes… man I wish I was a cosplayer haha) I actually like how it dose advertise the crafting side of the game too (In the ads bellow what the OP posted.) Few games are as proud of it to show it off in an ad, so thats cool.

[PredatoryCatgirl]

This ad is for new players, many of whom have never played an MMO or have quit MMOs because they got older and don't have time. Its meant to appeal to normies and using live people as opposed to gameplay does that wonderfully.