EA is dropping a huge portion of the Danteās Inferno advertising budget this Sunday with the companyās first Super Bowl commercial, hoping to capture the massive cross-section of football fans familiar with the work of Dante Alighieri.
With the estimated cost of a half-minute Super Bowl commercial estimated to cost close to $3 million, EA must have supreme confidence in the potential success of Danteās Inferno, an action game based on the Inferno portion of Dante Alighieriās āDivine Comedy.ā The companyās advertising investment, titled āHell Awaits,ā will air during the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLIV this Sunday on CBS.
And while it may seem like I am picking on football fans in the opening of this article, I was actually just riffing on comments from EA president Frank Gibeau, which were included in the commercial announcement.
āEven within the spectrum of live sports events, the Super Bowl stands apart, almost as a national holiday. The Super Bowl is a bullās-eye in terms of cross-over to our core demographic and the reach is outstanding. Not only does it draw 100 million viewers, but most people watch the Super Bowl live, a rarity in the world of DVRs. While digital outreach to Facebook, Twitter, and online bloggers is a core part of our marketing strategy, we felt that advertising during the Super Bowl is an excellent way to introduce this new IP to a massive cross-section of people who are likely already familiar with the dark and twisted āDivine Comedy.ā
Iām familiar with it, and I watch the Super Bowl every year. Heck, my stepfather, one of the most intelligent, level-headed, and educated men I know, turns into a raving lunatic this time every year, so while it may sound silly, there very well could be a large cross-segment of people whoāve yet to hear about Danteās Inferno.
Iām still not sure if that segment would be keen on playing the game, but they might just chew a little bit slower on their Buffalo wing during that 30 seconds, and I consider that nearly $3 million well-spent.
