Blog 1 - DSI Spotting

Team Fortress 2 (Game)(Company Valve): For me this game’s style is amazing. It in itself is a brand that flows through every aspect from web sites to characters. It exudes personality and a commitment to its cartoonish style.

Question 1 (the Golden Question): There is not a clear superlative message directly from the company but uses a game reviewer magazine’s quote on its main page, “The most fun you can have online” http://www.teamfortress.com/ . This message though is important and believable because it comes from trusted sources outside the company and gives the viewer a sense of trust and external opinion.

Question 2 (the Substitution Question): Because TF2’s advertising is often image driven and/or machinima made by the company itself it would near impossible to replace any message and make the same claim. http://www.teamfortress.com/movies.htm

Question 3 (the Star Question): The product is always the star of any advertising the TF2 team does. As posted above http://www.teamfortress.com/movies.htm are machinima videos developed by the company themselves. These videos not only create more emotional attachment to the characters (who are the crux of the game/product) they will push the sale of the game at the end of each short. This is probably one of the biggest facets of this company that interests me so much.

Google: http://www.google.com Simple, efficient. Their applications and web tools serve their users and improve the way we use the Internet.

Question 1 (the Golden Question): Google does not make a clear message that is superlative, more so they detail goals and current achievements but never claim to be a #1 in anything. Without a clear claim of #1 it is almost impossible to have the important or believable aspect of the Golden Question. Yet I would still like to make a case that the companies current achievements in a vast array of fields from web search, mail service and online video (http://www.youtube.com) make a strong argument for a believable #1.

Question 2 (the Substitution Question): I feel that because Google does not openly convey a #1 brand message this question is a moot point because you can make the argument for any other search engine. If we get down to brass tax details of Google though we see a company deep in unique business practices and products like maps (http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl), Google apps, Youtube video and so on, that their brand is supported by credibility, level performance, and trust.

Question 3 (the Star Question): Google seems to advertise mostly upon its own page in very minimal fashion (mainly with links) as a result we see the Google name relate our own experiences (positive or negative) and investigate their new features. Google has done only one video ad (from what I can find) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QarPvXukvlw. The product seems to be the focus although maybe a bit incidentally but at the same time feels like the Crome symbol is clearing clutter to reveal a “simpler” browser. In this essence the message is clear and at the same time is kind of fun.

National Hockey League (NHL): http://www.nhl.com Love the game itself and have a great respect for the players and the code of conduct the league enforces.

Question 1 (the Golden Question): “The fastest game on earth” has been a long time message of the NHL and is for the most part true compared to any other large sporting event. The importance and believability (like most sports) is based on opinion and more often than not the association with the sport being for Canadians makes the brand tough to become believable in the minds of potential new viewers.

Question 2 (the Substitution Question): The claim of “fastest game on earth” would be tough for many other major sports to claim because of the way different sporting events are played. They support this by having combines and other events that test athletes’ abilities and report results to support their claims. http://www.nhl.com/allstar/2008/superskills.html#skater

Question 3 (the Star Question): Like most sports advertising the NHL focuses around the game and its players (if the add is for any actual game). The one downfall to this though is that to generate more revenue ads for vehicles, the marines, and other large companies is often tied in or “brought to you by.” To me this looses brand message and it clouds the importance of the game with products. http://www.nhl.com (visit any time to see an ad with the NHL logo on a car ad or other product’s ad).

Newegg (Online Computer Parts Retailer): http://www.newegg.com Reliable, fast and user-friendly computer parts retailer who sell boxed but also OEM products. This company encourages and supports customer reviews and recommendations to make sure you are finding products that have positive ratings. I have relied on them for pretty much any new PC I’ve put together in the past seven years. In addition, they often have the best prices out of any other competitor.

Question 1 (the Golden Question): “Newegg Inc. is a leading e-retailer committed to becoming the most loved and trusted marketplace on the web…” appears to be their superlative message http://www.newegg.com/Info/AboutUs.aspx Their message is important because their whole business is online and thus their focus should always be on the e-commerce and interactions. Their message is believable because they support the products they sell with customer ratings and reviews “We equip our customers with state of the art decision-making resources such as detailed specs, how-to’s, 1.6M+ customer reviews, and high resolution photo galleries.”

Question 2 (the Substitution Question): You can pretty much place any large online retailers name in place of Newegg’s and make the same claims until you get down further in their personal message which has specific claims that separate them from sites that just sell anything and offer customer reviews. Newegg encourages customers to review and rate products in open discussions. http://www.newegg.com/Info/AboutUs.aspx

Question 3 (the Star Question): http://promotions.newegg.com/NEemail/Jan-0-2010/StorageSpecial/index-landing.html?nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL012210&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL012210-_-email-_-E0-_-All (hopefully this link will stay active long enough to view the promotion) The product is always the most important thing in Newegg’s email advertisements. In addition Newegg does not often advertise unless you sign up for their mail service in which they give special promos.