Bad Marketing Idea?

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To us, it is pretty poor taste to slap Guitar Hero stickers on a statue dedicated to Jimi Hendrix just to promote a game. I do want to know what you guys think of this, do you think it is bad taste or nothing wrong with it? It isn’t permanent but you can bet if you slapped a sticker on the statue you’d be arrested.

To celebrate the fact that there will be two Guitar Hero performances on the main stage at this year’s Isle of Wight Festival, Activision has re-branded the bronze statue of Hendrix that sits in the grounds of the island’s Dimbola Lodge, turning Jimi’s guitar into the aforementioned video game peripheral.
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I mean, they could have done posters, artists renderings, their OWN statue, etc. etc. etc.
 
This is bad, and I agree. They could have done so many other things, but this...
 
It's pretty lame if you ask me. The $5 marketing budget always loses!
 
bah...I don't know. It's clever marketing. It's also in poor taste, IMO. I'm originally from Seattle, a Hendrix fan, and even I have a hard time on this one. If it had been the statue on Capitol Hill...I'd probably find the nearest Activision employee and beat them about the head, neck, and shoulders. This one's in the UK, so I'm less inclined to care. It's like George Calin said about the news - it's all bad, but unless it's geographically close to where you live...it's no fun. Someone needs to be kicked in the nuts though. I have an idea. Take the person that thought of this, and put them on a cross for a week (you can just tie them, that will suffice) right next to this Hendrix abomonition with a sign that has an arrow pointing, "That was my fault."
 
Definitely a show of no class.

Jimmy Hendrix was a guitar hero, to which the game cannot hold a candle.
 
Very poor taste. The world already has enough marketing on bilboards, benches, buses, tv, etc...
 
Poor taste, I agree, but I think Jimmy would have dug the game. Had he still been alive would he have been OK with this?
 
It's like those bastards that advertise their businesses in the Computers & Tech section of craigslist.
 
Were the stickers placed legally? If so, then I personally don't think it's any worse than using Jimmy's music & likeness "in game" to make sales. The musician is being whored either way.
 
Send the Hendrix estate a cut of the royalties......see how long the stickers last on the statue.

The guy was legendary.........but,
He might have gotten a kick out of it.:D
 
If they got permission from the owners of the statue and from the artist the statue is of that's fine. But this does cross some sort of line.
 
The Hendrix estate is one of the greediest around. I wouldn't doubt for a moment they had a willing hand in this.
 
I don't see anything wrong with it as:
1. It isn't PERMANENT at all.

This will bring young fans to expose them to Hendrix. What's wrong with that? That's why I love GH, it brings young kids what real music is. None of that "supaman" bs music crap.
 
sabregen said:
It's clever marketing. It's also in poor taste, IMO.
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I agree with both. Pretty tasteless really, and goes to substantiate my growing stereotype that most "marketers" are sleazy leeches.
 
If permission was granted, its ok. But that is one hell of a lame way to promote the game. If no permission, then this crosses the line and hefty fines should be paid.

Besides, if your going to put a label on Jimmi Hendrix, nothing less than the title of Legend should be given.
 
Nothing new in this concept of mutual abuse. He was a great musician and I hope I am right in assuming that he would have found this insane and ridiculous. Advertising like this, makes me turn away from the product in disgust, its demeaning to his legacy. Not that I would ever pick up that "tap the pads in various combinations" game anyway (ready to get flamed by the fans.. ouch.. I know its not easy!)

So what is next? Mozart equipped with two x 1210s and Einstein pitching [brand name] Sudoku?
 
Can't edit - the other point of 'watch out for the Hendrix estate' is quite valid. They're pretty rabid about licensing and all that.
 
Steve said:
To us, it is pretty poor taste to slap Guitar Hero stickers on a statue dedicated to Jimmy Hendrix just to promote a game. I do want to know what you guys think of this, do you think it is bad taste or nothing wrong with it? It isn’t permanent but you can bet if you slapped a sticker on the statue you’d be arrested.
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It's Jimmy hendrix, not abraham lincoln. A drug addicted guitar player who died in the 60s isn't some kind of saint deserving of reverence to me, pimp him out in any ad you want. And do it to Janis Joplin while you're at it.
 
That is wrong on so many levels,

Hendrix was and still is such an icon,
The Guitar Hero stickers are like putting Apple stickers on Bill Gates grave (wait that would be funny, bad example), World of Warcraft stickers on a statue of Attila the Hun, Windows Stickers on a statue of Linus Torvalds, or AMD stickers on a statue of Gordon Moore.
 
Its fucking JIMI HENDRIX not jimmy... if JIMI were alive he would endorse guitar hero as long as it came with 13 hits of ACID and a half OZ of weed.

IF 6 WAS 9 I DON'T MIND.
 
if JIMI were alive he would endorse guitar hero as long as it came with 13 hits of ACID and a half OZ of weed.
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Rarely do posts make me laugh (at more than 30 fps). That is frikking hilarious... and impossible to argue with.
 
Try as I may I don't understand why anyone would think it was tacky or tasteless. Putting some stickers on a statue of some guy who played the guitar. Whoopy Doo.

Keith
 
Absolutely SHAMELESS, TACKY and HEARTLESS. Hendrix memorial is for HIM and HIS fans, not a self center company. Activision you have gone to far, and lost a customer.
 
Blatent commercialism taking advantage of a dead artist. I bet Jimi would roll over in his grave.
 
Obi_Kwiet said:
He a musician not a deity.
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agree...

hendrix is actually overrated... which is pretty amazing because he's a great musician and a great guitarist... but not THAT great...

the guy had a career of a whole 4 years... not saying he wasn't talented and a phenomenon but jeez... i'd put him in the top 15 guitarists of all time, but not top 5...
 
maybe if the game had something to do with guitar playing instead of unrelated button mashing.
 
It's ridiculous... playing any musical instrument is an art -- a heck of a lot different than holding a button down while flicking another.

I'd say vandalism charges are in order.
 
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