Case Study - FIFA14

Release date: 27/09/13

Institutions behind the game: Developed by EA Canada and published by Electronic Arts.

Print
The print adverts used to advertise FIFA 14 were advertisements like billboards, pitch side adverts etc.

Even though there is barely any text on this advert it still promotes the game well as it shows you the main key conventions which help you get to know the game. Firstly, such as the product name which is shown three times (top left, centre and the bottom on the picture of the game cover). Secondly, the font used is all clear sans serif which shows that this advertisement is advertising a fun, laid back product. Another key convention is the colour scheme which is red and white. These are quite cool colours, the red gets your attention and the white represents the freedom in the game. Thirdly, the slogan. This is a really good slogan as it says “we” meaning the fifa 14 community as a whole. This is a good slogan as it means no matter who you are, how rich you are or where you come from you’re the same as any other fifa 14 player. Lastly, the central image. This is one of the main ways the game is being promoted as it has a famous footballer on the front however, he is not seen as being famous. He is seen as being just like an ordinary person as he is wearing a normal t-shirt. It’s not designer, expensive or a football shirt. This is a good thing as it shows you he is just a regular person, and not a famous footballer while playing fifa. This again relates to the slogan as well.

(http://www.xb1.co.uk/reviews/xbox-one-reviews/fifa-14-xbox-one-review/) The first review I looked at was the Xbox One review. This gave a good review on the game with a score of 9/10. A quote they had said was “…You may come to the conclusion that this is easily the best FIFA yet-” This shows they gave a good review as they mentioned it was no doubt the best fifa yet. 

(http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/entertainment/articles/2013-09/24/fifa-14-game-review) The next review I looked at was the GQ review. Again, this was a good review. One of the things they had said was “All in all, FIFA 14 feels a lot closer to realistic. It's less 'the beautiful game', and more of what you see in the Premier League weekend: a hard-tackling, unpredictable, hugely exciting spectacle.” Overall, they said how it was more realistic and didn’t seem as if it was a videogame, more like real football.

(http://www.officialplaystationmagazine.co.uk/review/fifa-14-ps3-review-official-playstation-magazine-score/) The last review I read was the PlayStation magazine review. This was again, a good review on the game, giving them a score of 9/10. With them saying “Whatever your thoughts on annual sports games, you really mustn’t miss this one unless you want to spend the next nine months feeling like a defeated play-off finalist.” Overall, they said the game was something people should get.

The effect that magazine reviews have is a lot. This is because, before they buy the game, they want to see if it’s actually worth it. If they read reviews and they’re all bad, there’s a chance the target audience may not get the game. Also, if the review has been written by someone who is a target audience to FIFA 14, and it is a bad review, the target audience would feel to trust the reviewer could get put off buying the game. This could lead to the audience contemplating whether or not to buy the game, and some people may choose not, which affects the EA Sports (loss of money). However, it doesn’t look like FIFA 14 has go any bad reviews.

In my opinion, I don’t think print is as effective as e-media when promoting this specific game. This is because, gamers are most likely to always be on the internet and see different posts than see posters, flyers, etc. Unless, they drive and see billboards.

Broadcast
The advert attracts the audience as it has an audience of different people coming together into the FIFA 14 community as one. Celebrities, footballers, normal people, children etc. This shows that all of us are the same, and play the same and are treated the same while playing FIFA 14. Which makes it a welcoming game to everyone. Lionel Messi is driving the van as he is one of the main promoters of FIFA 14 as he is the best footballer in the world. The advert is similar to the print above as it has the main star (Lionel Messi), the van he’s driving, the slogan, title and the same font is used. Lastly, the trailer is effective in promoting the game as it gives you a feel of what the game is like, and shows you clips of the real game being played. Also, it helps you know the type of people that play fifa, from celebrities to regular people, and the different ways people play.

E-media

The Facebook page has got a total of 21,345,799 likes.

This post appeals to fifa 14 target audience as this was decided by the audience, and for the audience.

This is a post where the fifa 14 facebook page are promoting a footballer, Eden Hazard, in some way. They tagged his facebook page, so people can go like his page also, attached a clip of him scoring a goal which shows his skill.

Here is another, however they are promoting a retired footballer. They’re promoting him by saying he was one of the best footballers, which leads on to people wanting to watch clips of him play and see if he was the best etc.

The current twitter hashtags for FIFA14 are #FIFA14 and #ItsInYourHands. Recently, they have been tweeting about the premiere league games. Also, new things that are coming to FIFA14 along the way. For example they’re promoting the new FIFA World Cup with pictures and posts

Also, they communicate with their fans asking questions, giving them codes for the game, etc

Here, they are willing to give away codes for the fifa world cup to the twitter fans. 

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