Why simple kicks complicated’s ass.
We’re big fans of FIFA in this office (the computer game, not the organisation that is the root of all evil in football). So much so that not only do we have the latest installment of the franchise, FIFA 2012, ready and loaded on a PS3 in the boardroom, but we even bought an old Sega Megadrive to play FIFA 1996. So at lunchtime, or in a quiet moment (last witnessed in 2009 but believed to still exist) you’ll find me and Patrick, Shane and even Pat, sitting around the boardroom table kicking the pixels out of each other.
Recently however, we inherited a Foosball table and the FIFA stopped. The same banter takes place (Patrick’s still spawny and I still hate losing) but since the banter now takes place over a wooden table, rather than in front of a micro processor, much more people join in. The familiarity of the technology has brought down one of the main barriers of entry-with Foosball you don’t need to ask what button does what.
I don’t know what Naoise’s like at FIFA, she has never joined in, but I know that she can kick my arse at Foosball. I’ve never played FIFA with Frances, but her exclamations when a goal goes against her at Foosball are priceless (she swears like a sailor!). It got me thinking. Both games share exactly the same idea, but the simplicity of the delivery of that idea in the case of Foosball invites people in, and the complexity of FIFA scares them away.
What we as advertisers need to ask ourselves is, are we doing the same with digital campaigns? Does the complex digital delivery of a simple idea turn people off? This isn’t an anti digital blog (the irony of which would be amusing), far from it, but it is an interesting concern. Eventually our little Foosball trend will come to an end and the PS3 will boot back up and dazzle us with its silky graphics, but with it some of the simple joy of a great idea will be lost.
Rory
