Tribal Marketing and How Keeping You Stupid Pays The Bills

First of all I'd like to welcome you all back to my semi-random blogs about the pathetic nature of current gaming PR. Now if you read my last blog on the matter you'll know to get out now. If not, ignore what I just said. It was great. Best thing you never read. So, as I'm the one writing this I'll start by diving into the chunky end of this particular cesspit.

Tribal Marketing isn't something new. It's been around for quite some time. It's based on polarizing an audience. Put simply it's about instilling a team mentality in consumers. An "Us and them" type thing. It's good points are:

- It generates advocates (fanboys/girls/lobsters)
- Your "team" tends to overlook shortcomings with "team" related products
- It tends to dissuade "team players" from trying competitors products

It's this feeling of belonging that allows or even promotes "advocates" becoming zealots. The crazy, lying, no sense making turd chunks that have plagued gaming for years. The thing is that a quick look at their (the turd chunks) behavior shows that it reflects the marketing used to push the product in question.

Let's take a look at the Tribal Trifecta: Dogmatism, deflection and misrepresentation.

Three underhanded and ultimately empty tools employed by people throughout different spheres of the gaming community. Everybody from manufacturers to advertisers to "journalists" (I know that's not the right word for them but I'll get onto that in a minute) regularly employ them (the tools not the chunks). Why you may ask yourself would they do such a thing? Simple. Money.

Manufacturers need to sell the products they manufacture (otherwise they'd be called unemployed). Different manufacturers have different standards though. I'm sure a quick look through the nets will reveal just how far some are willing to twist things to make their product marketable. I mean some of it is downright insulting and yet there they sit and... you know what? I don't think I need to take this one any further. There's enough of that going on already so lets skip ahead.

Advertisers need to sell a companies product as that's their only revenue stream. The funny thing is that any study into how people react to someones vocation lists advertisers as the lowest (or close to) as far as trustworthiness. I mean it's startling just how little people think of advertisers. The funny this is that even though people know not to trust these slimy ad whores they find themselves buying into the advertising regardless. Why? Because there are many subtle shades of brown in the advertising industry. It's always expanding and evolving new ways to get people to spend. People not interested in your product? Simply impersonate happy customers (AstroTurfing) and spam social media or anywhere else people may be discussing the product you're trying to hawk. They couldn't care less about buyers remorse or credit debt or any other factor. They're there to make the sale. Whatever it takes and given there really are no repercussions (of any consequence) when they overstep the mark why would they act responsibly? Just make that check payable to: Youradumbassconsumerandyou' ;renotgettingyourmoneyback and be grateful we let you buy it in the first place. So now that you've bought the product do you throw it out or join the team? Strange that those seem to be the only choices for some.

Alright, I think I we should move on to the second last bucket of filth that plagues gaming. "Journalists". Now this one gets tricky because you can't paint everyone with the same brush. People are individuals after all and as such I'll say 75% are douchebags (the margin for error here is up to 25%). They're only after page views, kickbacks, free swag, or indeed anything they can get and their integrity is the first thing gone and the last thing on their mind. Just go for a virtual stroll through this very site and behold the levels to which some will stoop. The very stupidity they try to peddle in order to to achieve one thing. Revenue. Some of the methods use reflect the individuals ethical state. Things like:

- When a product does well you'll find sites going to great lengths to find unrelated (an in some cases untrue) news to hit bait anyone they can.
- Endless Vs articles that have no fact in them. It's just an excuse to abuse the tribal system that's been put in place.
- Opinion pieces where bloggers write the most inane and useless waffle that you'd swear that'd taken a blow to the head before beginning.

The list goes on and it's plain for all to see just how pathetic a lot of sites have become. As such I don't think I need to spend anymore time on this point.

So at last to the end and the final problem (Cat I don't want ladies to read the next part so could you cover beans eyes? Thanks) It's you. The rational, free thinking person that attempts an even handed approach. You're f#$kin' it up for the rest of us. People livelihoods are at stake here so get stupid or get out.

I mean the only other course of action is to act like adults and everyone show others (from the top of this industry to the bottom) respect. Yeah exactly! Not damn likely. So find some way to lower your IQ and get in here with the rest of us. ;)