Another dumb press release
Here’s a particularly gorgeous press release headline I got yesterday:
Mediasurface announces launch of V5.3.5
How exactly do you launch a version number? It’s like that scene from Spinal Tap where the guitarist explains that his amplifier goes all the way up to eleven. It’s one higher.
The opening paragraph contains the following generic waffle:
…this latest development allows for more customer choice, increased support for a flexible workforce and a speedier and more cost effective content management roll-out across the enterprise.
Is anyone against customer choice, flexible workforces, speed or cost effectiveness?
Someone explained to me the other day that “PR companies pretend to be excited and journalists pretend to be interested.” Is it any wonder when this is how the two communicate?
Satanmonkey wrote:
Video game pr facinctes/horrifies me the most. Generally they fall between two types; those that tell us about the ‘dazzling array of new features’ without actually telling you what those features are, or enigma-styled rubix cubes full of words like ‘cool’, ‘innovative’ and ‘popular’. I think, in the games industry at least, most pr departments simply don’t share the same understanding of the products they are promoting as those actually creating them, and because of the intrusive nature of the industry press, don’t tell us anything that we don’t already know. As an aside, i’d like to comment on the great articles regarding games design on your personal web page. In the uk, us games design students are often looked upon as leperous flood by developers and it is difficult finding any information with regards to the industry other than ‘go get a degree’ (which isn’t very helpful for a degree student!). The articles have helped me a great deal. Ross Darvill.
Posted on 01-Feb-06 at 7:43 pm | Permalink
mstibbe wrote:
Well, I’m probably guilty of a bit of this in my former life as a games industry executive but I’m trying to make good! Thanks for visiting the site and being my first commenter.
Posted on 01-Feb-06 at 7:50 pm | Permalink
Satanmonkey wrote:
Well, i don’t blame you. I’m at university in london, studying computer visualisation and games and of the 50 or so that started on the degree, there are now 12 of us left after a year and a half. Its quite depressing to see really, especially some of the attitudes shown, and the general lack of interest or understanding of the industry itself. I imagine that it must be the same in other areas of technology and this in turn spreads such an aversion to ‘outsiders’. I was actually wondering whether i could be cheeky and ask your advice on a few things game related and on the next steps to take to be the best i can be before i leave the safety of university. Its not every day you get to talk to one of the industry’s ‘founding fathers’!
Posted on 02-Feb-06 at 12:40 am | Permalink