WOTC, when do we see a commercial for D&D on TV???

[Tinner]

""When will the taboo end???"""

If we look at another game that took its sweet time to become sociably accectable, lets say POKER as our guide.

That's a good anaolgy, but take it a step further, and I think you'll find the real answer.
When will D&D have regular TV advertising like the World Series of Poker, etc.?
When Joe Viewer believes he has a shot at making some serious money by playing competitive D&D.
When did Magic: The Gathering get its TV exposure? When WotC started running BIG CASH tournaments.

Get the RPGA to start posting some major prize money for D&D tourneys and you'll see gaming start to pick up all over.

Heck, I think Pandahead should do this with X-Crawl! It's custom made for it!

It has ALWAYS been about the money.

 

[Shadowdancer]

True Dungeon needs to do X-Crawl for real, with real cash prizes and the possibility of real injuries.

 

[kenobi65]

As others have pointed out, TV advertising is simply not cost-effective for D&D.

The Magic: the Gathering ads ran very infrequently...and Magic makes a whole lot more money for WotC than D&D does. Both games have very niche appeal -- and TV ads for niche products are almost always a big mistake. When you buy advertising, you have to pay for reaching the entire audience for the program / magazine / whatever that your ad appears in, even if 95% of that audience has no interest whatsover in your product.

That said, if you could find a program or network that *did* have a relatively large proportion of gamers or potential gamers, it *might* make sense. SciFi Channel is probably an example, but even ad space on cable networks isn't cheap...and that's not even counting production costs.

It'd be cool to see D&D ads on TV...but I think it'd be a mistake on WotC's part.

- Your friendly local advertising guy / gamer

 

[Pants]

True Dungeon needs to do X-Crawl for real, with real cash prizes and the possibility of real injuries.

Xtreme LARPing.

 

[Staffan]

True Dungeon needs to do X-Crawl for real, with real cash prizes and the possibility of real injuries.

And if you die...
You die!

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

When the Nine Hells freeze over.

 

[talien]

If its as huge as it is being spread by mainly word of mouth, where would it go if WOTC put out a couple of commercials??

Already happened: http://www.ge.com/stories/en/13085.html

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

What a find!! Never seen that on TV - then again, I wasn't stateside until late 80s. Hell, if they run that right there I'd be happy.

And I'd have to disagree with you Aust. More and more people's interests are largey determined by what's on TV. Sending folks out to peddle D&D seems ackward. D&D is a product like any other and as long as Risk and Monopoly and other games are getting advertised on TV, I don't see why D&D would be any different.

Direct marketing is the devil's playground. I'd much rather they do TV ads then send some slimy marketer after my neighbourhood kids.

 

[Mark CMG]

WOTC, when do we see a commercial for D&D on TV???

I don't know...

Spoiler

You're playing the most phenominal game ever created....

Does the advertising budget warrant it?

Spoiler

It's a product of your imagination...

Just to make a bunch of us geeks feel better about ourselves?

Spoiler

Your choices are limited...

That's what lap dances are for!

Spoiler

Use your lightning bolt!

Huzzah!

Spoiler

Victory is yours!

 

[William Ronald]

I doubt that TV advertising would be effective, with the possible exception of a few select cable television networks. Perhaps that might be a possibility. However, the WotC Delegate program may be more effective in targeting collectible card players, miniatures players, and other potential players. (Hopefully, WotC has a few delegates running events at bookstores.)

A TV series might work, but it would have to be well written and have decent acting. Otherwise, the D&D name will not save it.