Hello Influencers!
January 20, 2014 10:39 PM Subscribe
Got 30 seconds of XBox One game footage and absolutely nothing negative to say about it? A tweet from Ron Smith, community director for Machinima UK, announced that if you posted videos for Machinima, you could be making $3 CPM ($3 per thousand video views) on those videos. Only one catch: the agreement specifically forbids you from saying "anything negative or disparaging about Machinima, Xbox One, or any of its Games"... in fact, you can't disclose the existence of the agreement. OK, maybe two catches: this may violate FTC rules on endorsements in advertising [PDF].
Smith's tweet was quickly taken down (and the Twitter handle taken by some vituperative anti-Machinima person), but the news spread to NeoGAF before being confirmed by ArsTechinica and by Kotaku.
Want to know who nibbled at the bait? Check the Poptent activity panel for Nick Sheets, who according to LinkedIn is the "Manager, Affiliate Activations (Branded Entertainment)" for Machinima's L.A. office.
What if it's just video of my face, looking off-screen and PRETENDING like I am playing an Xbox One? "Wow this game is really great". "I can't believe I live in a day and age where such things are possible all from the comfort of my couch inside my home." Hit F5 one thousand times...BAM! THREE MACHINIMABUCKS!
posted by turbid dahlia at 10:45 PM on January 20, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by turbid dahlia at 10:45 PM on January 20, 2014 [1 favorite]
turbid dahlia: "What if it's just video of my face, looking off-screen and PRETENDING like I am playing an Xbox One? "Wow this game is really great". "I can't believe I live in a day and age where such things are possible all from the comfort of my couch inside my home." Hit F5 one thousand times...BAM! THREE MACHINIMABUCKS!"
The first dot com bubble happened when I was in college and I had these two housemates that made a page of banner ads on their websites, and would just sit there in front of their computers whenever they had free time, clicking on them.
This went on for about a week until they figured out that (even back in those early days) the advertisers knew enough to log IPs and didn't count the thousands of clicks that came from the same two addresses.
posted by danny the boy at 10:57 PM on January 20, 2014 [4 favorites]
The first dot com bubble happened when I was in college and I had these two housemates that made a page of banner ads on their websites, and would just sit there in front of their computers whenever they had free time, clicking on them.
This went on for about a week until they figured out that (even back in those early days) the advertisers knew enough to log IPs and didn't count the thousands of clicks that came from the same two addresses.
posted by danny the boy at 10:57 PM on January 20, 2014 [4 favorites]
this may violate FTC rules on endorsements in advertising [PDF].
Disruptive!
posted by Jimbob at 11:33 PM on January 20, 2014 [2 favorites]
Disruptive!
posted by Jimbob at 11:33 PM on January 20, 2014 [2 favorites]
What constitutes negative or disparaging? Where's the line here? My utter enthusiasm might be another's disparaging snark.
XBox One, hmm, I guess it's OK
XBox One. Yeah sure
posted by Mario Speedwagon at 1:11 AM on January 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
XBox One, hmm, I guess it's OK
XBox One. Yeah sure
posted by Mario Speedwagon at 1:11 AM on January 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
Mario Speedwagon: "What constitutes negative or disparaging?"
My guess is a modestly talented actor could dress scathing bile up in the clothes of wanton excitement with relative ease.
posted by chavenet at 1:38 AM on January 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
My guess is a modestly talented actor could dress scathing bile up in the clothes of wanton excitement with relative ease.
posted by chavenet at 1:38 AM on January 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
What happens when your Gamertag is also an Xbox Kinect voice command?
I love how many people get caught by it and find it funny.
posted by Pope Guilty at 1:54 AM on January 21, 2014 [13 favorites]
I love how many people get caught by it and find it funny.
posted by Pope Guilty at 1:54 AM on January 21, 2014 [13 favorites]
The strangest thing about this is that Machinima is apparently only going to pay out for the first 1,250,000 "views", which at $3 per 1,000 views means that the total amount of cash going to their affiliates for this campaign is $US3,750. I bet Microsoft's PR agency is paying Machinima a hell of a lot more than that.
"anything negative or disparaging about Machinima, Xbox One, or any of its Games"
Be careful! Calling it "Xbone" triggers the mandatory arbitration clause.
posted by A Thousand Baited Hooks at 3:47 AM on January 21, 2014 [2 favorites]
"anything negative or disparaging about Machinima, Xbox One, or any of its Games"
Be careful! Calling it "Xbone" triggers the mandatory arbitration clause.
posted by A Thousand Baited Hooks at 3:47 AM on January 21, 2014 [2 favorites]
This comment brought to you by Carl's Jr.
posted by autopilot at 5:03 AM on January 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by autopilot at 5:03 AM on January 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
This comment is intentionally left blank. Inquire within for exciting sponsorship opportunities!
posted by blue_beetle at 7:32 AM on January 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by blue_beetle at 7:32 AM on January 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
@danny the boy "The first dot com bubble happened when I was in college and I had these two housemates that made a page of banner ads on their websites, and would just sit there in front of their computers whenever they had free time, clicking on them."
They unwittingly invented Cookie Clicker!
Are they rich now?
posted by Keith Talent at 8:20 AM on January 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
They unwittingly invented Cookie Clicker!
Are they rich now?
posted by Keith Talent at 8:20 AM on January 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
As the Ars article notes, the full budget for this advertising campaign is about $4000. It may be sleazy and deceptive, but it's also pretty minor.
It's amazing to me how big a force livecasting games has become, particularly on Twitch.tv. For instance, Hearthstone had a big push in one of their first big private beta tests where suddenly every League of Legends player I'd ever heard of was playing Hearthstone live, online, for us to watch. I don't know if Blizzard paid them or just gave them access to a desirable game, but either way it worked to create publicity. (Riot, the game that runs League of Legends, later tried to restrict pro players from casting competing games although last I heard that was all still in negotiation.)
posted by Nelson at 8:28 AM on January 21, 2014
It's amazing to me how big a force livecasting games has become, particularly on Twitch.tv. For instance, Hearthstone had a big push in one of their first big private beta tests where suddenly every League of Legends player I'd ever heard of was playing Hearthstone live, online, for us to watch. I don't know if Blizzard paid them or just gave them access to a desirable game, but either way it worked to create publicity. (Riot, the game that runs League of Legends, later tried to restrict pro players from casting competing games although last I heard that was all still in negotiation.)
posted by Nelson at 8:28 AM on January 21, 2014
Ah, Machinima, creators of the lifetime, indefinite contract that grants them rights to people's current and future videos "in perpetuity, throughout the universe, in all forms of media now known or hereafter devised." What a classy bunch!
posted by zsazsa at 8:35 AM on January 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by zsazsa at 8:35 AM on January 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
Man, I couldn't stand watching people play videogames when I was standing next to them at the arcade.
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 8:41 AM on January 21, 2014
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 8:41 AM on January 21, 2014
OK, maybe two catches: this may violate FTC rules on endorsements in advertising [PDF].
*quietly scans through contracts for name of agency I work for*
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 9:38 AM on January 21, 2014
*quietly scans through contracts for name of agency I work for*
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 9:38 AM on January 21, 2014
For more on Machinima's shittiness, see this blog post by Ross Scott, creator of Freeman's Mind.
posted by rifflesby at 10:12 AM on January 21, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by rifflesby at 10:12 AM on January 21, 2014 [3 favorites]
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