Homefront is a very soon-to-be-released first-person shooter that is being published by THQ on the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The game is most significantly set in the year 2027 when the United States is being invaded by North Korea. The title also follows the downfall of America and growth of Korea over the years, explaining what eventually led to the ‘future-bound’ invasion.
As you are no doubt aware, North Korea is currently somewhat of a threat in the real world, so perhaps the following piece of marketing on Youtube was not particularly well thought out.
At a quick glance, the advertisement looks to be a fairly believable news clips with Hillary Clinton making a statement–the only major distinction being the “close ad” icon at the top right corner. Considering this, it’s not very surprising to hear that some people were noticeably shocked and angry at the “misleading” and “deceptive” piece of marketing.
The following is just a few comments that were made in response to the seemingly unintentional misunderstanding:
“Almost freaked out at the YouTube homepage banner ad for Homefront, thinking it was a real headline on a North Korean attack. Not cool.”
“The front page advertisement for “HomeFront” on YouTube to be offensive. I thought North Korea had actually attacked. Misleading.”
The advertisement above was featured this past weekend, and is currently no longer available. Whether the removal of the ad was a direct result of this misunderstanding is currently unknown, but it’s entirely possible that it was simply the end of the marketing deal set by THQ.
Accidental misinterpretation, intentional publicity stunt, or overreaction? How do you feel about the advertisement?Homefront is set to release tomorrow, March 15, 2011 in North America and Europe.
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