Project CARS TV ads to hit almost four months after launch

Surprise hit racing game Project CARS is getting its first lot of TV advertising this weekend – almost four months after launch.

The game arrived on May 8th, and this post-launch advertising highlights a growing trend of games being promoted long after they first reached shelves.

Although post-launch TV activity is not particularly unusual for big games like Call of Duty and FIFA, to see more specialist games receive such promotion suggests a broader shift towards longer-tail support for titles that receive continued post-release content. Long-tail TV advertising is something that is working effectively in the smartphone market with games like Game of War and Clash of Clans, too.

In years gone by, games would receive a big marketing push ahead of launch, and once the game was out, developers and publishers would move on to the next game. The ‘fire and forget’ model.

But today, as is well documented, studios are continuing to support titles long after release with paid-for and free downloadable content, and it helps games live on for far longer. As a result, more and more publishers are supporting their games with above-the-line marketing months, even years, after the game first hit shelves or digital stores.

This Project CARS promotion ties-in with a new DLC pack, plus a free car, which developer Slightly Mad has released.

Project CARS remains an important title this year, with an increasing number of players online, tournaments, events, PR push and great feedback following the great reviews and community feedback,” said Lee Kirton, UK marketing boss at Project CARS publisher Bandai Namco.

We will continue to market the game well into 2015 and this weekend Project CARS will have a specifically created 30 second TV ad that will appear over the Bank Holiday period. This weekend we will be running TV advertising across Sky Sports 1 during Goodwood Festival of Speed, British Touring Cars, Moto GP, and the Spurs v Everton BIG GAME. Also, Sky Sports 2 during the England Home Internationals, Sky Sports 3 and Spanish Football, Sky Sports 4, Sky Sports 5, Sky Sports News, Discovery, DMAX, Quest, during Film 4 airing of ‘I Give It A Year’ and ‘Hellboy’, Dave, BT Sport 1 and the Rugby 7’s, Newcastle Utd v Arsenal, BT Sports 2 and BT Sport Europe.”