Expansive Marketing Campaign Features New Advertising and Made-for-TV
Shows That Reinforce New Game Enhancements; Game On-Sale August 10
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Aug 09, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- As fans eagerly await the arrival of Madden
NFL 11, Electronic
Arts Inc., (NASDAQ:ERTS) will be marking the launch of the 22nd
edition of the game on August 9th with a Mardi Gras-themed
event in New Orleans, entitled Madden Gras. As part of the event, EA
SPORTS Orlando-based Tiburon studio, which develops the game, will make
a $100,000 donation to the National Wildlife Federation to assist in the
Gulf Coast oil spill relief and wetlands restoration efforts.
Madden Gras, represents one integral component of a broader marketing
campaign in support of Madden NFL 11 that also includes
television and online advertising, the Madden NFL 11 Pigskin
Pro-Am (airing on NBC on August 8), and a behind-the-scenes show
chronicling the "Making of Madden NFL" airing on NFL Network on August
10.
"New Orleans is the perfect setting for Madden NFL fans to
celebrate one of the most anticipated gaming events of the year in the
launch of Madden NFL 11 and we're honored to give back to the
region through this donation to the National Wildlife Federation," said
Tom Goedde, Vice President of Marketing for EA SPORTS. "The integrated
marketing campaign brings Madden to the People via dozens of
touch points, leveraging the strength of a break-through feature set and
the cultural significance of this franchise."
Marketing extensions in support of Madden NFL 11 reinforce key
game enhancements, targeted at hardcore and casual gamers alike. Madden
NFL 11 is SIMPLER, featuring the all-new GameFlow system that
condenses team playbooks based on authentic situational game plans;
QUICKER, enabling players to complete a FULL game in HALF the time; and
DEEPER, providing enhanced online functionality, as well as new
broadcast and audio presentation.
Madden Gras
Held in New Orleans, in honor of Drew Brees, the first fan-voted cover
athlete in the history of the franchise, Madden Gras will resemble an
authentic New Orleans-styled event. Madden Gras will include a parade
through some of New Orleans most popular streets, featuring themed
floats and commemorative beads, appearances by several former NFL
superstars and musical guests. As the official retail partner of Madden
Gras, GameStop will host first-to-play game kiosks for fans to get ready
for the midnight launch. Musical guests playing at Madden Gras include
Big Boi and local New Orleans bands such as Galactic, Cowboy Mouth, and
the Rebirth Brass Band. Appearances will also be made by former NFL
superstars including Marshall Faulk, Rickey Jackson (member of the 2010
Pro Football Hall of Fame class), Marcus Allen, Deuce McAllister and
Bobby Hebert, among others.
Madden NFL 11 Advertising Campaign
On August 2, EA SPORTS introduced the first phase of its national
advertising campaign in support of Madden NFL 11 for
PlayStation(R)3 computer entertainment system. The "Madden to the People"
advertising campaign captures the passion and excitement that fans
around the nation have for the best selling sports video game franchise
of all-time. In the commercial, NFL superstars including Madden NFL 11
cover athlete Drew Brees (Saints), Ray Lewis (Ravens), Mario Williams
(Texans), Larry Fitzgerald (Cardinals), Justin Tuck (Giants), Antonio
Gates and Luis Castillo (Chargers) surprise hardcore and casual fans in
New York, New Jersey, Dallas, and San Diego for one-on-one match-ups in Madden
NFL 11. Visit the EA SPORTS Madden NFL 11 Facebook page and
YouTube Channel to view the new commercials and webisodes featuring
behind-the-scenes footage from the making of "Madden to the People" at www.facebook.com/EASPORTSMaddenNFL
or www.youtube.com/EASPORTS.
The second phase of the campaign, entitled "Plan Accordingly," supports Madden
NFL 11 for Xbox 360 and highlights key game enhancements such as
GameFlow, which allows fans to play a FULL game of Madden in HALF the
time without sacrificing any of the authenticity and drama. The "Plan
Accordingly" campaign features three commercials showing players,
ranging in age from an adult to a child, working in a game of Madden
NFL 11 in the same amount of time it takes to do everyday tasks such
as walking a dog, practicing the piano or putting a baby to sleep. The
spots began appearing on August 5th.
Television commercials are airing across several major broadcast
networks and customized digital advertising is featured on a variety of
popular websites including AOL, ESPN, Yahoo, and Facebook, among others.
Television Shows (Madden NFL 11 Pigskin Pro-Am & Making
of Madden)
For the second straight year, EA SPORTS hosted the Madden NFL 11 Pigskin
Pro-Am, a match-up pitting two teams mixed with NFL legends and
Hollywood celebrities in a high-scoring flag football game. The game
appeared on NBC prior to the Pro Football Hall of Fame game on August 8
featuring the Dallas Cowboys vs. Cincinnati Bengals. Competing from
Malibu, California, the two teams were led by Super Bowl-winning
quarterbacks Joe Montana and Kurt Warner, and featured an all-star
roster of talent including NFL legends Jerry Rice, Michael Irvin, and
Deion Sanders and celebrities Craig Robinson, Maria Menounos and Stacy
Keibler. The Gamers, led by Joe Montana, prevailed 90-89, and Maria
Menounos was named the Madden NFL 11 Pigskin Pro-Am MVP.
The Madden NFL 11 Pigskin Pro-Am will re-air on NFL Network on
August 19 at 8 pm EST.
The "Making of Madden NFL," a 60 minute program that showcases
the story of how Madden Football grew to become a cultural phenomenon
and airs on NFL Network on August 10 at 8pm EST.
Madden NFL 11 in Stores on August 10
Madden NFL 11 launches nationwide on Tuesday, August 10 and
redefines the way you experience the game of football.
-
SIMPLER: From 350 plays down to 1, the all-new GameFlow system puts
you in the helmet of an NFL quarterback to execute an authentic,
situational game plan, one play at a time.
-
QUICKER: With 60-minute game times reduced to as little as 30 minutes,
spend more time on the field and less in the playbook. FULL games,
HALF the time.
-
DEEPER: Madden NFL 11 is feature-rich including all-new 3-on-3
Online Team Play, improved animations, more intuitive controls, and
Madden NFL Ultimate Team, all to the play-by-play of the most exciting
voice in sports, Gus Johnson.
Madden NFL 11 will feature Online Pass, a one-time use
registration code with each Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 copy sold new at
retail which allows access to online services and features - including
online multiplayer modes, such as Head-to-Head, Team Play, and Online
Franchise, as well as 50 bonus scouting reports for use in head-to-head
online games.
Madden NFL 11 is available on the Xbox 360(R) video game system
from Microsoft, PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3, Wii(TM), and PSP(R)
(PlayStation(R)Portable) handheld entertainment system. Simultaneous
mobile releases of Madden NFL 11 will be available for iPad(TM),
iPod(R) touch and feature phones. A version for Android(TM) phones will be
available later in the year.
Madden NFL 11 is developed in Orlando, Florida by the EA Tiburon
studio, which also produces NCAA(R) Football, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR(R), and
EA SPORTS(TM) MMA.
For more information about Madden NFL 11 please visit maddenNFL.easports.com.
For pack art and screenshot assets from Madden NFL 11 please
visit http://info.ea.com.
EA SPORTS(TM) is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the
world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive
technology, global videogame competitions and breakthrough digital
experiences. EA SPORTS delivers experiences that ignite the emotions of
sport through industry-leading sports simulation videogames, including Madden
NFL football, FIFA Soccer, NHL(R) hockey, NBA ELITE
basketball, NCAA(R) Football and NCAA Basketball, Fight
Night boxing, EA SPORTS MMA and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR(R)
golf, and EA SPORTS Active.
For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs,
forums and game communities, please visit www.easports.com
to connect, share and compete.
All player participation has been facilitated by NFL PLAYERS, the
licensing and marketing subsidiary of the NFL Players Association.
Editors Note:
To view new commercials and pictures from Madden Gras and the Madden
NFL 11 Pigskin Pro-Am, visit www.facebook.com/EASPORTSMaddenNFL
or www.youtube.com/EASPORTS.
To download broadcast quality video and behind-the-scenes b-roll from
Madden Gras and the "Madden to the People" commercials, visit http://maddennfl11.newslinevine.com.
For Madden NFL 11 assets, go to www.info.ea.com.
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is
a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Founded in
1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive
software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, wireless
devices and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under
four brand names: EA SPORTS(TM), EA(TM), EA Mobile(TM) and POGO(TM). In fiscal 2010,
EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.7 billion and had 27 titles that sold
more than one million units. EA's homepage and online game site is www.ea.com.
More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can
be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.
EA, EA SPORTS, EA Mobile, POGO and EA SPORTS Active are trademarks of
Electronic Arts Inc. John Madden, NFL, NBA, FIFA, NCAA, Tiger Woods and
PGA TOUR are trademarks of their respective owners and used with
permission. Wii is a trademark of Nintendo. Xbox and the Xbox 360 are
trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. PlayStation and PSP are
registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. iPod is a
trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.
© 2010 NFL Properties LLC. Team names/logos/indicia are trademarks of
the teams indicated. All other NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of
the National Football League.
About NFL PLAYERS
Formed in 1994, NFL PLAYERS is the licensing and marketing subsidiary of
the NFL Players Association. Representing more than 1,800 active and
many memorable retired NFL players, NFL PLAYERS "takes the helmets off"
the players and markets them as personalities as well as professional
athletes. Through an exclusive sponsorship agreement between the
organization and the NFL, players are integrated into NFL sponsor
activation programs. In addition, under an exclusive agreement between
NFL PLAYERS and the NFL, NFLPLAYERS.COM, the company's official website,
is part of the NFL Internet Network. Each year NFL PLAYERS negotiates
and facilitates extensive player marketing opportunities for players.
NFL PLAYERS activities include retail licensing, corporate sponsorships
and promotions, special events, radio and television projects,
publishing and internet. For more information, please visit
NFLPLAYERS.COM.
SOURCE: Electronic Arts Inc.
EA SPORTS
Rob Semsey, 407-386-5337
Director, PR for EA SPORTS
RSemsey@ea.com
or
Fleishman-Hillard for EA SPORTS
Matt Faust, 415-318-4216
Matt.Faust@fleishman.com
Copyright Business Wire 2010