Using Video Game Characters for Product Promotion
Video games have been mainstream for years and years. As a result, this means that there are a lot of video game characters out there with a lot of brand power, which can be summed up as their recognizability as well as the positive feelings that people have for them. Under such circumstances, one can’t help but wonder what kind of products could be pushed by the right video game characters.
What Are Some Examples of Video Game Characters that Could Be Turned into Products?
Here are some amusing examples:
Lara Croft
Lara Croft is a character whose series has seen a huge revival in recent times. After all, the sales for the first two installments in the rebooted Tomb Raider series have been respectable, though it seems that the third installment has been less successful in this regard. On top of this, there was the recent Tomb Raider movie, which wasn’t as bad as some people had feared. Due to this, the time seems right for Lara Croft products.
As for what kind of products would be most suitable for Lara Croft, well, the first thing that comes to mind would be the ice axe. After all, Lara has been putting hers to excellent use in her adventures, with examples ranging from scaling sheer cliffs to surviving otherwise catastrophic falls. On top of that, Lara has been perfectly willing to put her ever-reliable ice axe to other uses as well, though that probably isn’t the selling point for most people that it would be for her.
Besides ice axes, there is a wide range of other products that it would be amusing to see Lara promote. However, the most appropriate might be emergency survival kits. Granted, it is true that Lara seeks out dangerous situations, but by this point in time, it is clear that she is something of a disaster magnet, as shown by the number of airplane crashes that she has been in. As a result, who better for recommending emergency survival kits than someone who has been thrust into such situations not once but rather on multiple occasions?
Mario
Mario remains one of the most popular video game characters ever created, as shown by the fact that there a single person doesn’t have enough fingers and toes to count all of the Mario games that have ever been made. For that matter, Mario games have seen Mario engaged in a wide range of professions as well as a wide range of activities, meaning that there would be justification for everything from Mario brand vitamins to Mario brand tennis rackets.
However, one shouldn’t forget the fact that Mario used to be a plumber until very recently, which explains the sheer number of pipes that can be found in the Mario franchise. As a result, one can’t help but feel that the single most appropriate Mario brand product would be a toilet plunger, which might not be particularly glamorous but can nonetheless prove to be a very useful and very important companion when the need comes up. Something that wouldn’t be a wholly inappropriate description for Mario himself.
The Boss
The Boss is a pretty generic name. However, for a lot of people, it will instantly draw their minds to the customizable protagonist of the Saints Row series, which can be described as the crazier and more comedic cousin of Grand Theft Auto. Gameplay-wise, players are perfectly free to play the Boss as a murderous lunatic who mows down both civilians and hostile criminals with the fearsome dubstep gun. However, the stories of the Saints Row reveal a surprisingly coherent character.
In short, the Boss was still a silent follower in the first game but turned into a hard-handed, hard-headed, and often hard-hearted leader by the second game because of a betrayal that had resulted in the near-total destruction of what they had worked for. However, what was curious about the Boss is that they retained a genuine fondness for their friends, which is why the third game presented them with a important choice between either protecting their friends or protecting their reputation.
Canonically, the Boss chose their friends, with the result that they doubled-down on a commercial empire that had been built up by selling their notoriety as well as their surprising popularity within the Saints Row setting.
Due to this, it is possible to justify the Boss and the rest of the Saints pushing just about every kind of product that there is. After all, they were literally presented with the choice to either “sell out” or not, which resulted in them selling out as fast as possible as much as possible. In-setting, the Saints sold everything from brand-name clothing to a truly terrible soda drink, meaning that it would be amusingly appropriate for them to associate their names with everything that is willing to associate with them out of setting.
Bonus Character: Cuphead
Recently the heroes in the game called Cuphead have been made into a mug with a straw. This is actually a product that you can buy below. Enjoy!
