EA Unveils Multimillion-Dollar Marketing Deal with Dr Pepper

IndustryGamers can exclusively reveal today that leading publisher Electronic Arts will announce a special marketing partnership with Dr Pepper tomorrow. The multimillion-dollar deal will see EA integrate original content related to Dr Pepper into its portfolio of games. 

The first title to take advantage of the deal with be The Sims 3 (starting early 2010), and other titles will follow.  The overall campaign will include co-branded retail initiatives as well as “unique gameplay enhancing items.” On the retail side, EA will work with Dr Pepper to put codes on more than 500 million specially marked Dr Pepper packages, which can then be used to unlock “exclusive premium downloadable content that may include one-of-a-kind beach party items or all the elements of a perfect fall tailgating party.”

“The Sims team is particularly excited about this offering because the Dr Pepper team shares our passion for introducing its brand to our player community in ways that will add to the players’ experience,” said Steve Seabolt, Vice President of Global Brand Development for The Sims. “This will include exclusive downloadable content available via our TheSims3.com community site.  We have huge confidence that this ‘opt-in value add’ will have our players thinking very kindly of the Dr Pepper brand.”

“We’re proud to partner with an innovative marketing company like Dr Pepper that has such a rich heritage,” noted Elizabeth Harz, Senior Vice president of Global Media Sales for Electronic Arts.  “EA is always looking for new ways to reach its fans, and by aligning with Dr Pepper, we’re able to offer consumers premium content that enhances the gaming experience.”

“The first-of-its-kind partnership with EA will give Dr Pepper fans an unrivaled experience by adding exclusive value to their games such as new levels and items,” added Tony Jacobs, Vice President of Marketing for Dr Pepper.  “EA is the only media company that could reach our target audience with the breadth and depth of titles for gamers on any gaming platform.”

You'll notice how Jacobs called EA a “media company,” and that's precisely how the publisher wants to be viewed. Video games are every bit as viable as other media like television, print and online. In fact, video games might give marketers valuable advertising opportunities simply not possible in other media. 

IndustryGamers sat down in New York with Elizabeth Harz to discuss her efforts in building up EA as a media organization. She was brought on to EA about a year ago from Yahoo, and she's working to implement innovative marketing opportunities for top brands (like Dr Pepper) to reach the core gaming demographic. We'll be bringing you much more from our interview very soon.