Target 360: Clever marketing or sign of the apocalypse?

by Joystiq Staff { Sep 4th 2006 at 1:15PM }

A thoughtful Joystiq tipster has sent us what appears to be either an ad snafu or clever marketing ploy by Target for an advertisement of an Xbox 360. In a picture for a $399 Xbox 360, the pictured console seems to be suffering from the dreaded red ring of death.

Now, considering Target (or Targét as the hipster nation calls it) is known for their red rings logo, it could just be a subliminal promotional gimmick. Even if it's not, we find it mildly amusing that the glitch that seems to be plaguing a certain percentage of 360 users would find its way into an advertisement for the console. Intentional or not, it's probably not a good idea to have it in.

[Thanks, Blue]

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

sam @ Sep 4th 2006 1:24PM

well when my 360 broke down last week it didnt look like that. it had only three segments red. the top left quadrant was blank.

madcrasher @ Sep 4th 2006 1:24PM

I think it's a screw-up. The red circle's too subtle and isn't the proper target shape, thus, I doubt it's a marketing move.

Disclaimer: I work for Target... but not in marketing. Just the sales floor.

Jigen @ Sep 4th 2006 1:25PM

I saw that ad last night too, it's actually the full red ring which means the video out isn't unplugged.

I've seen this in other ads, they turned it on but didn't hook it up (didn't plug in the video).

The 'broken hardware' ring is missing the upper right quadrant.

plake @ Sep 4th 2006 1:26PM

I strongly doubt they're using powered on consoles for the photo shoot. Also, that looks nothing like the real Ring of Death, more like their logo added after shoot.

sam @ Sep 4th 2006 1:27PM

i mean the top right, my bad

Jigen @ Sep 4th 2006 1:27PM

#4 nope, totally wrong, they did power it on, I've even seen them do this in other ads (and with other companies too)...

Jigen @ Sep 4th 2006 1:30PM

Open up the Target website link by clicking the picture and 'view larger' you can see it's the full red ring (no video output), and not a photo edit or anything.

Chris @ Sep 4th 2006 1:37PM

No video output isn't as funny as a ring of death... I do recognize the no-video-cables-are-plugged-in warning ring, so I suppose I'll have to just let go of the humorous potential that this ad could have had.

nick @ Sep 4th 2006 2:04PM

Something is suspect. I wonder if the picture was alterted by someone as a joke. I seriously doubt Target would capture a 360 with a red ring. The picture itself appears alterted, which is nothing new, as most photographed items are photoshoped prior to publication (ie, images are added to TVs, power lights are made to appear as if their on, etc).

If you click on their weekly ad, that particular item does not appear this week. It's also not accessible if you attempt to search for Xbox 360 from the main site.

According to the URL is was pulled up regionally based on thier weekly circular.

nick @ Sep 4th 2006 2:14PM

I've done a little research. According to Microsoft, if the Ring of Light turns red all but one will flash red. The upper right quadrant does not.

Here's the KB article
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/907534

In the Target picture, all quadrants are illuminated.

A quick google search confirms that you have three rings of light flash red, not all, during a hardware problem.

This photo is bogus.

soco @ Sep 4th 2006 2:14PM

when the quadrants turn red, it doesn't necessarily mean the console is dead. for example, all 4 of them being on at the same time can mean that there's no video cables attached to it. that would likely be the case in a photo shoot, and unless the photographer knew how it was normally, he'd never know the red wasn't right.

epobirs @ Sep 4th 2006 2:40PM

This sort of thing happens more often than any one of us notices. For every weird picture that catches our eye several others slip past. Wasn't there an item earlier this year that showed a supposed family, Dad, Bro, and Sis, playing together with a mismatched set of controllers from several different platforms?

The people who create these ads must love wireless controllers. Really love them, since they've created their appearance for decades. Since the Atari days there have been countless ads where people are protrayed playing a game system with no cords in sight. Nothing plugged into the machine and no cables coming out of the controllers themselves, because they've been cut off. The photographers so hate the visual appearance of the cords they resort to mutilation and fakery rather than show the product as it is actually used. Meanwhile the models are mugging as if they were playing a terribly exciting game.

Sometimes the item being advertised wasn't the game system, so eliminating the cords was a bit more excusable even if it does look silly.

Ethan @ Sep 4th 2006 2:50PM

Yep, 360s suck. 7 months and then you have to buy a new one. I guess that is why they called them 360s, because it has a short life cycle.

alex @ Sep 4th 2006 3:00PM

i dont even know why'd bother turning it on for the photo shoot in the first place and its obvious the cables arent connected just look at the picture

JM Scion @ Sep 4th 2006 3:06PM

I wish people would stop trying to make rare and mostly minor errors into a sign that the Xbox 360 itself is a total failure. I don't own one myself, but friends I have who do haven't run into any problems at all.
It's probably bogus statements like this that killed the Sega Dreamcast. When I bought mine, there was so much flair against it in the newspapers and online but none of it made any sense. The system ran perfectly. It's controllers were more comfortable than the Playstation's, freezeups were rare, and it made great use of the awesome Video Memory Unit. And yet there were so many rumors that the controllers break at the touch and it's games were unplayable. Needless to say I felt violated when Sega announced it was becoming a 3rd-party company and games would no longer be made for the Dreamcast. My Dreamcast is now 6 years old. None of my controllers have broken, all of it's games work fine (with the exception of a horrendously-scratched copy of Sonic Adventure :-( ) and I still have as much fun playing StarLancer and Shen Mue as I do playing Halo and Final Fantasy.
I just don't want to see the same thing happen with the Xbox 360. It's a true slap to the face when you own a system that works perfectly fine and it's games are discontinued because of reported glitches that likely don't even exist.

hohoho @ Sep 4th 2006 3:17PM

>>>I wish people would stop trying to make rare and mostly minor errors into a sign that the Xbox 360 itself is a total failure.

the same geniuses have been gospelling ps3's failure...

btw, slow news day means more this sort of news???

Ethan @ Sep 4th 2006 3:18PM

@ JM Scion, I've had a PS2 since launch that still works fine along with the two original controllers that came with it. Mine never had DRE, but thats not to say others didnt. BTW, HAHAHAHAHAHA Xbox 360s are getting DRE now too, HAHAHAHAHA.

Gabriel @ Sep 4th 2006 3:36PM

I wonder why Target didn't use the official X360 press photos...
It's a waste of money to hire a photographer to take pics that have already been taken...

So I'm thinking "clever" advertising...

Guest @ Sep 4th 2006 3:39PM

Meh. Target ALWAYS uses sublimonal advertizing. One time I was on vacation in D.C., and in teh metro there was an ANIMATED ad for target outside on the walls, like a flip-book. They actually had someone paint an ad with every individual picture outside on the subway rails. THAT is insane.

TheEnlightened @ Sep 4th 2006 4:21PM

I might be wrong but isin't the picture on the link through the default Microsoft released image of the 360 and controller?

Just a thought.

dish @ Sep 4th 2006 4:23PM

i played dead rising last night for like 5 hours after playing sains row all day. my xbox never skipped a beat.

Alfanomfg @ Sep 4th 2006 4:28PM

Dude, I hate hipsters as much as the next guy, but my dad's been calling it Targét for about a decade now. Does that make him a hipster? Because I'm pretty sure hee could beat your dad's Cobrasnakin' ass. More posts less jokes, guys.

badman @ Sep 4th 2006 4:57PM

Here's a pretty helpful article on how to debug the 3 rings of death: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=717200

sam @ Sep 4th 2006 5:13PM

these people don't know what its supposed to look like. the person setting up these photos has most likely never touched a video game. The target in my neighborhood had a broken 360 for 6 months after launch and none of the people knew it was broken(including the workers in the game section)

ryanredzie @ Sep 4th 2006 8:17PM

I just started working for target 3 days ago and all I see is freaking red (no pun intended). So it all makes sense, eh?

pattyblades @ Sep 4th 2006 11:05PM

rflmao

LoveHertz @ Sep 5th 2006 2:35AM

3 Red Lights means Hardware Failure and needs repairs.
4 Red Lights means no video cable connected. Debunked.

Sploog @ Sep 5th 2006 5:04AM

lofl

would have been funnier if I hadn't experienced the ring of death myself :(

I noticed the new one I got has vents in the power supply with warm air coming out - omg a fan!

Martin @ Sep 5th 2006 7:54AM

#19.

Yeah, I live in DC, and I see that when I ride the metro. It is pretty crazy, but I remember when they first started talking about it. I am surprised it is only Target so far that has done those ads. I always feel like I am going to have a seizure when I see it though.

Anyways. on a lighter note. This isn't a mistake. Target is just covering their butts from people who will claim false advertising if Target offers working 360s and all they get are non-working ones!!! JUST KIDDING!!!!!