Eric Hirshberg Moves To Activision
And Santa isn't real.
Published: 21:00, 13/07/2010 by Alex C [nofi].
Activision Blizzard has today announced that the man behind Sony’s Kevin Butler marketing campaign, Eric Hirshberg, has joined Activision Publishing as Chief Executive Officer, starting September 7, 2010. In the role, says the press release, Hirshberg will “oversee Activision Publishing’s operational management including its studio, product development functions and consumer marketing activities.”
“It was vital to have a leader who was a dedicated gamer, inspired creative thinker, and possessed the ability to manage and lead creative talent in a manner that produced both superior products and provided superior shareholder returns,” said Activision’s Bob Kotick, Chief Executive Officer of Activision Blizzard.
“Eric is unique in this regard. There was no one we could find who possessed the unique blend of skills that Eric brings to Activision. His experience helping to develop strategies for his clients like Sony’s PlayStation, Direct TV and HTC have given him unique exposure to video games, subscription-based entertainment and the delivery of mobile content,” continued Kotick.
What does Hirshberg think gamers will feel about his move to Activision? “I only have my perceptions as a outsider to go on,” he told Kotaku. “I think that Activision, based on the number of great gaming experiences they have delivered, should be a more beloved brand than you would think they are by reading the core-gaming blogosphere.”
So will there be an Activision “Kevin Butler”? “Kevin Butler was the right solution for Sony,” Hirshberg said.
Update: for clarity, the article refers to the man behind Sony’s marketing campaign, not Kevin Butler, who tells us he’s not going anywhere. “KB is still here,” he said. “Same elves, same magic.”
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13/07/2010 at 21:20
Member since: Forever
Not sure if this leaves Sony free to carry on with Kevin Butler, and if so how they’d manage without the genius behind the awesome ad campaigns and even the Twitter feed.
(Potentially) RIP Kevin Butler you were the best thing to ever happen to the PS3, which was a marketing balls up before you came along!
13/07/2010 at 21:25
Member since: Dec 2009
Pretty sure Sony “own” the KB concept lock, stock and barrel. He worked on a campaign. It’s Sony’s campaign, however.
13/07/2010 at 21:26
Member since: Forever
Yeah, one would hope.
Hope they still manage to keep the standard up though
13/07/2010 at 21:59
Member since: Mar 2010
oi i loved the Schizophrenia inducing “play beyond” and “play in our world live in yours” adverts
and you know what CC your started to grate on me yeah i know everyone has opinions ect ect but your just so bludy objectionable its bordering on annoying :)
13/07/2010 at 23:04
Member since: Forever
You disagree with my opinion on Sony marketing because you like them and resort to what amounts to a personal attack?
Nice.
I’m not saying I don’t like them, but they achieved almost zero mainstream recognition so as a marketing campaign it’d be pretty fair to say they were a balls up
14/07/2010 at 01:26
Member since: Mar 2010
calm down dear twas for shits and giggles, funnily enough i agree the PS3 adverts were useless i liked(to some extent) the white room adds and the oil one was ok but none of them did anything beneficial for playstation, but really is the only way to sell anything nowadays is to use super models doped up on joker gas prancing around an ikea showroom. gaming is supposed to be a fun and creative pastime(or obsession :b) and it would be good to see that reflected in the public image. now PS2 they were some brilliant adds XBOX had a couple of crackers too, but on the whole gaming in general has become something i find difficult to recognise anymore Deamon’s Souls has reignited my interest and there are plenty of attractive games coming but for the most part it feels like the loves gone out of it or maby it’s just my imagination or a microcosm of the world we live in or maby im crazy :)
13/07/2010 at 21:21
Member since: May 2009
in other words we hired this guy to make us look less evil
13/07/2010 at 21:22
Member since: Forever
it’s called marketing. same thing Sony needed back in 2005…
13/07/2010 at 21:24
Member since: May 2009
I didn’t say it wasn’t a smart move, just what everyone is thinking :)
13/07/2010 at 21:23
Member since: Forever
In the same way Sony hired his marketing company to look less inept?
13/07/2010 at 21:25
Member since: May 2009
see relpy above
13/07/2010 at 21:25
Member since: Forever
Yeah, course
13/07/2010 at 21:22
Member since: Apr 2009
So it will be the opposite of Kevin Butler.
“Gaming is about giving Activision as much money as possible”
“Can you say Law. Suit”
13/07/2010 at 21:24
Member since: Forever
People’s automatic slating of certain publishers is getting really tiring.
13/07/2010 at 22:04
Member since: Mar 2009
And judging by Eric’s last sentence… he’s well aware of the public perception of his new employers.
14/07/2010 at 15:59
Member since: Feb 2009
come on nofi, it’s hardly undeserved in activision’s case.
13/07/2010 at 21:33
Member since: Dec 2009
I take he had nothing to do with the PSP kid version of Kevin Butler or else things could go either way for his new job.. ;)
13/07/2010 at 21:47
Member since: Forever
I presume the PSP kid is done by the same guy, because they have featured in the same ad/viral (can’t remember what it was)
13/07/2010 at 21:50
Member since: May 2009
it was the E3 PSP ad
13/07/2010 at 21:40
Member since: Nov 2008
At first, I thought it was the actor who was moving.
13/07/2010 at 21:43
Member since: Jul 2009
What was this the job title of this guy before and was he only in charge of marketing/ PR or did his role involve other tasks.
13/07/2010 at 22:27
Member since: Sep 2009
Hold on…can someone explain this to me please I don’t fully understand the whole scenario
13/07/2010 at 22:29
Member since: Jul 2009
Basically the guy that thought up the kevin butler adverts for the PS3 in America is now working for Activision.
13/07/2010 at 22:39
Member since: Sep 2009
Cheers
13/07/2010 at 22:43
Member since: Sep 2009
Some sites made the whole situation confusing with miss leading bullshit, I see KB IS NOT going to Activision the actor is, I think I’ve learnt my lesson and will stick to TSA.
14/07/2010 at 00:29
Member since: Forever
The actor? No. It’s the marketing guy who dreamed up KB and executed it, right down to managing the Twitter feed… In other words every single aspect of what made Kevin Butler actually Kevin Butler is gone (or will be) except fir the actor, who’s just an actor
14/07/2010 at 01:27
Member since: Forever
Just because he came up with the concept of KB, doesnt necessarily mean he didnt have a band of writers to come up with the dialogue…I assume KB is still in safe hands ;-)
14/07/2010 at 07:47
Member since: Jun 2010
Hirshberg didn’t “think it up” on his own; you’re simply basing on the fact that he ran Deutsch/LA, the advertising agency behind the Kevin Butler commercials. Their other commercials, like DirecTV and HTC, are lackluster in comparison, so I don’t really think this is worth all the tabloid hysteria.
13/07/2010 at 22:47
Member since: Apr 2010
This comment is hidden.
13/07/2010 at 22:48
Member since: Feb 2009
So Activision are hoping he’ll work his magic and make Activision look like the good guys again. I guess we’ve got an interesting few months ahead of us, I wonder what he’ll come up with.
13/07/2010 at 22:49
Member since: Sep 2009
Oh yeah another thing the actors real name is Jerry Lambert, someone screwed up bad
14/07/2010 at 00:05
Member since: May 2009
It’s not the actor, though. It’s the guy who wrote the character of Kevin Butler up.
For example: Hideo Kojima isn’t Solid Snake’s actor.
14/07/2010 at 01:17
Member since: Sep 2009
Just realised lol
14/07/2010 at 07:49
Member since: Jun 2010
Simply because he ran Deutsch/LA doesn’t automatically make him “the guy who wrote” Kevin Butler – advertising agencies aren’t made up of one guy who does everything on his own, sheesh. They are massive organizations these days.
14/07/2010 at 08:26
Member since: May 2009
I dont think blair literally meant the guy who invented keving butler, think he was just clearing things up for dumbass danny!
14/07/2010 at 13:06
Member since: May 2009
Yeah, was just trying to make sure that people didn’t think it was the actor :)