Monopoly

I read on the Washington Post today that Hasbro is hosting an online vote to determine which classic token will be discontinued in the game and what lucky token will replace it. It looks like voters have to log-in to Facebook to actually vote. The campaign has taken over the Monopoly Facebook page, with propaganda and debates covering the timeline.

I don't think I like this marketing gimmick. Maybe I'm still burned out from the eternal 2012 election season and this is too reminiscent. Maybe I just don't have fond memories of playing Monopoly. It's true; I don't know if I've ever finished a game of Monopoly. I remember that we had Star Wars Monopoly, but like most old board games, my brothers and I had more fun creating imaginary worlds using the tokens. We could play the same sorts of games as with Barbie dolls, only without the stigma. In truth, I couldn't have told you what the Monopoly tokens were until today. Glancing over the Facebook page, however, I see that people are strongly attached to "their" token.

These irrational attachments have become a basis for countless marketing campaigns, mainly to direct traffic online. I've seen it in other areas too, such as the Capital One Mascot Challenge. These are advertising campaigns that seem more intent on driving online traffic than actually selling something. Anything that gets your name out there is good (in advertising), but I do wonder why they do them. Does Hasbro think that someone will become so distraught that the Iron is discontinued that they will go out and buy multiple games? Board games have the unusual disadvantage that the biggest fans will probably still only buy the game once. A family of five only needs one Monopoly in the house, unless they manage to lose all the pieces.  So I guess this campaign is a strike to keep Monopoly relevant.

And maybe that's what bothers me about this form of marketing campaign. It doesn't seem relevant. There is no room for nostalgia in this day and age, because nothing ever disappears. People that like Monopoly can always find Monopoly online. I guess it seems like Hasbro (not even Parker Brothers) is trying to force nostalgia.