EA SPORTS Talks About Its Newest Game Changer And Provides Tips On Partnering

At CES earlier this month, EA SPORTS announced its latest partnership with Monster Inc. (the consumer electronics company – not the career site). Chris Erb, VP Brand Marketing of EA SPORTS, sat down with us to provide more detail on the partnership as well as his process on building successful partnerships.

Brandon Gutman: Please tell us about the recent Monster and EA SPORTS partnership.

Chris Erb: EA SPORTS is always looking for opportunities to enhance the gaming experience for our fans. As entertainment consumption technology continued to evolve, we kept a close eye on how the music headphone business was changing for the better. Through those observations, we saw a natural fit to partner with Monster to create an equally high-quality and innovative experience with gaming headphones.

After a two-year exploration with the team at Monster to discover the best way to develop a gaming headphone from the ground up, EA SPORTS and Monster created the EA SPORTS MVP Carbon by Monster®, an all-new gaming headphone that will fuse superior design with maximum comfort and performance, allowing gamers to immerse themselves in their favorite EA SPORTS titles without the need for multiple speakers and separate processors.

The EA SPORTS MVP Carbon by Monster® is the world’s first headphone to feature Monster® HDHS (High Definition Headphone Surround), which delivers the most realistic sound experience for gaming, music and movies. Built from the ground up specifically for gaming, the headphones will be compatible with PCs, Xbox 360®, PlayStation®3, Wii™ and Wii U™.

Being that this is a new partnership, converging gamers with high performance audio fans, are you anticipating the development of a new market? 

We believe the EA SPORTS MVP Carbon by Monster® fills a gap in the existing headphone market. Until now, there hasn’t been a premium headphone in the market that delivers quality gaming audio on any platform as well as quality music or movie sound. That was our vision from day one, over-the-top premium audio in a great looking industrial design. In the process, we now have a new vehicle to connect fans to their passion for sports in an immersive way and we think it presents new marketing opportunities for us as well.

The headsets go on sale in February. How are you promoting the launch? 

We announced the partnership at CES and received amazing reviews and support. We are now building off that success by placing the MVP Carbon’s into as many relevant hands as possible to create an army of evangelists for the product. Gamers, athletes and music fans all see different things about the headphones that resonate strongly with them and the audiences they share with. Making sure we can amplify their thoughts through digital and social media platforms in order to fuel organic awareness of the product is the near-term focus.

You’ve developed and led some highly successful partnerships between EA SPORTS and other leading brands. What is your advice to fellow brand marketers who are seeking alliances that will build awareness as well as drive revenue? 

I recommend following the four tenets below when evaluating and managing a strategic partnership:

Be strategic. Determine the categories and brands where a partnership would create greater value for consumers of both brands. Collaborative efforts that surprise and delight consumers, create greater value and solve a need are the most successful and will garner the greatest amount of organic impressions and awareness. Organic conversations around partnerships validate and glorify the brands involved leading to better product recognition and affinity.

Be visible. If you’re a brand marketer, know the key decision-makers at the brands you wish to partner with, the ones identified in your strategy. Have a vision of how you’d partner and what you’re looking for and share concepts of how the program would work. Through collaborative conversation the program will morph itself into something of great benefit to consumers of both brands.

Be honest. Partnerships have costs. Knowing those costs, who is covering what and what might have to be funded by one party or the other must be explained and discussed early. Ninety percent of our partnerships are exchange only but some of our partnerships require shared revenue or investments in media and other assets by a brand. As long as expectations are set from the beginning this becomes a non-issue.

Be authentic. Never stray from your overall brand strategy. There are a lot of amazing brands that we can never work with because it wouldn’t be authentic to the EA SPORTS brand.

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U.S. says Java still risky, even after security update

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security warned that a security update of Oracle Corp's Java software for Web browsers does not do enough to protect computers from attack, sticking to its previous advice that the program be disabled.

"Unless it is absolutely necessary to run Java in web browsers, disable it," the Department of Homeland Security's Computer Emergency Readiness Team said on Monday in a posting on its website. The software maker released an update to Java on Sunday, just days after the government issued its initial warning on the software, saying that bugs in the program were being exploited to commit identity theft and other crimes.

Security experts have warned that PCs running Java in their browsers could be attacked by criminals seeking to steal credit-card numbers, banking credentials, passwords and commit other types of computer crimes.

The Java software platform, created in the mid-1990s, enables developers to write one set of code that will run on PCs running on Microsoft Corp's Windows, Apple Inc Macs and servers running on the Linux operating system.

Security experts say the bugs only affect one part of the platform - software that plugs into Internet browsers.

While some researchers have long complained the software was buggy, it started generating more public scrutiny last year after a security scare in August.

"It's not like Java got insecure all of a sudden. It's been insecure for years," said Charlie Miller, a computer engineer with Twitter who has previously worked as a security consultant to Fortune 500 firms and as an analyst with the National Security Agency.

Java was responsible for 50 percent of all cyber attacks last year in which hackers broke into computers by exploiting software bugs, according to Kaspersky Lab.

Public interest in the issue surged last week as the Department of Homeland Security advised the general public to stop using Java and consumers turned for information on how to implement the agency's advice.

To disable Java on a Windows PC, go to the machine's Control Panel. Open the Java icon, click on the Security panel and uncheck the box for "enable Java content in the browser."

Further information is available from Oracle on its Java website http://www.java.com/en/download/help/disable_browser.xml

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Electronic system to nab traffic rule violators in mumbai

City's traffic police is planning to start technology based enforcement system at some traffic junctions in the city to nab violators of traffic rules, stated Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Vivek Phansalkar. The system involves catching violators on camera, recognising the number plate, then forwarding 'chalaan' to vehicle owner based on the registered address etc.

Participating in a panel discussion jointly hosted by BMW Guggenheim Lab and MESN on 'Rethinking Kalanagar traffic junction', Phansalkar said that the new tech-based enforcement system at select traffic junctions will ensure that no violators of traffic rules get away lightly. According to Phansalkar electronic 'chalaan' system was implemented by Pune administration and on the same line the experiments can be carried out. He said several countries abroad have already started such systems for which converting number plants of vehicles into digitally sensitive ones is required.

Phansalkar stated that as of now if one violator is nabbed he enters into argument with the traffic cops and justifies his act by pointing fingers at others. He said that the new system will enable traffic cops to nab all the violators so that one cannot point fingers at others and try to get away. The modalities of enforcement and penalties like increased fines are being worked out. Phansalkar further disclosed that the traffic police is planning to start 65 share-a-taxi and share-a-auto bays out of the 71 spots identified in the city in a month. These bays will have signages and space clearly demarcated.

MMRDAs Chief of Transport, PRK Murthy gave an assurance that the MMRDA will have a look at some of the suggestions made like under passages, short term solutions like using the service road behind the BEST bus stop towards BKC and other suggestions. Transport expert and chairman of Mumbai Environment Social Network (MESN), Ashok Datar wondered why does it take so much time to get simple traffic solutions implemented. He lamented that political class and planners are more preoccupied with mega projects and do not have time to solve minor issues that affect people daily. Datar added that if mega projects are going to take more than 10 years, the effects of such projects wears away.

Some of the suggestions that were thrown up at the competition held by the BMW Guggenheim Lab and MESN on "Rethinking Kalanagar traffic junction" competition included creating dedicated bus lanes from Kalanagar junction to Dharavi T junction, covering the three meter wide open drain opposite ONGC to widen the lane for smooth traffic flow, creating fountains at the traffic island to reduce noise pollution and other solutions.

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