The hugely popular game franchise The Sims will see pop starlet Katy Perry joining their simish world, after she partnered with EA to develop and promote multiple Sims games with Perry-themed in-game content and virtual goods.
As well as featuring in the game Katy Perry will also be taking part in advertisement campaigns including TV adverts, which will start off with the launch of a collector’s editor for ‘The Sims 3 Showtime’.
The game is being released on the 9th March here in the UK and there will also be online communications and in store advertising for the game too.
EA have said that they will be working closely with Katy to create in-game accessories, clothing, hairstyles, furniture and props to as they say “celebrate the imagination that she brings to her performances, music videos and life”.
It isn’t the first time EA have collaborated with popstars for their Sims games for the original Sims game they worked with Christina Aguilera in the same vein which was hugely popular.
The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) concluded that the Lynx deodorant adverts which featured model Lucy Pinder were ‘likely to cause serious and widespread offence’ and have banned them. They were found to portray women as sex objects and were degrading to women.
Lucy Pinder who is a lad’s mag favourite was seen wearing next to nothing posing and flashing her cleavage in a set of provocative video ads that hark back to the 1970s. According to Lynx however the adverts are marketed using tongue and cheek humour which suggests that men using it will instantly become more attractive, with beautiful women falling at their feet.
But the ASA did not see the advertisements that way and accused the company of going too far with their latest advertisements. In a ruling published today, the watchdog said: “We considered that the various activities that Ms Pinder carried out were presented in a sexually provocative way, and that alongside the focus on Ms Pinder’s cleavage … were likely to be seen as gratuitous and to objectify women. We considered that was emphasised by the text ‘Can she make you lose control?’ … and the invitation to ‘Play with Lucy’, which we considered would also be seen as degrading to women. We therefore concluded that the ads were likely to cause serious and widespread offence.”
The ASA also stated that the language was ‘clearly intended to imply that using the advertised product would lead to more uninhibited sexual behaviour’. They added: “We therefore considered that the poster would be seen to make a link between purchasing the product and sex with women and in so doing would be seen to objectify women.”
