Sega of Europe DC Advertisement

Sega of Europe announced on Friday that a new advertising campaign for the Dreamcast will kick off with the release of Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace in the UK. After showing the new ads at the film's UK premier, the advertisement will display in theaters showing the Phantom Menace for eight weeks. The ads will also run on television stations on the island nation.

The campaign features two short films (one called Shave and the other called Buoy) from the WCRS advertising agency. Here's a brief description from a company release:

"Shave takes place in the barbershop of a Foreign Legion fort, where a trio of Legion barbers is racing to shave the heads of new recruits. The barbers compete like this all the time - not only does it help pass the time, but it's also fun for each of them to get one up on their friends."

"In Buoy, a group of children arrive at a beach and spontaneously begin to throw stones at a buoy floating in the bay. The children love the simple competition and are surprised when the youngest of them manages to score a direct hit. It is only at the close that we realize the boy has used a catapult. This is a 'special manoeuvre' - in other words a cheat."

"As with all of the action throughout the films, the boy's move is prompted by titles found in any video game, such as 'Press start to play' and 'Player 2 wins'. By using these titles both ads liken the games we all play together in life to the games we can enjoy together with Dreamcast."

Chief executive of WCRS, Stephen Woodford said, "Until now, playing computer and video games has been communicated as a lonely and exclusive pursuit. But playing games is a highly social and inclusive experience. Thanks to its immense power, Internet access and unique online capabilities, playing on Dreamcast is as natural as kicking a football around in the park or racing each other to the bus stop."