THQ fights GTA fever with 'Forget Grand Theft Auto' ad campaign

Here's a neat experiment: try typing Grand Theft Auto V, GTA V, or any combination thereof into your google bar (assuming you haven't already been doing so already). See the ad to the right of your results? The one telling you to “Forget Grand Theft Auto” and go directly to Saints Row: The Third's website? That, as you've probably deduced by now, is THQ's not-so-subtle way of capitalizing on today's GTA V buzz and reminding gamers that Rockstar doesn't have the monopoly on sandbox crime games.

Surfers protected by firewalls and ad-blocking options may not see the ads, but they do exist. THQ engaged in similar guerrilla internet tactics earlier this year by attaching ads to its Saints Row sequel to other high profile video games searches such as The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Batman: Arkham City.

It's a sneaky move, but it's also a smart one. Nearly every gamer with an internet connection will be searching for GTA V today, and with less than two weeks to go before Saints Row: The Third launches on November 15^th (November 18^th in the UK), this is the perfect opportunity to use that hype to THQ's advantage. There's also the theory THQ is worried a GTA V announcement will affect Saints Row: The Third's sales, but it's doubtful gamers will hold off buying one game for another that might not even arrive until 2013. What do you think are the motives behind THQ's latest marketing strategy?

Source: PlayStation Lifestyle