Cisco Launches Online Game: EdgeQuest2

Tired of Twittering and chatting with FaceBook pals? Looking for a new fatal distraction? Perhaps it’s time to check out Cisco Systems’ online game tournament — called EdgeQuest 2. The game is designed to entertain while fueling Cisco’s lead generation efforts. But are vendor-driven games worth your time — and Cisco’s marketing budget?

You’ll find complete details about the Cisco game on the company’s SP360: Service Provider blog.

Cisco isn’t the first IT company to use a game to build a customer lead generation system. Symantec in 2007 launched a Doom-styled game, but The VAR Guy hears the lead generation results weren’t all that stellar.

It begs the question: Are IT companies wise to spend their marketing and sales budgets on games that drive lead generation — especially when the registered gamers may not drive buying decisions within an organization?

Frankly, The VAR Guy doesn’t have an answer for that question. Perhaps he’s too distracted playing this classic…

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