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With commercials, the things to consider are backdoors and budgeting tricks. Indisputably, commercials are the most effective way to gain new players and spread public awareness of a MUD/MMORPG. Suggestions I would have to companies with the money/resources to go this route;
- Search your playerbase for the following;
Film Students, People who have studied Film and have some professional experience, Writers, Funny/Creative People, ACTORS, CG/Computer Artists/Programers, and Techies.
Get a group together that has the skill/ability to write, create, and perform an eye-turning or at least interesting commercial that will speak to mostly a target audience between the ages 15-30. Fund them enough to let them rent whatever equipment they can't scavenger, and give them plenty of booze. Then let them make a commercial.
You can put this commercial online and link to it via forums, online advertising, and your website. As far as national t.v. goes... consider the following;
In America, there are large areas that more MUD/MMORPG players live in than other areas. California and Texas are both huge gaming areas. There are others as well - do some research. Then dish out the money to advertise in a local "test area" - see howmany new players that gets you. Estimate cost efficiency based on the gaming population density there, and then crunch some numbers and start running ads on local (NBC, ABC, CBS, and other) stations since they charge less money for more air-time. Also, as most gamers in the targetted age-group tend to be late night television watchers also, make use of those cheap, late night television ad-slots also. They could be an easy gold mine.
If this seems to be yielding a desirable number of new paying customers, consider seeing if the Sci-Fi channel would be able ot strike you a deal with air-time (I have heard that they are very approachable, helpful, and relatively cheap for a cable station). Do a test run, see what the desired affect is, draw your marketing plan and continue. If you are a commercial MUD, then it is just a matter of investment - however, the national recognition and playerbase swell could totally take even the largest MUD to the next level.
In a market where the other immediate (text rpgs in this case) competition has no television advertising, it does not take much advertising to yield a large return.
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