As I said, my score more reflects the effectiveness of the PR campaign rather than personal preferences of what else could have been done (although that first AAR was an out of the park homer for BFC. They really kicked ass with that one, especially the story told by the US side of the battle).
I agree about the WW2 game being more anticipated than the modern was but there is more than that at play here. Did you pop into the Matrix forum much in the lead up to PC:O? While there were active conversations there it never really felt like what we are seeing onthe BFC forum. I'm not saying that as a cut at PC:O or to elevate BFC, just pointing out what I'm seeing. A quick look shows about 5,500 posts on the PC:O forum since the middle of last August and over 26,000 posts on the Normandy forum since it opened in January. Comparatively speaking it's getting more action than Paris Hilton. That tells me the PR is working.
And I don't blame you, or anyone, for holding back until you play the demo. I'm not sure what good the reviews would do me if I were in your position as the demo would tell me all I need to know about whether or not I would like the game.
I think the fairest question to ask if one wants to judge the effectiveness of the campaign would be - what more could they have done?
I guess the real question one has to start with is - what was the objective of the campaign?
We don't really know who they are marketing. They went after the RT crowd with CM:SF. I still don't know who CM:BN is supposed to attract - CM:BO fans? RT fans? CM:SF converts? Everyone they can (which I think was the real case with CM:SF, i.e. anyone and everyone possible).
I get the impression their objective is - or should be - more limited and realistic this time. They haven't really come out and said it, but the feature set at least suggests they are wooing some of the older, established fans - of both game engines. I stand to be corrected. Had they advertised on television during the Super Bowl, I would have cause to adjust that perception.
Given the low-key approach and my perception of who they are trying to attract - i.e. win back their previous fan base - I think they've done well.
What more could they do? It's not a rhetorical question. I mentioned the Panzer Command Google Earth application. It's a nice gimmick, but probably not necessary. They could probably have lowered the sale price or offered something aside from the steel box, such as a limited edition poster - say, something with a campaign map. Wouldn't have done much for me, personally, but might have added a sale or two. I can't honestly think of something realistic that would have had a lot of "wow" factor. So for that reason, I give them an "above average", but stop short of outstanding due to the execution.