Clube Sega

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Clube Sega^[1] was an official Sega membership service for Portugal created by Ecofilmes sometime in 1992.

To join the club, it was necessary to fill out a subscription coupon^[2]^[3] (the console serial number was required as a proof of purchase), bundled with every Sega console sold in Portugal, and mail the subscription coupon back to Ecofilmes.

Members were then entitled to a membership card^[4] (two versions existed), the letters of their friend Sonic^[5]^[6] (pretending they were written by Sonic the Hedgehog himself, and would normally end with the phrase Um grande abraço do teu grande amigo ...Sonic = A big hug, from your biggest friend... Sonic), promotional flyers merchandising, an official newsletter A revista do Clube Sega (initially mailed quarterly, but some few mailed monthly) and a free costumer service hotline called Linha Verde (literally, Green Line, Tel: 0500 2700^[7]) available every Monday to Friday, from 2 pm to 7.30 pm^[8].

Contrary to other similar membership services in other countries (i.e., Club Sega (France), Sega Club (Australia), etc), annual fees were not charged to members, and all the flyers and newsletters were offered free during the entire life of the service.

Some of these flyers and commercials , had the name of the US advertising agency, Bozell^[9]^[10], printed in them, proving the involvement of the company in most of the promotional material, mailed by Ecofilmes to members. Bozell was represented in Portugal, by its Lisbon subsidiary company Bozell Portugal (which latter became an independent company after Bozell left the country in 1996, known as Caixa Alta Desenho Grafico e Publicidade, Lda), which advertized, products on behalf of various companies in Portugal (the supermarket chain Continente^[11], Portuguese newspaper Jornal de Noticias^[12], Pizza Hut,etc) before Ecofilmes became a Sega distributor.

Internet was first unveiled to Portuguese public in April 1994^[13], but the commercialization and accessibility of the internet to the general public, would only start, from 1999/2000 onwards. Thus the membership service was one of two ways for getting information about Sega and their products (the other being the Mega Force magazine, the first Portuguese magazine dedicated to video games ever), and for this reason, it is fondly remembered, by all that generation of Portuguese gamers that became Clube Sega members back then.

The service ended in 1998.