ADVERTISING TIP:
What's the differential advantage of your product or service?
Why are you better than the rest?
Highlight your best edge over the rest!
In an age of Tivo, iPod, Podcasts, and Xboxes,
today's consumers are turning from traditional media to new forms of
electronic entertainment, making them increasingly more difficult to
reach through traditional advertising mediums. The challenge that
marketers face today is finding innovative - and entertaining
-opportunities to connect their brand with their targeted audiences.
A new media vehicle for brand marketing is through the use of advergames.
Advergames are custom-developed online video games created specifically
for a brand, where the plot and game-play revolve around a featured
product or offering. Through word of mouth, offline marketing and online
gaming channels, consumers are invited to play these branded games for
free. Advergames are typically posted to a special area of an
organization's Web site, and are distributed to consumers through e-mail
or accessed from popular online gaming portals. Advergames are quickly
becoming a natural catalyst for generating viral advertising
opportunities.
Studies show that consumers are willing to enjoy hours of free online
gaming entertainment for the small price of experiencing subtle product
placement and brand messaging in the context of the game. Many leading
brands - ranging from Axe, Coca Cola, Dodge, Ford and Nike - have
created their own branded video games, which allow consumers to
experience their products through branded entertainment.
The key factor in making a successful advergame is incorporating a brand
or product into the game to create a realistic and entertaining
situation around the game play. An example of this would be if an
automobile manufacturer featured the exact make and model of a SUV in an
off-roading game. As players advance in the game, they could update to a
higher model SUV and also select upgraded vehicle features. Likewise, a
brand-name athletic shoe company could feature a sneaker in a basketball
advergame. As players advanced in the game, they could select different
models of shoes that would affect their performance and strength of
their basketball abilities.
The success of an advergame is easily measured. Because prospect data
and contact information is gained from game registration, brands can
easily track who is visiting the site, the total accumulated hours of
game play, and the number of times a game was referred or e-mailed to a
friend - all valuable information to marketers.
Advergames present a tremendous viral branding opportunity for companies
to exponentially distribute branded content across a range of audiences.
With consumers increasingly turning from traditional media to new forms
of electronic entertainment, it's time for brand marketers to "get their
game on" if they want to keep their competitive edge.
Author Bio
David Smith is co-founder of Engage In-Game Advertising,
http://www.EngageAdvertising.com, the first independent in-game media
company to provide strategic planning and placement services for video
game advertising. Learn more about this new approach to target audience
advertising at
www.engageadvertising.com/gaming_landscape.html.
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