Business & Games: The Blog

Continue reading "Virtual World Advertising Dollars Poised to Tenfold" »

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by: Alain Thys

When she was eight, my wife invented a game called "The Yellow Car Conspiracy".  In this game, all the kids who participated, were on watch to spot yellow cars which might drive through their street, stop in front of buildings or engage in other types of suspicious activity.  If all kids worked together - the theory went - they would surely uncover the mystery that lingered about all these yellow cars hovering through town.

Continue reading "When will ARG's hit the brand radars ?" »

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by: Alain Thys

Not so long ago, Ilya featured an awareness study on brands in Second Life.  But as the last time I checked Second Life was still supposed to be about conversations and communities, the real proof for brands lies in "how long do people actually hang out in your wonderful virtual building". 

Continue reading "Brand Traffic in Second Life" »

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by: Karl Long

I think the concept of marketing using “big games” or ARG’s is one of the most exciting marketing concepts that has emerged in recent years. The way it combines customer experience, co-creation, word of mouth, and customer engagement and lets not forget FUN, makes it a very powerful tool in a marketers repertoire. As Trent says though this is not just about marketing but a new form of entertainment.

Continue reading "Nine Inch Nails Using Alternate Reality Game (ARG or “Big Game”) To Market New Album" »

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Several initiatives to do some real world good by using the virtual world of gaming struck my eye today.

One Big Game is a non-profit that wants to raise funds for children's charities by involving the gaming industry. Their slogan is 'Play, so others can'. Although early stage, they show an impressive advisory board, and I'm optimistic this initiative will succeed.

Continue reading "Gaming to save the world..." »

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SAN FRANCISCO – March 13, 2007 – Exit Games, the leading global provider of connected mobile entertainment software and related services for game developers and publishers, today announced a partnership with Amobee Media Systems to help operators and game publishers realize additional revenue streams from in-game advertising. As part of the agreement, the two companies will collaborate to serve contextual and targeted opt-in advertising impressions for mobile phone games running on Java and BREW handsets.

Press Release 

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Continue reading " Study: Brands in Virtual Laguna Beach" »

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Continue reading "Burger King Sells 2 Million Game Copies in 4 Weeks" »

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A few months ago, Burger King was considering doing some Xbox games and eventually confirmed the decision. November saw the launch of three titles, titles which apparently only sold until the 24th of December.

Continue reading "Burger King on the Xbox" »

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Continue reading "Snippet: Office Supply Store Campaign" »

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Continue reading "Counter-Strike, Now With Ads" »

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Judging by the growing number of media clippings on the subject, I’m afraid in-game ads are turning into the next shiny thing.

“Agency Avatars,” AdWeek, October 9, 2006, Eleftheria Parpis. Quote from Leo’s chief creator Mark Tutssel: “This is right on the edge of a new space.”

“Virtual Worlds: The Next Realm in Advertising?” Brand Channel, Bill Nissim, undated (Sept 2006?)

“Video Games Now a Social Experience,” Ad Age, Gavin O’Malley, October 5, 2006

“Leo Burnett Buys Space in Virtual World,” Ad Age, Jeremy Mullman, September 28, 2006

“Advergaming: You Got It,” Business Week, David Radd, October 10, 2006

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Media Post: “Games built around a brand, or advergames, are often a better option for marketers than placing ads within a game, a panel of executives said Tuesday at the OMMA conference in New York.

Advergames usually are relatively cheap to produce, and simple to distribute, the executives said. What’s more, advergames don’t require the same degree of coordination between different parties as ads served while consumers are playing a game.”

Of course, all panelists were from the advergaming companies. Blah.

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The born-again GTA(-like) protagonist does good deeds and drinks Coke in this brilliant commercial for Coke. Using game characters as product endorsers is an old idea (Pac-Man starred in a 7-Up spot in the 1980s) that is being rediscovered.
–YouTube

Earlier:
Case: Fictional and Proxy Brands: Sprunk

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image: IGN.com

Ford is preparing a big-budget full-length racing advergame featuring a model line-up ranging from “1968 Mustang GT to the 1973 Escort RS2000 to the hot-off-the-assembly line 2007 Shelby GT500″. “Bold Moves” is Ford’s current campaign slogan.

“One of the features in the “Street Racing” title that’s certainly a bold move for Ford is the decision to allow its cars to show damage as drivers ding them up on the road. Damage will also affect the cars’ performance. The issue has been a pain point for game developers and publishers licensing real-world autos for racing titles.”

– Enid Burns, “Ford Vehicles Featured in New Console Game“, ClickZ.com, Aug.11, 2006.

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Starwood Hotels and Resorts — the company that operates Sheraton, Westin, Four Points and other brands — is building a new-brand (and brand-new) hotel in Second Life while blogging about the progress. The first real-world Aloft (they spell it aloft) is planned to open its North American doors in 2008, so the Second Life builders are working off a single exterior rendering.
– via Three Minds @ Organic

x-posted on Adverlab

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I am doing the thesis’s last chapter that focuses on ad formats in video games and hit that part about voice advertising. You know, where a character says “I wish I had a ride like that” and points to GMS Yukon in the latest CSI game. I also remember hearing about Madden doing product plugs in his commentary to the NFL series, but don’t have much more than that.

If you know of any other examples, could you please drop me a line (vedrashko at hotmail) or comment below? Any tips or links will be much appreciated, and you will get an honorable mention in the paper. Oh, and I am already writing about fake radio commercials in GTA: San Andreas, so that’s covered.

To make this post worth your time, here’s a chapter from Game Design Complete published on Gamasutra (free registration) that talks about various kinds of game advertising opportunities. Also, check out my del.icio.us bookmarks on the subject; plenty of goodies there that haven’t been posted here.

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Here’s a McDonald’s map for Counter-Strike: Source. I also have a McD WAD for Doom but the game isn’t stable enough for me to take a snapshot. I suspect none of this was sanctioned by Ronald, but that’s the beauty of it.

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MTV Ovedrive did a story on a recent U2 in SL’s concert (much like the one a few months ago):

“A virtual — and unauthorized — U2 might be the most provocative example, but independent musicians and big-label acts are also getting involved, potentially making multiplayer video game worlds the next frontier of touring. Musicians can channel audio into game worlds and set up characters to be their puppet personas — a way to go on tour without leaving their keyboard, be they the “SL” musician Frogg Marlowe or, if Universal Music’s official plans continue to take shape, Chamillionaire and the rock band Hinder (see “GameFile: Chamillionaire’s Ridin’ Virtual, ‘Saint’s Row’ Has A Surprise, Anti-Game Laws Gain Steam And More”).”

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Study by comScore, press release, May 16, 2006. Also in Marketing Vox. Verbatim highlights from press release:

The Players research found that 25% of Gamers are Heavy Gamers, playing 16 or more hours per week across any gaming platform, or playing 11 hours or more per week and playing on two or more platforms.

Light/Medium Gamers — those that play less than 16 hours per week on one platform — represent 75 percent of Gamers.

Continue reading "Data: Gamers Not Averse to In-Game Ads" »

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Branded background, an interstitial and banners (linking to this site) for the US Army on Gamespot.com.

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NBA Live 2004, 2003, Electronic Arts (image: Gamespot)
EA’s NBA series continue to show no ads in contrast to Sega’s ESPN franchise or Microsoft’s NBA Inside Drive game below:

Continue reading "Ads in EA Sports Games: 2003-2006" »

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Madden NFL 2002, 2001, Electronic Arts (top image: Gamespot). Name of the helmet maker, Riddell, is now more legible. Ad for Upper Deck (probably the first for the franchise), a trading cards company. Ad for Riddell.com.

Continue reading "Ads in EA Sports Games: 2001-2002" »

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NHL 2000, 1999, Electronic Arts (image: Gamespot). Ads for Dodge, Mastercard, skates maker CCM, and apparently Target.

Continue reading "Ads in EA Sports Games: 1998-2000" »

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FIFA International Soccer, 1994 (on most platforms), Electronic Arts. This is the first installment in the long series of FIFA-licensed games. It also seems to be the first to feature third-part brands on the field. Notice how the Adidas ad was replaced with a generic billboard on the Genesis version of the game. Compare all versions here.

Continue reading "Ads in EA Sports Games: 1994-1998" »

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I am writing the chapter on history of in-game advertising and decided to track down the evolution of sports games. I picked games made or published by Electronic Arts because the company has some of the most popular franchises, the games sold well, and also because these days the company seems to have a structured approach to selling ad space in their games. Below are screenshots from EA’s sports games made during the two decades between 1983-2006.

Continue reading "Ads in EA Sports Games: 1983-1993" »

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It’s been a month since my last post here, and it was a month spent on getting some (very little) actual writing done, and on working on other unrelated projects. Now that the thesis presentation is a week away and the defence is on May 5, it’s crunch time.

Anyway, I went to the Advertising in Games conference in NYC on Wednesday, thinking I would pick up interesting stuff for my work (special thanks to the organizers for giving me the press pass in recognition of my blog publishing career). As it usually happens, the event was rich in networking and less rich on unique content, but below are a few shots of the most interesting presentations (taking snapshots of the screen is much easier than writing the things down).

Continue reading "Advertising in Games Conference, Data Points" »

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Image: Kotaku.com

“Burger King To Sell Xbox 360 Games?” Kotaku.com, April 10, 2006:

“Hamburger flipper Burger King is considering a promotion that offers 3 exclusive BK-branded games. Each would feature their own characters (in this case, the actual Burger King) in “popular” genres (fighting, action and racing). The action game is apparently similar to Halo, while the fighter combines Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. Just tack on a “with hamburgers,” and you get the drift.”

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Joyce Schwarz, “Bold New Opportunities in Virtual Worlds.” iMedia Connection, March 10, 2006.

Quotes:

The greatest opportunity for brand expression may just be in the ’solo-branded’ Virtual Worlds like Coke Studios, Wells Fargo’s “Stagecoach Island,” Disney’s Virtual Magic Kingdom and Motorola’s Mokiworld. But other options like co-branding or develop promotions or sponsorships within other brands’ virtual worlds — like Wal-Mart did in Coke Studios — are feasible.

What’s the big payoff for the brands? One innovator Erik Hauser, founder of San Francisco-based Swivel Media, provides a powerful answer — engagement.

Swivel Media recommends its clients allocate six to seven figures to create one of these experiences.

Digital Deadwood is a great example of how branded virtual worlds enhance tourism promotion.

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John “JCal” Callaham, “IGA Worldwide Interview“, March 13, 2006

Quotes by IGA’s CEO Justin Townsend:

• However, with the introduction of the IGA WW proprietary ad serving network, Radial, we enable advertisers to target millions of engaged consumers across a wide range of platforms and game genres whilst they play.
• As we have stated above, ad brands need to follow consumers – as an example, the best selling game of 2004, NFL Madden, generated some 400 million eyeball hours, whilst the best selling TV program of 2004, The Sopranos, generated some 160 million eyeball hours. More recently, Halo 2 is reported to have clocked over 600m hours of online play via Xbox Live.
• The process of integrating the SDK is minimal, taking roughly 15 man hours. […] Contrary to popular belief, its not preferable to have hundreds of billboards pasted over every surface! Not only does that become intrusive to the game, its also less effective for the advertiser. Effectively what we are doing is replicating where you would expect to see adverts in real life and replicating that, with some optimization for the way different games are played and different environments are negotiated.
• We already have a fully operational network serving over 600,000 unique gamers a month.
• We are already working on some major technological innovations, such as in snowboarding game Stoked Rider where we are dynamically interchanging geometric branded objects […]

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“Mokeys and Burgers Create Online Persona“, AdAge, March 8, 2006: “In an age of consumer-generated media, avatars also help keep consumers engaged with a brand.”

Many more examples and comments at reBang.

Earlier on AdLab:
Personal Audio Avatar
Branding Avatars

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MTV2’s “Coltrane hosts Second Life’s first ever fashion show.” Watch a Flash video from the show. Creator: Glitchy Gumshoe, an MTV staffer. Stage by Spellbound. Coltrane’s avatar by Lilith Pendragon.

Update (March 10, 2006):

• The original call for talent was posted on SL Forums in Dec. 23, 2005 and the video apparently was released on March 9, 2006 (thanks, Csven).
• According to the article in New World Notes, the video was shot on Supernova, a private island separate from the main grid.

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