ADVERGAMING…does it ring any bells in your mind??
No…advergaming is the concept of promoting ones brand through online games. It has the ability to involve users and get them to interact, entertain and engage with them. This mode of advertising is increasingly catching up pace with the new inventions like TIVO and tele-zappers. Today when various players in the market are grappling with the issues of consumer attention and coming in the TOMA of consumers, the concept of advergaming has come to their rescue and is facilitating the “sought after” Utopian Attention Value exchange.
Not only online games, advergaming is also publicized through mobile games. The three most common uses of mobile includes talking, messaging and playing games. So the advertisers are finding yet another smart way to catch the attention of consumers; through the games in mobiles. Media planners feel that advergaming is still at a nascent stage in the country, but with growth in GPRS-enabled phones and increased Internet connectivity, it is poised for a take-off.
Advergaming can be broadly divided into following three categories:
Company provides interactive games on its sites in the hope that the potential customers will visit the site and gain more awareness about the product and become product aware. The games usually feature the company’s product more prominently. In the second form, games are published in the usual way that are intended to interest the player in the game's subject and cause them to investigate further. The subjects may be commercial, political or educational. Examples of the second form of game include America's Army, intended to boost recruitment for the United States Army, and Special Force, intended to promote Arab resistance to the state of Israel. In the third category, there is often forms of advertising within a game, especially of that not advertising the game maker. This is similar to subtle advertising in films, where the advertising content is within the "world" of the movie or game. There are many ways and examples of how this can be done. A recent example is this racing game which puts advertising logos directly on the player's vehicle and around the racetrack. A fictional example is Pepsi banners lining the inside of a virtual Soccer stadium in a video game made by EA Sports. A final (but weak) example is a regular banner ad in a free small-time browser strategy game. The actual effectiveness of this method is unknown because it is pretty new. However it can be a way to combat costs that the game makers encounter and reduce the cost of the game to the consumer (especially games with monthly fees) while providing an outlet to advertise ones product.
Changing Business Environment and the Need to shift from Traditional Advertising : With TIVO (TIVO is a device that allows TV viewers to skip commercial.), tele zappers, etc. having already made an entry to the market, the tension gripping the marketers is increasing. Already much of hand wringing and gnashing is going about TIVO but the fact is that TIVO is catching up the sensation and certain to erode marketers of advertisers. Tele-zappers and caller id are also here to make the companies run for their life for making the consumer watch their commercials. These devices are blocking the most effective communication medium, advertisements, to reach the concerned target audience. In fast paced life no-one wants to go through the droll of advertisements after a hard days work and therefore the consumers are moving towards such devices as TIVO and tele-zappers. Therefore the changing role of the consumer from a passive observer to an active player in the marketing process needs to be explored, in particular, in relation to attracting them to online games, and holding and rewarding them for their attention.
Advantages of advergaming:
Unlike TV advertising, where the consumer has the option of zipping and zapping and also of engaging in other activites, advergaming requires the complete concentration of consumers. Most of the netizens while engaged in a gaming session prefer to concentrate on the task at hand and generally do not indulge in chatting online.
Advergaming is also a great opportunity for integrated marketing efforts. A recent sweepstakes for Hanes, for example, promoted the apparel company's new "tagless" t-shirt by using a tag as the virtual game piece: "Lifting" it with the mouse revealed the visitor's prize.
The facility of engaging users has led many companies to develop games which has increased not only the interaction level but has also helped companies increase their database.
Advergaming increases awareness and recall.
If any consumer gets intrigued by the product, he or she can immediately check the website to get more information about the product and make informed decisions.
Through advergaming one can know about the likeability and penetration the product has by knowing the no. of clicks and the no. of hours an individual sticks to the site.
Technology is undergoing development with every passing day and internet gaming technology is also simultaneously maximizing on the attributes afforded by the internet. Animated digital characters make the games more captivating and is getting increased involvement of the targeted consumers. The continued growth in access to the Internet and communication over the Internet is likely to support the intentions of marketers to spread their brand and product messages through social networking. And so are the growth prospects of Advergaming….