Title: Advertising and Games
1Advertising and Games
- Opportunities, Pitfalls, and Competition
David J Edery WW Games Portfolio
Planner Microsoft, Xbox Live Arcade Blog
http//www.edery.org Upcoming book For Fun and
Profit How Video Games are
Transforming the Business World
(Not sponsored or endorsed by Microsoft)
2Research Challenges
- Avoided studies funded by the game industry
- Most university studies are problematic
- Focus on a single genre (i.e. racing)
- Focus on static billboards
- Very specific population (i.e. college students)
- Small sample sizes (i.e. 10 to 50 respondents)
- Small play times (i.e. one 15-minute session)
- Focus on brand recall, not subconscious effects
3Research Challenges (cont.)
- Therefore, Ive partially relied on
- More general psychology research
- Research specific to film/TV product placements
- Placements date back to 1940
- Research is, as a result, more prevalent and
thorough - A few good, independent, game-specific studies
4Psych 101 forAds in Games
5Integral vs Non-Integral Ads
- Ads are highly integrated (or not) with a game
- Integral ads
- A car you drive (gameplay)
- A camera used to solve missions (gameplay plot)
- A brand prominently featured in cutscenes (plot)
- Non-integral ads
- Typical billboards alongside a road
- Soda machines that arent part of a puzzle or
plot
6Implicit vs. Explicit Memory
- Explicit memory
- Triggered by high-involvement stimuli
- The result of conscious processing
- Integral ads usually get stored here
- Implicit memory
- Triggered by low-involvement stimuli
- The things you miss when focused elsewhere
- Non-integral ads usually get stored here
- Note gameplay is generally high-involvement
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8Implicit Memory
- Influences our behavior w/o conscious recall
- Mere exposure effect and priming
- MEE Japanese ideographs (1)
- MEE polygons displayed for imperceptible
durations (2) - Priming words associated with the elderly (3)
- Leads to increased brand affinity
- Mars Pathfinder spikes the sales of Mars candy
(4)
9Explicit Memory
- Storage in explicit memory equals
- Conscious brand recall
- Comprehension of product brand attributes
- Increased brand affinity, if ad well-implemented
- The opposite, otherwise!
- Examples of integral ads done well
- Sony Ericson phone placements in Splinter Cell
- E.T. and Reeses Pieces saved the candy (1)
10Persuasion Knowledge
- People recognize and resist persuasion (1)
- Good placements arent seen as persuasion (2)
- Except possibly outside of the game, which is OK
(3) - Goldeneye and BMW Z3 100m exposure
11Fit / Congruence
- Incongruent ads increase recall and PK
- Negative effects demonstrated in TV study (1)
- Resist temptation to stand out in unnatural ways
- i.e. Dont put trucks on a skii slope as
obstacles - i.e. No ads for current products in distant
future - i.e. Dont fill a city with billboards for a
single brand
12What Gamers Say (Integral Non)
- 2007 study GameSpot Internet Ad Bureau (1)
- 73 did not mind in-game advertising
- 14 thought in-game ads spoil the experience
- Key this is all predicated on ad recognition
- The whole point is to eliminate recognition
- Study revealed confusion as to what constitutes
ads
13Mood Other Associations
- We have associational brains
- I.e. happy TV film greater ad effectiveness
(1) - Avoid sad portions of a game
- i.e. Dont put baby products in a bloody shooter
- i.e. Dont put Dasani on the side of a filthy
truck - They should request clean textured" locations
only - In short, congruence alone is not enough
14Summary What Works When?
- Integral ads (done well)
- Increase brand recall
- Generate positive press
- Can convey useful brand/product info
- Increases purchase intent, even for serious
purchases - Non-integral ads (done well)
- Increase brand affinity, but not recall
- Can be employed cheaply and dynamically
- Cant convey complex meaning
- Particularly good for impulse purchase decisions
15Placement decision tree
16Enough About Ads-in-Games,What About Other
Things?
17Advergame Research
- Little research exists on this topic
- Preference to handle tech prior to purchase (1)
- Laptops, camcorders, PDAs, etc
- Opportunity to outperform non-interactive ads
- Increased preference w/ children Froot Loops
(2) - 65 preference over other cereals vs 35 control
- Ineffective before age 7 potential ceiling
effects - High brand recall rates (3)
- Sadly, marred by small sample other issues
18Demonstrative Advergames
- Exploring educational persuasive games
- Ian Bogosts Persuasive Games
- MIT and U. Wisconsin Madisons Education Arcade
- Examples
- Fiskars Prune to Win
- Yoshinoya
19SponsorshipsThe Lost Video Art?
- NA spent 14.9b on sponsorships in 07 (1)
- Double-digit increases for the past several years
- Greatest percentage sports, NASCAR, etc
- What happened to sponsored video content, i.e.
soaps? - Classic psychology create desire to reciprocate
- Potential old retail games, casual games, etc
- Sponsored virtual currency
- i.e. WildTangent AdventureQuest
20The Face of Games To Come?
21The Coming WavePromogames / Burger King
- 40 increase in profit for the quarter
- 3.2m games sold
- Many millions of hours of brand exposure
- This is only the beginning!
- More companies will get in
- Budgets will rise as companies fight for mindshare
22The Coming WavePromogames / Webkinz
- 1m Webkinz sold in two years (1)
- Longer visits than Facebook or MySpace (2)
- Already being emulated
- 5 to 10m budget per virtual Disney property (3)
- Mattel launched 59 Barbie mp3 / virtual world
- Promotion? Revenue? Enhanced engagement? Expect
to see a lot more of these
23Transmedia Content
24Suggested Books
- The Psychology of Entertainment Media Blurring
the Lines Between Entertainment and Persuasion - L. J. Shrum, 2004
- Persuasive Games The Expressive Power of
Videogames - Ian Bogost, 2007
25Suggested Articles
- Experiencing Interactive Advertising beyond Rich
Media Impacts of Ad Type and Presence on Brand
Effectiveness in 3DGaming Immersive Virtual
Environments. - Grigorovici Constantin, Journal of Interactive
Advertising, 2004 - The Effectiveness of In-Game Advertising
Comparing College Students Explicit and Implicit
Memory for Brand Names - Yang, Roskos-Ewoldsen, Dinu Arpan, Journal of
Advertising, 2006 - More than meets the eye Investigating the
hidden impact of brand placements in television
magazines - Matthes, Schemer Wirth, Intl Journal of
Advertising, 2007 - The Effects of Playing an Advergame on Young
Childrens Perceptions, Preferences, and Requests - Mallinckrodt Mizerski, Journal of Advertising,
2007