The other day I was playing Xbox Live, and realized that the wait times between games is quite annoying and occasionally long for all gamers. There is nothing going on but a loading screen or being able to do repetitive tasks during the loading screen. EA Sports games are what I would consider the grandfathers of advertisements within games. In recent years they have allowed gamers to use an athlete during the loading screen while exposing the gamer to multiple ad placements; but what if we could take it a step further?People purchase games to have fun and connect with friends online. If marketers were to create advertisements that directly link and relate to the game and audience, then gamers would be forced to watch them instead of a loading screen that lasts anywhere between fifteen and one minute. This would easily be the most effective way to reach your audience directly compared to television due to the fact that most viewers will not leave the screen due to them wanting to play online. However advertisers must be careful not to alienate their loyal fan-base by placing ads that aren't catchy nor repetitive. In regards to games that require players to interact during the load-times, ads can be placed along side the screen, similar to a banner ad that plays video. Advertising is all about finding the next big thing that can launch your brand to the forefront of the market and surpassing all competition. The first brand that can properly capitalize on online-gaming will surely reap the rewards.
If you haven't played the NHL series of games, I suggest you do so soon to check out the advertising. They range from board ads, equipment ads, as well as television stations. Gaming provides a deeply interactive environment, with opportunities to engage key audiences through in-game advertising, around-game activity and bespoke, branded gaming experiences. It's crazy to think that campaigns can target a broad gaming audience across a huge range of Xbox like platforms with massive advertising opportunities. Great post!
ReplyDeleteThe significance of in-game advertising is huge. In this age of waning attention spans, having advertising placed within the loading screens of video games would be going quite a long way. The motto of an advertiser is catching the target market at their most attentive, and what better way of seeking engagement when a person is directly interacting with a video game?
ReplyDeleteHowever, as you have indicated in your post Josh, advertisers must be careful about alienating their audience, and diminishing their brands with subpar advertising. I think the reason why this sector of advertising has been so slow to catch on is because advertisers have not seen much data, or proven track records of success. Right now it is a waiting game (no pun intended).