September 27, 2013 (Powerhomebiz.com) Advergaming, which features in-game ads and sponsored video games, is an advertising and marketing concept that has been increasingly used by many companies to promote their products.
Quick Fact
It’s Child’s Play: Advergaming and the Online Marketing of Food to Children, a report released by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that eight out of the top ten food brands which target children through TV advertising, also use branded websites to market their products online.
Imagine, you are a fifteen-year-old and come across this cool new game while surfing the web, and start playing it. The game is fun and you get engrossed in it. Some irritating advertisements crop up along the way and keep distracting you, but you move on. Once the game is over, the one thing that you can recollect is the dumb ad that kept popping up.
What is Advergaming
The instance, mentioned above, is a great example of advergaming. For all those who are new to this marketing concept, advergaming is a great combination of advertising and video games. The term “advergames” was first used in the ‘Jargon Watch’ column of Wired magazine. It refers to electronic games that advertise a product, organization or brand. These video games, that are built around the brand or product, are accessible on the company’s website, on social media sites, or as downloadable content on computers as well as phones. The use of interactive gaming technology is used to pass on specific persuasive messages and simulate a consumption experience.
Sometimes the companies may sponsor a really popular game and have advertisements in the game. This is known as in-game advertising. So, while playing a popular racing car game you can see billboards of popular soft-drinks or snack foods. Although advergames have been around for a long time, in recent years you are flooded with a barrage of these video games because marketers have realized that these low-cost marketing tools can break the clutter and reach the consumer in a fun and engaging way.
Advergaming Origin
The first known example of advergames or branded games goes as far back as, the 1980s. This is when the Atari 2600 video game console was at its peak and everyone, especially fast food manufacturers, was trying to cash in on the video game popularity.
First-known Advergame: The Kool-Aid Man
It was a mail-order video game that was based on the mascot of the popular Kool-Aid beverage. It was released for the Atari 2600 in 1983. Using simple 2D graphics, the game featured thirsties who quenched their thirst from the pool. You needed to hit the thirsties drinking water (which was supposed to help in Kool-Aid quenching his thirst) and save the pool to clear the levels.
Other significant mail-order Atari cartridge games included Chase the Chuck Wagon for the Chuck Wagon dog food developed by Purina and Tooth Protectors by Johnson & Johnson. Unlike fully-priced retail video games, these advergames were produced cheaply and had extremely simple graphics.
With time, technologically advanced advergames have been released. One of the most significant advergames to be released in recent years was by Burger King who developed games for Xbox and Xbox 360 consoles. Developed by Blitz Games in 2006, the three King Games including Pocketbike Racer, Sneak King and Big Bumpin’, became extremely popular, selling more than 3.2 million copies in America and Canada.
Different Types of Advergames
The Internet is flooded with different types of advergames that have been created to advertise all types of brands from fast food chains, soda companies, car companies, clothing, to recruitment in the military. Advergames are classified into three categories; associative, illustrative and demonstrative advergames. The type of advergame chosen is based on the brand image and the message that needs to be communicated.
Illustrative Advergames: Illustrative advergames are a form of sponsored promotion where the advertising messages, products or services are integrated in the games and feature during the game play. Most of the time the products are central to the game play for clear reinforcement of the brand message.
Company: Electro Computer Warehouse
1575 Sis met Rd, Unit # 1 & 2 Mississauga, ON – L4W 1P9
Contact person: http://www.electrocomputerwarehouse.com
Phone: 905-290-0677