Electronic Arts 'Scores' With Product Placement

Thanks to the San Francisco Business Times for its article discussing Electronic Arts' increasing use of product placement in its videogames. The article explains: "In EA's games, basketball players wear Adidas or Nike and run past a McDonald's banner on the court; Old Spice deodorant highlights football college players of the game; a snowboarder swooshes past Honda Motor Co.'s newest vehicle, the Element." It's also pointed out that "a six-figure deal with an advertiser defrays some of the costs of game development, which can run up to $10 million in the industry", but it's claimed: "Video-game makers said they try to take care when incorporating products in games, not wanting to overwhelm game players with product spots."

Comments

One of the things EtM got right (sorta)

[Mirkon]

As a whole, Enter the Matrix failed the advertising test. By the end, I was indescribably sick of seeing banners for Intel and Nvidia.

But there was one thing that, though cheesy, remains in my memory: the Powerade machines. You could kick a machine, and a can of Powerade would come out. It wouldn't do anything, but it was a funny little touch, and a distraction from the ass-beatings elsewhere in the game.

I guess the moral of the story is that if you can make advertising interactive within a game, it has a greater impact.