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In-Game Advertising Reaching Audiences
Via Joystiq, a report that in-game advertising works quite well. From the article: "A new study released on Monday found that in-game ad campaigns resulted in a 60 percent increase in awareness of new brands. The study, commissioned by in-game ad creators Double Fusion and carried out by Nielsen Interactive Entertainment, tested various forms of ads in the PC game 'Metro3D.' And while the study reported some differences in the effectiveness of animated and static ads, Double Fusion's co-founder, Guy Bendov, said the results weren't what he had expected."
The study, commissioned by in-game ad creators Double Fusion
An advertiser releases a report stating that their method works, and it gets picked up by slashdot?
"...like a lower price for the game..."
I've heard this one a lot before. I'm not saying this is your particular standpoint on it, it doesn't sound like it, but I have heard other's support in-game advertising for this reason.
I think people are really fooling themselves by assuming that in-game advertising, something that solely exists to support the producer's pursuit of more money in the first place, will every give value back to them.
People don't put advertising in games so the player can save on the development costs, that would be a selfless act, and our beloved industry is widely known to be supported by greed. In-game advertising is simply another revenue source for the people publishing the game, plain and simple. Why offset development cost and have a lower price point when you can pocket all that money yourself?
I think that this new advertising medium holds a great deal of promise for some MMO's. For example, in CoH I would be just as happy seeing a subway as I would seeing the City of Gyros ad. Now it wouldn't have a place in World of Warcraft, but any time that it is unobtrusive I welcome it, especially if the revenue goes towards future enhancement or eliminates subscriber fees.
Those who know, do not speak. Those who speak, do not know. ~Lao Tzu
IANAAE (I am not an ad executive) but I have been working in the ad industry for a few months, so I read the comments on this thread with great interest because I'm always wondering what the future of advertising is going to be like. I mean, like most people here, I block every intrusive online ad that I see and if I had TiVO you can bet I would skip past the commercials, so given that the number one issue in my industry is ad advoidance, I'm wondering what kind of advertising slashdotters are okay with? Certainly companies require advertising to keep the wheels of the economy moving, but the challenge is to come up with advertising that people want to spend time with. I think this means that more advertising has to become opt-in but I also think it means that the distinction between 'advertising' and 'content' as two seperate things has got to go. Ultimately, I think that there's got to be no qualatiative distinction between those two things, but I'm curious what y'all think.