May 10, 2006
Does E3 Amount to a Video Game Upfront?
As they do every year, tens of thousands have converged on Los Angeles for the biggest video game conference in the world: the Electronic Entertainment Expo, commonly known as E3.
The crowd is mostly developers, hardcore gamers and press, all clamoring for a taste of the next generation of consoles and titles. But largely unobserved on the show floor is a new and growing contingent that's not interested in buying or reviewing games, but rather wants to climb right through the screen and become a part of the action.
Brands and their agencies are all over E3 this year, and they've booked wall-to-wall meetings with ad sales execs at the game studios and with the in-game ad firms that represent their games.
"I've got meetings every hour, which is great," said Brandon Berger, OgilvyOne's senior strategist for digital innovation. "We're starting the process now, because 2007 is right around the corner. I need to be aware of all the hot titles that are coming out and where studios are putting their money so I can know where we need to be."
Posted by richard ting at May 10, 2006, 01:04 PM
November 08, 2005
Honda Branded Entertainment Site
[from mediapost]
What does a burro have to do with a Honda Element? That's just one of the questions being answered in a campaign that likens the traits of unusual animals with the Honda Element. (The Element and the burro both carry a lot of stuff; feel free to tuck this away with your other useless trivia). The campaign was created by RPA and was designed to showcase the features of the Element in an offbeat and humorous way. In one of the six TV spots, the Element is referred to as a "hodgepodge." The Element's response? "Where does a platypus learn a word like 'hodgepodge?'" The TV, Web, print and outdoor, ads drive consumers to the Element and Friends Web site, where visitors are given their own virtual Honda Element to maneuver around an island in an online game. Along the way, they encounter the animals from the TV commercials.
Posted by richard ting at November 08, 2005, 11:29 PM
August 29, 2005
Nokia 20Lives, Advergame
[via adverblog]
Following the success of Nokia Game, on September 19th Nokia will introduce a new interactive adventure, Nokia 20Lives (the site doesn't work yet), combining the online and mobile experience in a unique challenge. Nokia 20Lives uses video and animated images on the Internet, as well as SMS, email and voice messages to share information with the players. During the game players have a chance to win a mobile phone or compete for the grand prizes, such as helicopter ride, spa weekend or trip to a Formula 1 weekend in Monaco, related to the lives of the 20 characters. To take part in Nokia 20Lives, participants need to have access to the Internet, an e-mail address, and a mobile phone with the capacity to receive short messages. Nokia 20Lives is open to all mobile phone users over the age of 16 in the 21 participating countries, and there is no participation fee.
Registration for Nokia 20Lives opens on August 29, 2005 at www.nokia.com/20Lives/, and players can register during the game until October 11. Nokia 20Lives will kick off on September 19 and it will be played until October 13, covering 21 European countries in 11 languages.
Posted by richard ting at August 29, 2005, 01:22 PM
July 16, 2005
Everyone Runs. Eventually
Here's an addicting advergame from Saucony in support of it's new Saucony Propel shoe.
Posted by richard ting at July 16, 2005, 03:27 PM
October 19, 2004
Advertisers Will Triple Spending On Video Game Ads By 2008
[by Ross Fadner]
New figures from the Yankee Group claim the U.S. video games industry reaches more than 108 million gamers 13 years of age and older, who will have spent $7.4 billion by the end of the year. Advertisers have long wanted to penetrate the gaming market, but haven't yet been able to in any meaningful way. Despite the video games industry's size, advertisers only spent a meager $79 million on placing ads in games last year--a number the market research firm anticipates will grow to $260 million by 2008, according to the Yankee Group report.
Michael Goodman, senior analyst for the Yankee Group and author of the report "Marketers Look to Video Games to Drive Their Message Home," said that ad dollars have become "a very necessary revenue source" for game publishers as the cost of development for new games continues to rise.
Goodman pointed out that most games currently cost between $5 million and $15 million to produce, but that costs will increase as technology improves. Meanwhile, Goodman said that only 10 percent to 20 percent of games break even. "It's a hit-or-miss market," he said, adding that consumers will not be willing to spend more than the $50-per-game they are used to paying, so game developers will need to learn how to monetize their available inventory.
Posted by richard ting at October 19, 2004, 11:11 AM
May 24, 2004
Advergaming Grows in Reach and Power
Interactive Video Games Emerge as Major Ad-Supported Mass Medium
YORK, Pa. (AdAge.com) -- Nick Kang is the ultimate action hero. Taking on the Russian and Chinese crime syndicates in the City of Angels, Kang drives, fights and shoots his way across 240 miles of Los Angeles area real estate. Crime in progress? Kang is on the way. It's a Puma truck heist at the 3rd Street Promenade flagship store in Santa Monica. Nick Kang kicks butt and heads back to the streets for more adventure.
Kang is the virtual hero of "True Crime: Streets of L.A.," a video game from Activision. And Puma is one of Activision's marketing partners. Kang wears Puma clothing and occasionally drives past Puma billboards or benches in the virtually real L.A.
Play the game, buy the clothing
Players were able to watch video-game trailers on the Puma Web site and even buy Kang's clothing or footwear on a co-branded site when the game was released in November. Promotional winners could pick up Puma merchandise, and pre-release copies of "True Crime" were available at Puma stores.
Posted by richard ting at May 24, 2004, 12:30 PM
April 05, 2004
Video Games Emerge As 'No. 4' Medium, Displace Print Among Young Guys
Video Games have emerged as the fourth most dominant medium, displacing print media and vying with other major electronic media in the lives of both young adult and teenage males, according to findings of a unique multimedia usage study scheduled to be released today. The findings, which indicate that men 18-34 devote 6 percent and teenage males devote 15 percent of the time they spend with media each day to playing video games, may help explain the corresponding drop in TV viewing that has manifested among young males this year.