Gamers Respond to Ads

Study: Gamers Respond to Ads

Considering that more than a third (36%) of gamers actually bought, talked about or sought information about a product after seeing an ad in a videogame, per Nielsen Games, a case can be made that they are very effective.

Gaming Now Mainstream Entertainment

The Entertainment Software Association - News Releases

Gaming Now Mainstream Entertainment

According to a new survey by the Entertainment Software Association, forty percent of gamers are women, and usage behaviors indicate that the average age of game players has risen to 35.

Entering Virtual Worlds for Real-Life Pitches

Starting in June, people who play The Sims 2 will be able to buy a
“stuff pack” that lets them decorate their simulated families’ homes
with Ikea furniture.

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Advertising - Marketers Entering Virtual Worlds for Real-Life Pitches - NYTimes.com
IN 2002, when Electronic Arts signed a multimillion-dollar agreement with McDonald’s to place virtual burgers in an online version of its popular Sims video game, the move drew protests from players who resented the commercial intrusion.

But the Sims, a virtual family designed by players, are only becoming
more brand-conscious. Starting in June, people who play The Sims 2, the
current version of the game, will be able to buy a “stuff pack” (on a
disc or online) that lets them decorate their simulated families’ homes
with Ikea furniture. Last year a similar deal was made with H&M,
the Swedish clothing retailer, that lets players buy a disc full of
H&M-branded clothing for their Sims avatars.

Nintendo’s Wii Fit Campaign Is Targeted To Women

The wii fit is coming to Central Park. The launch campaign for the video game fitness product will target women in its marketing efforts which include a new microsite and a donation to the American Heart Association.
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Nintendo’s Wii Fit Campaign Is Targeted To Women - 05/08/2008

Women shape the focus in Nintendo North America’s latest campaign for Wii Fit, the fitness game scheduled to hit streets on May 19. Events, marketing and advertising will support the release.

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Sports Illustrated to Take Fantasy Game to Facebook

As part of the agreement, closely held Citizen Sports, of San
Francisco, will develop the software for the fantasy game. The Sports
Illustrated sales force will sell advertising to accompany the game,
and the magazine will make articles by its writers available to
players. The game is expected to launch in July.

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Sports Illustrated to Take Fantasy Game to Facebook - WSJ.com
Sports Illustrated Group has reached an agreement with Citizen Sports Inc. to develop and promote sports-related Web content, including a fantasy-football game that will be played on the Facebook Inc. Web site.

Nintendo Hopes Its ‘Wii Fit’ Works Out

Nintendo’s Wii has come out with a new game targeted at women looking to lose some weight.

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Nintendo Hopes Its ‘Wii Fit’ Works Out - WSJ.com
Nintendo’s Wii gaming console introduced sedentary gamers to the idea of moving off the couch. Now Nintendo is coming out with the Wii Fit, an add-on to the gaming system designed to appeal to women looking to lose weight.

The $90 attachment, dubbed the “Balance Board,” expands the range of
games that can be played on the Wii to include activities such as yoga
and push-ups. The Balance Board — which resembles bathroom scales –
also tracks a user’s weight and body-mass index.

New Wii Games Find a Big (but Stingy) Audience

Marketing its Wii video-game system at a lower price than competitors,
Nintendo has caught a wider net of potential customers, but game sales
have also been slower with this softer audience.

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New Wii Games Find a Big (but Stingy) Audience - New York Times
Nintendo sits atop the home video-game market. Its Wii, though less technologically advanced than Microsoft’s Xbox 360 or Sony’s PlayStation 3, continues to outsell those machines and is now in more than 20 million homes.

So why are retailers having so much trouble selling Wii games?

New Sega Ads Let Mobile Users Interact With Brand

Sega has experienced little success in banner display ads, and magazine
circulation continues to fall, but the one-on-one connection with consumers
creates a unique opportunity. It’s made marketing execs at Sega think longer
about ways to integrate mobile marketing with other media and services. One
under consideration is a subscription-based service for mobile games.

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MediaPost Publications - New Sega Ads Let Mobile Users Interact With Brand - 04/08/2008
LOOKING FOR MORE VISIBILITY ON wireless carrier decks to sell mobile games, Sega has put marketing plans in place for several titles scheduled for release this summer. The game manufacturer stepped into mobile in 2007 and plans to release 10 titles by the end of this year.

The integrated marketing campaigns on track to launch in June for both
Beijing 2008 and Sonic at the Olympics feature short codes on print
and online advertisements that consumers can interact with by using
their cell phones. Other titles on the docket for this year include
“Sonic the Hedgehog 2,” “Crazy Taxis,” and “Sonic Spinball,” and more.

An Online Game So Mysterious Its Famous Sponsor Is Hidden

The Lost Ring is part of a gaming genre called alternate-reality
games that blend online and offline clues and rely on players
collaborating to solve the puzzles. While corporate sponsorship of these games is common, this is McDonald’s first foray into the genre.

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An Online Game So Mysterious Its Famous Sponsor Is Hidden - New York Times
NOT known for its dark marketing, McDonald’s is more a try-our-new-salad, get-your-Shrek-action-figure, look-at-our-dollar-menu sort of place.

For that reason, gamers were surprised to learn that McDonald’s was the
sponsor of an enigmatic Olympic-themed online game called The Lost
Ring, introduced last month. Nothing about the game was branded
McDonald’s, and the game’s Web sites — mysterious and hip, like “Lost”
mixed with “The Blair Witch Project”— were a far cry from the golden
arches.

Unconventional Marketing Reaches Video-Game College Tour

The marketing campaign for the tour runs the gamut from colorful chalk drawings
on campus sidewalks in front of the student union and fliers posted on
buildings, to online banner ads and 30-second television spots running on local
cable networks - a good way to engage the target audience.

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MediaPost Publications - Unconventional Marketing Reaches Video-Game College Tour - 03/31/2008
IT NEVER FAILS. VIDEO GAMES attract college kids. So when Best Buy and Motorola reached out to educated 18- to-24-year-olds, the companies opened their wallets to sponsor the video game spring tour G3: Games, Gear and Gadgets that kicks off today.

Video-game tour organizer Game U planned the marketing campaign for the tour, which runs the gamut from colorful chalk drawings on campus sidewalks in front of the student union and fliers posted on buildings to online banner ads and 30-second television spots running on local cable networks. Tour director and event organizer Robin Davis says, “I typically hire a street team, but sometimes students take the marketing and promotions into their own hands.”