As consumers become more educated on the nature of running a business and the practices that associate it, they also start to learn that they do not want to be manipulated in the ways that they may have been in the past. That is why some people are finding that traditional advertising is not nearly as effective as it may have been before, because these potential customers are starting to see right through the techniques being employed on them. In this way, it is important as a business owner to consider alternative marketing strategies.
For instance, it’s not uncommon to find a fair bit of product placement in television shows and movies. The recent Transformers movies from Michael Bay very clearly promote the products of General Motors, plainly showing us that the these robotic cars are taking on the appearance of flagship GM automobiles. Similarly, Stephen Colbert oftentimes mentions Doritos and other products as part of The Colbert Report, so it’s safe to assume that the show is getting some sort of fair compensation for this kind of advertising.
More recently, we’re starting to see a greater trend toward advertising within video games. These are above and beyond the co-promotions that video game companies may have with other businesses; instead, we’re talking about advertising and product placement within the video games and video game systems themselves. On the Xbox 360, it is possible to download free dashboard themes that feature 7-Up, KFC, Pizza Hut, and certain Hollywood movies. Playing certain driving games, you’ll see billboards lining the racetrack promoting real world products.
The constant brand exposure is having a definite effect on a demographic that may not be quite as accessible through conventional means. If these “gamers” are spending too much time on their Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3, advertisers can’t reach them through newspapers and radio ads. The in-game advertising may be more effective for this demographic, but some are saying that the ads are too intrusive, especially when they are inserted in a paid product like a video game.
What do you think? Is in-game advertising fair game (no pun intended) or should publishers keep their products as “pure” as possible?
nikon monarch
September 3, 2009 2:05 pm
I was thinking about the same thing a few days ago. I saw a bowling I phone app. since my company is in th ebowling business I decided that it is worth it putting our url in the app. I already contacted the people who created the app so we will see
Dr. Cossack
September 3, 2009 7:39 pm
As a videogames player, I like to see my games free of ads. I’d rather pay 50$ for the game than get a subsidized version at 20$ (or even free) which requires an Internet connection at all times to display it’s ads.
On the other hand, there are places where I wouldn’t mind them at all. On a racing game, for example, billboards displaying real products would look right at home, and I’m free to ignore them as much as I can ignore the signs located along highways if I so wish.
itsoke
September 5, 2009 8:23 pm
please tell me how can a blog create co-promotion campaign ?