Is advertising all part of the game?

In-game advertising and in-game product placement are both very effective ways for companies to get their brand out there in front of millions of consumers immersed in a world that remains relatively unregulated – especially in comparison to TV, for example.However, the jury is still out over placing adverts or product names in games. The difference between right and wrong is likely to depend on how this is done, rather than on whether it is done at all. Get it wrong, and you risk seeing irritated customers leave in flocks, with practically no chance of their return. This is particularly problematic in a world that is based on a very strong sense of community and word-of-mouth. Even the most anonymous of gamers can ultimately make or break a game’s popularity with a few incisive comments or reviews.

Last year, the Consumers’ Experience with In-Game Content & Brand Impact of In-Game Advertising Study, a study conducted by Nielsen on behalf of IGA Worldwide, the leading in-game advertising network concluded that integrating adverts into gaming environments boosted consumer awareness and opinion of brands. 82 percent of respondents even said gaming was just as enjoyable with ads as without.

Certainly modern consumers tell us they want to have fun, escape and be more empowered. To accommodate such needs, game developers are under pressure to produce environments that are as realistic as possible. Any in-game advertising has to play be these same rules. Consumers get increasingly grouchy about advertisement that is simply thrown at them, but this is not the same as saying consumers don’t want advertising at all. Executed sensitively, adverts can add to the gaming experience by creating more realistic settings, further unlocking fun and escapist qualities. Developers might even argue that achieving the correct ambiance in a medium where immersion is key even necessitates overlaying real product names and logos onto virtual characters and environments.

Getting it right also involves consideration of context. Car manufacturer billboards on Gran Turismo tracks make perfect sense. Having the blood-stricken monsters in Dead Space walk around wearing branded clothes is likely to cause more of a stir. The suitability of the streets of Burnout Paradise as places to display Barak Obama’s campaign billboards is less clear. But marketers should certainly be aware of the following growing ‘rules’:
• Ads should be found where gamers want them and if they want them
• Ads must make sense to the target audience
• Ads should be easy to notice but simple to ignore

Interactivity and personalisation is the obvious way forward for fun and empowerment. Getting Lara Croft to change into a Rip Curl wet suit just before she dives into the sea in search for hidden treasures is not likely to offend gamers and may even give them a sense of reality. It also gives gamers a chance to have their favourite character engage with a brand they recognise in real life, adding to the gaming experience and to the gamers’ sense of identity and individuality.

Currently, the biggest game development houses have no need to open their doors to brands in order to finance their creations. However, financial return should not be the sole reason for a dialogue between the two to exist. Ads can easily disrupt the immersive experience with potentially catastrophic consequences to a game or gaming brand, but they may equally contribute to that experience if executed properly. With the right research, game developers and brand owners could develop positive relationships that are crucially based on the gamers and their user experience, and not just their business model.