Tips for successful in-game advertising

Males 18-34 continue to watch fewer hours of TV and spend more time online, playing games, according to a Research & Markets report. In 2006, a Business Week article, "In-Game Advertising Poised to Grow", predicted that the industry would be worth $732M by 2010. Such projections have not only been validated but surpassed -- at the end of 2010, the market surpassed the billion dollar mark and is clearly developing into a multi-billion dollar industry. Global brands such as Nike, Domino's, Warner Bros., Honda, and Pringles have embraced the medium by creating unique and multi-dimensional in-game advertising campaigns to reach this elusive audience.

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According to Business Week's Business Exchange report there has been a 57 percent growth in the video games industry, and sales reached $1.7 billion in the month of March 2010 alone. As video games continue to reach broader audiences, consumers are becoming more receptive to the video game aesthetic, and the marketing possibilities around it.
Furthermore, in 2010, Interpret's New Media Measure found that console gamers were playing 9.5 hours per week, meaning there are over 174 billion minutes per month at the disposal of brand marketers to reach the fully engaged users who are not only absorbing the game's sights and sounds but also its marketing messages. The format is non-intrusive to gamers -- four out of five gamers surveyed said they felt games are equally as enjoyable with ads as without. Furthermore, 70 percent of that same sampling felt that brands that delivered in-game ads had a progressive image.
Here are six helpful tips for designing an effective campaign that leverages the different aspects of this medium:

1. Keep your messaging clear and concise. Cutting through the clutter is essential. As with other media, the right message makes all the difference in the gaming environment. The engagement and level of alertness when playing a game ensures a high degree of recall for even the simplest messages. Due to the deep emersion in the interactive experience, messages are consumed and digested at a much higher rate. Determine what you want the user to feel or remember, and stick with that as being central to all your messaging.
   
2. Make a visual impact. Effective artistic design, like using contrasting colors and limiting the visual elements, is the best way to quickly capture a gamer's attention. Gaming is reaching new technical heights in design, play, and physics. You will be amazed at the caliber and innovation of the visual worlds developers are creating this year. Ensure that your creative is just as stunning and interesting as the game world and you will see that effort pay dividends.
   
3. Utilize the full network. In-game advertising is about communicating to a demographic and capitalizing on the access to a full network of titles, regardless of genre. Do not assume that because you sell basketball shoes, only basketball games are effective for your message. After all, a basketball player who likes games, most likely also plays racing, strategy, and other game genres just as much. This is the brilliance of the in-game environment -- the user can indulge in any fantasy environment he chooses, regardless of what he does in real life. Thus advertising across the experience is more important than advertising across a vertical.
   
4. Embrace the new. Gaming is a fantasy environment, so be prepared to work within it and hone in on its strengths. There are many different ways to communicate a message in a game world. Do not be afraid to allow your brand to become part of that experience in a real, logical and organic way. And don't be afraid to apply your ad to a futuristic game or fantasy fighter style game. This is the nature of the gaming world, in some cases, and reaching the audience that enjoys these games is an important part of any campaign targeting the 18-34 year old male.
   
5. Don't confuse digital gaming with digital media. In-game advertising is not equivalent to internet banner ads -- this is a completely separate class of media. The fact that we can change, track, and deliver ads via a network-based connection in no way means we are a flat, rolling screen environment. In the game world, you are engaging in an immersive environment. This is edge of your seat, climactic media. This is a medium that is eagerly consumed, giving automatic feedback and creating a deep connection with the user. This isn't an ad sitting next to content scrolling down a screen. Think of this as active television, out-of-home, or similar, with the benefits of engagement, tracking, and automatic and instantaneous updating capabilities.
   
6. Get to know today's games. Today's games are similar to life-like experiences, and that interactive, experiential foundation is what has allowed brand marketers to reach the 18-34 male market in such an organic way. This unique reach results in higher receptiveness to in-game advertising, greater brand retention, intent to purchase, and product recall. Forget the games of your childhood, and experience what a game is now. Just as you would research a new client or invest time in providing an in-depth creative, it's equally as important to be familiarized with the environment that has become the forefront of today's youth and male culture.

For years, in-game advertising has been building momentum and achieving results for brands across key verticals. As Generation Z seamlessly adopts superior technology, more and more brands will aim to keep up. Brands looking to differentiate themselves in 2011 should be exploring how video game marketing will affect them, and turning to this platform to innovate and effectively reach the elusive male 18-34 audience.