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Regine Zamor is a diversified writer from New York. With roots in Westchester and Brooklyn, NY, Zamor's work covers a range of issues and interests. A freelance writer and unpublished author are also a few titles Regine holds. Most recently, Junior Staff Writer was added to Zamor's credentials when she joined ADOTAS in December of 2006.

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In-Game Immersion: IGA and Massive Execs Sound off on the Ad Strategy’s Evolution

Written on
April 6th 2007
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by Regine Zamor  |
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In-game advertising is a relatively new medium within interactive advertising, but it continues to proliferate thanks to companies like IGA and Massive, which continue to thrive as advertising networks.

While spending stays the same in the year 2007, in-game advertising, although still owning a modicum of advertising budgets, is raking in increasing revenue. The amount of individuals that can be reached through in-game advertising is dynamic and the demographics, whether cultural, male or female, or within certain age ranges, are a part of the benefits associated with this medium. Working with publishers and advertising agencies, IGA and Massive have grown and are predicted to grow further with measurable in-game ads. The possibilities seem to be endless with consumers demanding products like Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. Justin Townsend, CEO, IGA, and Alison Lange, VP Marketing, Massive recently elaborated on those possibilities with ADOTAS, along with how in-game advertising networks work and what lies ahead.

In understanding networks like IGA, first we must understand how they work. Via relationships with major publishers, clients generally come to in-game advertising networks with a budget and a campaign. “Often the creative is already done and if not we can work on that too and we take all those assets and pluck them into our games, press a green button and that campaign goes live internationally,” says IGA’s Townsend. When it comes to technology, though, Alison Lange claims, “The technology was built from the ground up to deliver advertising into games and the complexity behind that is not trivial. The company was really built by gamers with the mindset of the advertising needing to fit in the game environment, and over time would prove to be a great source…giving something back to the gamers.”

Across both networks, one thing remains key- the gamers experience cannot be interrupted. “Games need to fit within and enhance the gaming experience,” Lange notes. As games continue to become more true-to-life advertising can be integrated almost identical to that of the real world. IGA makes it a point to have all creative stay true-to-life, especially with subway ads that reflect what an ad in the NYC subway system may truly look like. “What we’re doing here is creating a new strategic advertising channel within in-game advertising, and what we’re finding is that it’s becoming more of a line item on a typical media agency media mix,” says Townsend. Currently, IGA serves ads within a country, city, or street-leveled accuracy, which keeps ads on the street and ads within games relevant to one another. This also provides opportunity for ad campaigns to run together, within both in-game and traditional outlets.

Advertising within interactive games once consisted of positive product association advertisements, which according to Townsend is clearly distinct from how IGA works. The two areas that in-game advertising is broken down into are key areas called SIGA and DIGA. SIGA is associated with positive product association while DIGA, which stands for Dynamic In-Game advertising, is a scalable part of the business that networks like IGA operates with. “It’s all about creating awareness,” Townsend says regarding the benefits of DIGA. No longer are cans of Red Bull being used just to give video game characters an energy boost. IGA’s strategy puts billboards on racetracks, subway systems, on walls and within games where as Townsend states, “it’s changing with the reality of games and how to register with its users.”

In fact, videogames have become major media outlets and have even garnered more of an audience than TV. 400 million eyeball hours are attributed to gaming while only 143 million hours go towards watching television. A Nielsen report recently stated that 12% of the male demographic is watching less TV and have dedicated 20% more of their time to playing video games. “You have people spending more time out of their days interacting with games,” says Lange. “Then you have this incredible media form in games now, especially in the next generation games. You combine the huge audience, great creative environment, and content with a dynamic technology platform, which Massive pioneered and you have a huge opportunity to turn games into very valuable media content.”

That opportunity now consists of women, which is one of the growing audiences in the in-game advertising medium. According to Townsend 40 % of the gaming population is now female, and it doesn’t stop there, retirees and seniors are also a growing demographic within gaming. Although more women tend to gravitate towards casual gaming, the late teen to 20-year-old age range is playing the same games as the 18-34 male demographic. Those games associated with women are not casual games; instead they are high end retail games that consumers will purchase for the experience. “When the first Playstation came out they sold 100 million units worldwide, they sold 100 million Playstation 2 units,” says Townsend. Including the Xbox 360, the amount of gamers is an incredible number. IGA maps their users using a technology that can show throughout the world where gamers are engaged, and just how concentrated that one area is.
The gaming devices that consumers can purchase today are evolving into full-scale media devices. The devices are actually now called “mixed generation devices” because users now can browse the Web, watch movies, listen to the radio and play games. This has prompted a new term called “the battle for the living room,” where not only will games become an entertainment outlet, but they will be the primary outlet for families and households. “The main thing about games as opposed to television is that television is a passive medium whereas gaming is a lean forward medium and. People are very engaged when their gaming and that makes them very susceptible to the advertising messages resulting in the fact that we get very high levels of engagement and ad product results,” Townsend explains With a central media hub based in a gaming device, advertisers can extend their reach, and not only within America but throughout the world.

“The next generation consuls are realistic, a car in the game has the same physics as a car in the real world, so as these games become more realistic and the consuls more powerful. What you can do advertising-wise knows no limits,” Townsend concludes. “You’ll have fully interactive branding campaigns where it comes alive because the future really knows no bounds.”



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