Filed under: games console advertising, in game advertising, online gaming | Tags: ea, in game advertising, internet gaming, online gaming, web gaming
EA have announced that they are going to release a free web only version of its Battlefield title (marketing, 22nd Jan). The version, to be known as Battlefield Heroes will only be available online and will not be sold in stores and will be supported online by advertising within the game and its interface. This is the first major launch in the western market of such a model and the title will spearhead EA’s “play 4 free” model as it moves away from the traditional retail environment.
This could be the first in a long line of initiatives by the big gaming manufacturers to produce ad supported gaming environments and reduce the cost of video games. In game advertising is already heavily behind the rise in online gaming through the games consoles markets but this is the first attempt to launch a web based system. It is going to be interesting how they include the ads into the environment as it will be difficult to keep them in the context of the game, as this is key to its success. But the fact that it is a web interface gives it an advantage over the console based online games. Firstly I would imagine there is a page display which uses a border for elements of the game controls, this provides some space, outside of the game environment which they can sell to advertisers without spoiling the experience too much. Also, there will be log in screens and menu’s they can use for advertising partners.
It will be interesting to see how this works and from a marketers perspective, what response is generating from the ads and whether users pay them any attention at all.
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Filed under: games console advertising, in game advertising, online gaming | Tags: in game advertising, ingame advertising, microsoft, x box live, xbox, xbox live
Two contrasting articles have been released today regarding the issues online gamers have been experiencing with th Xbox live platform over the Christmas period.
On the bbc dot life blog the article Xbox live goes limp the focus is very much on the apparent failings of microsoft to produce a good platform for online gaming and on the way they have let down their user base. The writer seems to have an issue with Microsoft and describes this incident as following a pattern set by Microsoft and Xbox for making a mistake and then trying to make amends, in this case by offering a free game download for Xbox live users.
Yahoo News’ article reports the same story but backed up by some more statistics which paints a slightly different picture of the situation when viewed in line with the article from the BBC. In this article the writer explains that Xbox live has at present 8 million registered users and it was purely the size of the take up and usage over the holiday period which caused the outages. The success of the games Halo 3 and Mass Effect had simply pushed the Xbox Live system to its limits and slowed the system down.
These two scenarios present the situation in a completely different light from a microsoft point of view. On the one hand the first article was suggesting that maybe the Xbox live system was not all it was made out to be and that Microsoft were not as advanced as they may claim. While the second few articles show the future as being very bright for the microsoft boys and that it is simply a case of things taking off quicker than expected.
As a digital marketer I was looking at these articles and considering what they meant to in game advertising on the platform. The first one made me think, maybe it is too soon to be getting into? is the platform stable enough yet? and then after reading the next two I was in awe at the scale of the opportunity and the reachable user base. Yes, Microsoft will need to sure up their system but they should have no problems in doing that, and once they do, they can sit back and watch the user base grow and grow based on the current take up figures.
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Filed under: betting, gambling, gamin, online betting, online gambling, online gaming | Tags: gambling, online gambling, ppc, search marketing
I used to think gambling companies were pretty intelligent when it came to online advertising. I have dealt with a few of them and due to the size of the online market in their industry, and prioir to a few months ago, the restrictions which prohibited them from using many of the traditional forms of media, they are usually pretty clued up. Many have large in house teams to deal with their online activity as it is a key to their business and over the past few years more and more gamblers are turning to the internet to feed their addiction 24 hours a day and away from the environment of the traditional bookmakers.
A couple of searches today however have made me think otherwise. The biggest sporting event this weekend, and the most eagerly awaited boxing contest of the last 12 months, takes place this weekend in las vegas when Ricky “the hitman” hatton goes toe to toe with floyd mayweather for the title of best pound for pound fighter in the world. This event is a bookmakers dream, all the hype, all the build up and unlimited interest. But yet when I search on phrases related to the fight and specifically betting on it the big players are conspicuous by their absence searches on “hatton odds”, “mayweather odds” and “hatton mayweather odds” produce just 4 results in total. In the past when I have been involved in gambling campaigns attention to detail and the major sporting events have been key to their success but it appears that they are missing a trick at the moment. I know boxing isnt one of their major sports for account driving but surely this weekend would be a time to make hay?
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Filed under: online gaming, social media, social media promotion, social networking
As they don their headsets and log on to play another marathon session on Call of Duty or Medal of Honor, they shared a smug smile that they were for once in the majority group!The research conducted by Parks Associates reports that 34% of US adults internet users play online games every week while 29% view videos online through YouTube and related sites and 19% visit social networking sites.
Good news then for the in-game advertising market which could be the next big phenomenon if the market continues to grow at such a rate (for the same quarter in 2006 the online gaming figures was 15%).
Static in game advertising has been around for a number of years now but the advent of online gaming allows for dynamic ad placements on different platforms and it is this form of in game advertising holds a provides the most appealing options for an advertiser.
According to the IAB in-game advertising “joins the dots between above and below the line marketing.” Utilising the ability to serve track and update ads which the internet allows whilst taking its execution and method from TV and outdoor.
It has moved on from the simple signage formats of the first in-game ads to the utilisation of 3d images, video, and more subtle product placement techniques. On top of the targeting options the different games and online profiles allow this gives it the potential for a highly effective medium.
I predict in-game advertising is going to take off in the next 12 months and the advertisers which come up with the most effective way to utilise its strength will reap the benefits.
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