In-game advertising
Under in-game advertising (Engl. In game : 'the game') or in-game advertising , the insertion of advertising messages in computer games to understand. This can be done in different ways:
- Under static in-game advertising (SIGA) is meant tight (and even during the game development) in the game built advertising storylines and visual brand / product representations that the basic idea of product placement corresponds. Products and brands integrated into the game will remain part of the game for the life of the game.
- Under dynamic in-game advertising (DIGA) is defined as the geographical and time-coded placement of advertising media in TCP / IP konnektierten games (back channel) based on a media budget. Advertising messages are dynamically switched into and out of the game. The game acts as a transmitter and is temporarily supplied with advertisements.
- Under Ad-Games refers to games that have been specially designed and commissioned by a brand owner and its primary goal is to put the brands of confirmation from the company in the view of the players.
In the rapidly growing in-game advertising industry, numerous other names are used for the categories just described. However, the above classification has now become internationally accepted industry vocabulary.
history
Advertising components in computer games have existed since the earliest Atari days, at that time usually in the form of advertising banners . Since the graphics performance of the computers allowed this, the logos of the developer companies and their cooperation partners have been integrated into computer games - later also the brand logos of other companies, primarily in sports games.
In the meantime, the worldwide turnover of the games industry has by far surpassed that of the cinema revenues of Hollywood . The advertising industry is using the amalgamation of film and video games to break new ground in the marketing of products and brands. In addition, traditional media have been losing importance (and thus their reach) with young target groups for several years. Advertising integrations of all kinds should therefore remain an important source of income for manufacturers of computer games in the future.
Forms of in-game advertising
Advergames
This form of advertising, also known as ad games , branded games or advertising games , describes a game conceived by a brand-leading company and offered to the target group , which transports the intended advertising message. The advertiser's brand or message usually does not appear in the game itself, but only in the game environment (intro, extro, game name). The expectation is that potential customers will become enthusiastic about gaming and thereby increase their perception for the company or a certain product. The games themselves are mostly revised versions of classic amusement games. Sometimes you can also find creative in-house developments such as the Dyson telescope game. Not to be forgotten are military simulations that promote political goals and, in the case of America's Army or Full Spectrum Warrior, were even financed entirely from military resources. Probably the best-known advertising game is the Moorhuhn game.
Static in-game advertising (SIGA)
With this form of in-game advertising, clearly recognizable brands are integrated into the game story. This corresponds to the idea of product placement in movies and television series. For example, a Sony Ericsson cell phone is a central component of the Splinter Cell game . In the other parts of this video game series, posters from Nokia , Ax , Chrysler and other companies adorn the virtual environment. Furthermore, Sam Fisher, protagonist of the series in the third part, eats Airwaves chewing gum several times .
One of the challenges with product placements is to incorporate product advertising meaningfully into the game. Ideally, the advertised product influences the game, such as Red Bull , which gives the worm in »Worms 3D« powers. Such product placements that match the game world (such as jersey sponsorships in football simulations or perimeter advertising in racing simulations) are not perceived as disturbing. They even seem to increase the fun of the game: For the soccer simulation Pro Evolution Soccer , for example, instructions are circulating on the Internet on how the shirt sponsors of the Bundesliga clubs can be reproduced in the in-game editor, as these are not included in the game for licensing reasons.
Dynamic in-game advertising (DIGA)
The first dynamic in-game advertising was used in the online game Mall Tycoon 2 Deluxe from Take 2 Interactive . In numerous online games today, advertising spaces can be filled with freely changeable content at any time. A current example of this is the online game Ski Challenge by the game developer Greentube , which is a realistic simulation of numerous downhill runs of the Alpine Ski World Cup .
This means that in-game advertising can also be used for campaigns: the advertising message does not have to be set with long lead times and over the entire marketing period of a game, but can be switched flexibly for a campaign period of a few weeks. Advertising media contact is defined by the duration of the display, the relative size on the screen and a minimum viewing angle.
This new technology also allows the effectiveness of various advertising spaces to be quantified: It can be measured at which points in a game advertising is best perceived based on which determinants. In this way, different values of advertising space can be determined and these can be sold to companies at different prices.
Content orientation
In this form, the content of video games is aligned with the message to be conveyed. This form is mainly used when an attempt is made to convey certain points of view suggestively and serve to form opinions. They are designed like normal video games for purely entertainment purposes and tend to be role-playing in their form . For a limited time, the participants adopt fictional patterns of thought and action appropriate to the game and can act out these in the game world they have helped to create in order to advance further into the game. In terms of content, these games can be politically, religiously or sociologically motivated in addition to their commercial orientation. An example of a game with a sociological educational function is Luka, which is aimed at children between the ages of 8 and 10 and is intended to enable them to solve conflicts without the use of linguistic or physical violence.
Commercial breaks
Analogous to commercials in radio media or in the cinema, there is also the possibility of video games to interrupt the game for a 'commercial break'. However, due to a lack of consumer acceptance in the medium of computer games, this is extremely rarely used, at least for retail games.
Mixed forms
Mixed forms can also appear, on the one hand between the game forms mentioned here, on the other hand combined with other known advertising media . An example of this is online advertising , in which the medium of the Internet serves as a platform for the game. The players should stay longer on the website of the initiator in order to increase brand awareness. This mixed form occurs in particular in combination with the ad game form described above . New types of advertising such as pixel banner advertising on the Internet also appear in combination with a game.
criticism
In games with advertising content - as in the case of product placement in film and television - questions often arise about the requirement to separate editorial advertising ( law against unfair competition ). The term editorial advertising originally comes from broadcasting and press law. This means advertising cast in the form of an editorial radio or press report. Such surreptitious advertising is prohibited. The reason is that the reader expects a certain degree of objectivity, neutrality and objectivity in an editorial contribution. This is no longer the case with "editorially packaged" advertising, so that the reader is misled. As a result, there is a strict requirement to separate editorial content and advertising. This should also ensure the neutrality and impartiality of the media. As a common solution to this problem, clearly recognizable advertising space in the virtual worlds in the form of z. B. Perimeter advertising or posters integrated and used for dynamic in-game advertising.
literature
- Esch, Franz-Rudolf ; Krieger, Kai Harald; Strödter, Kristina: Brands in the media and media as brands , in: Gröppel-Klein, A .; Germelmann CC (ed.): Media in Marketing. Corporate Communication Options , Gabler Verlag, Wiesbaden 2009, ISBN 978-3-8349-0735-6 , pp. 41–67.
- Thomas, Wolfgang; Stammermann, Ludger: In-Game Advertising - Advertising in Computer Games , Gabler Verlag, Wiesbaden 2007, ISBN 3-8349-0702-2 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Matthew Yi: Advertisers pay for video games . In: SFGate , July 25, 2005.
- ↑ Michelle R. Nelson, Heejo Keum, Ronald A. Yaros: Advertainment or Adcreep? Game Players' Attitudes toward Advertising and Product Placements in Computer Games In: Journal of Interactive Advertising , Vol. 5, No. 1, 2004.
- ↑ see Thomas / Stammermann, 2007