In Game Ads May Just Not Work

GigaGamez is reporting that the humorously-named Bunnyfoot research company (which specializes in behavior studies), has found that in-game ads just don't work. Some games which featured semi-stationary areas (like NBA Live) ended up with ads sticking in the minds of players. Games like Project Gotham Racing 3 ended up with the players having a 0% retention rate for ads that whizzed past. From the press release: "These results demonstrate a significantly poor level of engagement with consumers and exposed an apparent weakness within games to efficiently capture consumer attention. Despite following the model of real world sports advertising, current methods are not optimizing consumer engagement and are failing to influence the consumer in any significant way, the key driver for any marketing campaign and its validation. 'These results reflect the industry's concern relating to brand value and return on investment. Understanding consumer interaction at a deeper level of analysis allows us to measure the value of advertising investment' said Alison Walton, Head of Visual Engagement."

Re:Would a publisher put ads in a novel?

[unapersson]

Would a book publisher seriously consider adding in some full page adds in the middle of a novel? Of course not, so why do they think they can get away with it games?

They certainly used to in paperbacks. Adverts for Menthol cigarettes, Insurance, etc. They were normally in a postcard style page right in the middle of the book with a perforated edge so they could be torn out. They were really annoying to read around. I'm just glad the practise has disappeared.

Eve Online in-game advertisement.

[splutty]

An example of where advertisement actually adds to the whole gameplay concept and experience is Eve Online.

At all jumpgates there are billboards, and they will show advertisements for in-game corporations (Such as Quafe, who makes energy drinks, strangely enough they buy cigarettes, garbage and assorted minerals...), or list one of the current top5 most wanted people. Inside stations there will be advertisement for the corporation in question all over the place, and even for other corporations as well.

This adds to the whole game, and to the whole atmosphere of play.

Another great example is the stripbar advertisement billboard that comes with certain built outposts, including the picture of a stripper :)

However any 'real world' advertisement in this game would just simply make no sense. And I think there are quite a lot of games where advertisement wouldn't make sense, or just be plain annoying or detracting from the game.

Another example where it does work is in Quake (2?) where the background music was written by Nine Inch Nails (NIN for short), you can get a nailgun as a weapon, and the boxes containing the nails actually have the NIN log on them, that's just brilliant, and in its way an advertisement for the band (Whom I'll visit in March ;)

Just my 2 rambling isk.

Splut.

mnb Re:Ads and games are not new at all.

[Anonymous Coward]

It had nothing to do with the fact most all the major automotive review publications declared it the best engine/transmission/suspension package for the money, and one of the best combos period?