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Plan your play tactics

Gaming has shifted from its niche as a young male pursuit to become much more of a mainstream activity. However, the temptation by marketers to view the medium as a way to solve business problems should be avoided at all costs. Instead, gaming needs to be part of marketers’ overall brand building strategy.

Consumers are flocking to social games in their tens of millions, offering marketers a powerful global medium to spread their messages. From Chrysler Group’s Jeep brand tying up with the wildly successful Call of Duty computer and console game, to simple online games such as Confused.com’s Cara’s Magic Pocket, brands are looking to engage audiences and boost sales.

“Advertisers are already using a multitude of formats in the online gaming environment – from incentive ads for consumers to earn extra credits, to branded virtual goods and trademark in-game functionalities,” says Spil Games chief commercial officer Sidney Mock. “The goal for advertisers is to find a relevant, natural fit for their message within a game to maximise consumer engagement and connection.”

But Phones4U head of social media Jeremy Waite warns that the temptation to overload online games with commercial messages “defeats the object”. He believes brands should avoid putting too much faith in games on their own to solve business problems but should see them as part of an overall strategy.

The UK mobile phone retailer recently launched an online ‘advergame’ aimed at teenagers, called Zombies Ate My Phone, which ties in with a television and print ad campaign.

Within two weeks of its October launch – two weeks after the main ad campaign – the game had been embedded on 4,000 games websites and had 2.2 million plays with an average 10 minutes dwell time. Positive sentiment about the brand has “shot through the roof” as a result, says Waite, while share of voice has almost tripled.

But these games are no silver bullet, he believes. “We wouldn’t put that kind of pressure on the game or have the illusion we are building a community. Our games are tactical – a chance to have a good time, win stuff, and maybe fill in a form for a phone upgrade. We can then go back and engage with those who sign up,” he says.

Waite adds that marketers often fear investing in social media as they are unsure about measuring return on investment. But there are analytic tools that can track a Facebook ‘like’. Such sophisticated tracking is essential in justifying expenditure, he says.

Casual games are a huge growth phenomenon for marketers. Often played online or in browsers, they have simple rules and require limited commitment. But they have huge reach, frequency and dwell time, and are particularly popular among women aged 25-45. Casual Facebook games such as Farmville and Cityville, created by gaming giant Zynga, each have more than 80 million players worldwide.

EMBEDDED ADS

A growing band of games specialists, such as Wild Tangent, SupersonicAds and SocialVibe, offer brands user-led ways of embedding advertising into casual social games.

For instance, as players seek game currency to complete tasks in games such as Farmville, they can pay with their credit cards or earn free credits by clicking on an icon to watch an ad on a background media player served by these game specialists.

Brands can also offer branded items for use in the games. Zynga has already teamed up with McDonald’s, Green Giant and Paramount Pictures’ film Rango to offer branded items across several of its games.

Richard Reeves, managing director of SocialVibe, which serves ads for Zynga, says: “In return for their active attention, players receive a benefit; capped at one exposure per unique user, players are targeted with the right ad message, which they activate at a time that is right for them.”

Lee Sears, sales director at game network SupersonicAds, which works with games publishers such as Playdom and Digital Chocolate, says: “Where there is real value for advertisers is in post-game engagement. If you serve players the right ad, they are more likely to engage and take that relationship further.”

Meanwhile, Wild Tangent’s director of advertising sales EMEA Adam Yates says games offer marketers a chance to tap into the times when consumers are in the mood to engage with brands.

“Games provide an ideal opportunity to enter the ‘modal moment’ or ‘aperture’ that sparks the best communication with your audience,” he says. The game network works with PopCap, creator of what is claimed to be the world’s most successful casual game, Bejeweled, which boasts 500 million players around the world.

Another route for brands is to create a sophisticated, bespoke game, such as Heineken Star Player, which supports the brewing giant’s sponsorship of the UEFA Champions League. The game allows the 100 million viewers of Champions League football matches to play along on a second screen as they watch games. They answer questions about the match, plus general knowledge questions.

Andy Hood, creative development director at digital agency AKQA, which created StarPlayer, says the game was designed to help Heineken deepen the public’s involvement with its Champions League sponsorship. It permits viewers to enter into a virtual dialogue with their friends. But creating a game won’t necessarily enhance a marketing strategy, he adds. “You have to look at the problem and ask: ‘Does this get our message across?’”

Brands should avoid putting too much faith in games as an instant sales boost. But they can play a vital role in brand building. As Mock notes: “Consumers love brands that add value to the overall gaming experience.”

M&M VIEWPOINT

It is obvious what makes gaming attractive to brand owners – think scalability, accountability, high levels of audience engagement and positive brand associations. Games can also offer a positive feeling, which is something with which a lot of brands would like to relate. As an advertising model, it could help both brands and businesses to evolve, especially in the economic meltdown.

By David Benady