How to advertise in-game...the RIGHT way
By Kristin
In-game advertising is not something that's terribly new, nor is it something that's terribly well done.
The first instance that I can remember of in-game advertising that I saw with my own eyes was in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. These ads were all for fictional companies and spoofs on current advertising at the time. Along with the radio commercials. Who didn't love to drive around in the car and listen to the various stations? Heck, I even had an entire GTA:VC loop on in my winamp at one point in time!
The next well executed in-game advertising was in Crackdown. Again, all fictional companies, it was fun to jump around the city and see the billboards, trying to figure out what real life life company they were spoofing.
Then came Guitar Hero 3 with the blatant, over the top, real life company ads. Who REALLY wants to see that huge McDonald's logo? When I started playing and noticing the advertising in the game and how utterly OBNOXIOUS it was, it made me want to boycott those companies that paid to have their ads inserted into the game. Your advertising is on the radio (why I listen to CDs), the television (why I play games and watch movies, I catch my tv shows online), and on billboards (why I watch the cars tail lights in front of me), don't invade my private zone of "my gametime". This is where I go to escape mainstream and life.
However, I do think mainstream advertising can be done well in games. This generation hates anything that smells of marketing unless it's VERY well done, edgy, comical, and memorable.
Cat herding anyone? Yes, you remember that super bowl commercial. It was funny, it's different, it was completely unexpected. Those weird little troll-like-things that quizno did a couple years ago that sang about the moon? Yeah you remember what I'm talking about.
In game marketing can be done successfully, the best way to do it would be to make up a fictions company that is a spoof of your real life company. It makes the gamer see the ad, go oh! That's XYZ company in real life they're spoofing, and they appreciate the company poking fun at itself (although the gamer may not realize the company paid for a spoofed ad - they may think it's the game designer spoofing a company).
You get brand recognition (McDonalds could have flipped their arches to spoof themselves, and shrunk the ad, Gamers LOVE to find easter eggs in games), you get the consumer thinking about your brand, and as they go by your establishment/product on the road/in the store it'll trigger a memory of the game -> trigger memory of your brand -> if executed correctly brand loyalty and a purchase.
I saw some concept art at one point for a blackbird campaign that had in game advertising. It was AWFUL. I'm so thankful everyone that saw the concepts reacted with the same visceral distaste and disgust that I did. Guess why it sucked so bad - it wasn't designed by gamers. Notice the Voodoo laptops in Call of Duty 4? Very understated, very subtle, very sexy. Why use 1 million words when 1 will do?
It can be done people. Just don't let suits design the ads. When your designing for your demographic, ASK your demographic or even better yet; have YOUR demographic design it.
Kristin Reilly
1 comments:
Well for an example of good in-game advertising, the first thing that comes to mind is Tomb Raider: Legend. There was a part in that game where they were driving a Jeep. There was nothing in-your-face about it, and it made sense to drive a Jeep in that environment. In fact, I don't think they ever said the word "Jeep," you just saw the logo when you looked at the vehicle from certain angles, just like you would in real life.
In my mind, there was nothing wrong with that. Where I have a problem is when the advertisements feel unnatural and... well... fell like advertisements. If you zoom in to a character model and notice that he is wearing Nike shoes, then that's fine. If the character mentions about wearing Nike shoes, then that's a problem. If everyone in the game is wearing Nike shoes, then that's a problem. The game shouldn't feel biased towards one brand.
But for in-game billboards, it really depends on the type of game that you're playing. If you see a McDonald's billboard in a racing game, then that's fine. Advertising is what racing is all about. But then take a game like Grand Theft Auto. That game has a lot of humor in it, so billboards advertising real companies would seem kind of lame.
Post a Comment