In-Game Advertising Research Proves Effectiveness for Brands Across Categories and Game Titles
03/06/2008 14:03
PR Newswire
NEW YORK, June 3 /PRNewswire/ --
- adidas, other leading brands from quick-service restaurant, candy and
entertainment categories drive key marketing metrics for brands and products
advertised throughout Massive Network.
Massive Inc, a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft Corp and a leading
network for video game advertising, and Interpret LLC, a leading new media
research firm, today released research results that provide further insight
into the significant brand impact of dynamic in-game advertising. The study
demonstrates that the gaming audience has a consistently positive opinion of
the ads and how the ads affect their game experience.
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Interpret conducted detailed research on behalf of Massive and four of
its advertisers: adidas utilising brand advertising for footwear and apparel,
a quick-service restaurant (QSR) brand promoting a tie-in to gaming and a
specific menu option, a candy company marketing new creative for its candy
bar brand, and an entertainment studio advertising the DVD release for a hit
film. The study measures a broad range of brand metrics across game
environments and suggests best practices to guide advertisers and their
agencies within this rapidly maturing medium.
adidas tested ads it ran through the Massive Network in "Major League
Baseball(R) 2K7", published by 2K Sports, a publishing label of Take-Two
Interactive Software Inc. Among those exposed to the adidas ads (the test
group), 40 per cent recall the company's tagline of "Impossible Is Nothing"
-- an increase of 90 per cent over those not exposed to the ads (the control
group). The number of gamers exposed to the ads who agreed with the
statements "adidas is the only brand for me" and "adidas is an inspirational
brand" rose 70 per cent over those not exposed to the ads. In addition, 73
per cent of gamers recalling the ads agreed with the statement that "the ads
enhanced the realism of the game."
"The influence of gaming on our target for adidas can't be denied," said
Brian Mathena, group media director for Carat. "The scalability and
effectiveness that Massive's dynamic in-game solution provides is evident in
the results of our efforts. Massive has consistently been a true partner in
consulting on the best gaming solutions for adidas and the rest of our
clients."
Drawing on its unparalleled experience in video game advertising
research, Massive has conducted studies for more than 30 clients across North
America and Europe assessing the impact of in-game ads across numerous key
brand metrics, including purchase interest, brand recommendation and brand
attributes. Results such as these released today help the advertising
community understand how and why in-game advertising works, and guides the
development of best practices for this important component of media plans.
Across all game genres and advertisers studied, the research revealed
that an average of 70 per cent of gamers agreed with statements that the
dynamic in-game ads "contributed to realism", "fit the games" in which they
were served and looked "cool."
A leading QSR brand executed custom ad creative for select titles with
strong results. Among those gamers exposed to the QSR ads in "Need for Speed
Carbon", a racing title published by Electronic Arts Inc, the number saying
that they would recommend the QSR brand to others rose by 39 per cent
compared with the control group, and those assigning the QSR brand the
highest possible brand rating rose by 17 per cent from the control group to
the test group. Fifty-six per cent of exposed gamers agreed with the
statement that the ads made the gaming environment feel more interactive.
A global candy bar company executed a branding campaign in "NASCAR(R)
08", published by Electronic Arts. Seventy-five per cent of gamers recalled
the candy bar in-game advertising with 56 per cent recalling the specific ad
creative. Within the test group, 72 per cent agreed with the statement that
the candy bar is "a great snack to eat while playing video games", an
increase of 29 per cent from the control group; the proportion agreeing that
the candy bar "gives you energy" and "is cool" rose 24 per cent and 21 per
cent from control group to test group, respectively.
An entertainment studio ran a campaign advertising the DVD release of a
hit film in "Rainbow Six: Vegas", an action title published by Ubisoft
Entertainment. Unaided awareness of the DVD increased 16 per cent among
gamers exposed to the ads as compared with the control group, with 66 per
cent of those recalling the campaign having a more positive opinion of the
DVD following in-game exposure. Purchase intent for the DVD rose 23 per cent
from control group to test group, with 80 per cent of exposed gamers
responding in the survey that "they would probably or definitely purchase the
DVD."
"The depth of this research reflects Massive's commitment to offering
advertisers an understanding of how in-game advertising can impact brands
across game genres and advertising categories," said Cory Van Arsdale, CEO of
Massive. "As the in-game medium matures and establishes its position on the
media plan, advertisers and agencies are eager for insight into creative
nuances and best practices for maximising its impact. We view this type of
guidance as an essential part of our role as an industry leader and
innovator."
Methodology
Interpret implemented a test/control methodology for each game in which
Massive dynamically served ads, totalling over 1,000 gamers across the US.
Both control and test group respondents played the same game title that was
studied for each ad client. The control group consisted of those who had
played the game but were not exposed to ads delivered from Massive. The test
group had played the game on a connected Xbox 360 system or PC during the
time the ad campaigns were live, and had the opportunity to be exposed to the
ads delivered by Massive. Both groups were asked the same set of questions
about the brands and ads included in the study, and the respondent
differences were evaluated to identify significant shifts in each brand
metric measured.
About Interpret LLC
Interpret is a next-generation media and market research firm with a
focus on evaluating and measuring the intersections of content, advertising,
technology and consumer behavior. Interpret's management team has unique
experience pioneering new custom research methodologies and analytics to help
companies Plan, Test and Measure(TM) their new media strategies. In addition
to campaign ad effectiveness testing, Interpret's suite of products and
services include GaMeasure and GamerLog, two syndicated services developed to
deliver planning and measurement intelligence to the burgeoning field of in
and around-game advertising. The firm is headquartered in Santa Monica,
California, with offices in New York and London. More information can be
found online at: http://www.interpretllc.com.
About Massive Inc
Massive Inc, a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft, is the creator of a
leading network for dynamic video game advertising. The Massive Network
offers advertisers the ability to reach an aggregated gaming audience in real
time across multiple platforms. Over 200 blue-chip advertisers have run
campaigns across the Massive Network throughout North America and Europe.
Publishers in the Massive Network generate revenue through dynamic in-game
advertising, enabling them to fully realise the value of their content while
preserving and enhancing the game experience. Massive's technology allows for
all forms of downloadable media and advertising content to be contextually
integrated into the game environment, including image, audio, video and game
object formats. More information can be found online at
http://www.massiveincorporated.com.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in
software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realise
their full potential.
About Microsoft EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa)
Microsoft has operated in EMEA since 1982. In the region Microsoft
employs more than 16,000 people in over 64 subsidiaries, delivering products
and services in more than 139 countries and territories.
This material is for informational purposes only. Microsoft Corp
disclaims all warranties and conditions with regard to use of the material
for other purposes. Microsoft Corp shall not, at any time, be liable for any
special, direct, indirect or consequential damages, whether in an action of
contract, negligence or other action arising out of or in connection with the
use or performance of the material. Nothing herein should be construed as
constituting any kind of warranty.
Web site: http://www.microsoft.com
http://www.massiveincorporated.com
http://www.interpretllc.com
Corie Pierce of The SutherlandGold Group, +1-318-402-3654, corie@sutherlandgold.com, for Microsoft Corp /NOTE TO EDITORS: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft in EMEA, please visit http://www.microsoft.com/emea or the EMEA Press Centre at http://www.microsoft.com/emea/presscentre. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at the time of publication, but may since have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact the appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/emea/presscentre/contactus.mspx. If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft Corp, please visit the Microsoft web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass on Microsoft's corporate information pages./ Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO , AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org , PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
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