Console Games Offer Brands a New Playing FieldThe big purple reptile stomps through town, demolishing buildings as tall as he is, sending plumes of water and flames into the air, tossing delivery... |
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"Seventy percent of men 18 to 34 play video games... [Gaming] is their dominant form of entertainment. If you want to reach them, this is the most effective way."
- Mitch Davis, CEO of Massive, Inc. Read more on the video game marketing phenomenon...
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Popular Video Game Content
Johnny Rockets Offers “Rock the Slopes” Wii Sweeps
Casual restaurant chain Johnny Rockets is offering customers a chance to win a virtual skiing/ski boarding trip this holiday season with its “Rock the Slopes” sweepstakes....
Subway Offers DanceDanceRevolution Premiums
Video gamer Konami has teamed up with Subway Restaurants to give away merchandise tied to its best-selling, get-up-and-move video game...
GameStop Unlocks the Buzz around “Grand Theft Auto IV”
In the world of video games, Rockstar Games’ upcoming April 28 release of “Grand Theft Auto IV: Liberty City” is generating as much buzz as the next Batman movie. ...
Church's Chicken Targets Younger Set with Video Game Campaign
Church's Chicken reaching out to younger consumers with a marketing campaign promoting a new Namco Bandai Game video game "Afro Samurai.”...
EVB’s Got Viral Game with ‘NBA 2K8’
Digital agency EVB knows who the winner of the 2008 NBA finals will be—and they’re using that prediction, and other controversial opinions, to set off a viral marketing campaign for NBA 2K8, the new basketball game from 2K Sports for PCs, the Xbox 360 and Playstation....
Video Game Promotions
Brands are moving to associate themselves with the communities building around console videogames, either through in-game ads or with third-party promotions
Activision Announces “Wee 1st”m New Brand Focused on Titles Designed for WiiGame Zone, July 9, 2008... “NewBaby.com and Wii Fit Mommies Gear Up for 2009”(pdf file)... “Wii Fit Mommies Twitter Party”CoolMomGuide.com blog, December 27, 2008... “GameStop offering Cosmo subscriptions to ‘Wii Fit’ buyers,”The Escapist.com, January 5, 2009... “Dynamic Ads Scheduled for PS3 EA Sports Games,”Video Game Media, June 4, 2008... |
Sims 3 official trailerComing this month, a new version of the world’s most popular PC-based game—with big branding potential (Sims 2 has already partnered with H&M apparel and IKEA furnishings):... “Sims 3 Goes All-out on Advertising”Edge-Online.com blog, October 8, 2008... Mini USA Brings Pinball Action to Nintendo Wii“The Guild”, a Web series sponsored by Xbox Live and Sprint and available over the Xbox live and Zune... “Popular YouTube series ‘The Guild’ finds home with Microsoft”Ars Technica, November 24, 2008... |
Branding in video games
The links below point to some examples of how brands have integrated themselves into console and PC video games. Some are done well, some are ho-hum…and some have gotten truly awful reviews, proving that it’s not just enough to get your brand into a game—your presence needs to be integrated, relevant and a value-add to players.
“What You’ll Miss if You Don’t Buy ‘Shaun White Snowboarding’ at Target”MTV Multiplayer blog, October 15, 2008... “Target Getting Exclusive Course for Shaun White Snowboarding”A consumer site comment; 1Up News, October 16, 2008... “Mini USA Brings Pinball Action to Nintendo Wii”(pdf file)... |
M&M’s Kart Racing gameA game consumer site review... Several “dubious” branded games at a consumer game review sitefrom GameSpot.com... |
