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Mobile Marketing And Games - A New Opportunity

By Sam Hallahan


With mobile expanding constantly in the last few years, marketers are taking all new approaches to engaging audiences. Mobile marketing is no longer operating simply through SMS,MMS or online advertisements. Around the clock, companies are now aiming to actively engage customers, no matter what the customer is doing. This even means approaching customers effectively in their leisure time. In-game mobile advertising presents all new possibilities for marketing and is quickly establishing itself as a highly viable advertising means worldwide.

In-game advertising presents several approaches to engaging mobile users as they play a game. There is the "Ad Wrapping" approach, which is a few seconds of advertising at the start or end of a game. There is also specific in-game advertising where the game is played as usual but images and background spaces within the game are used as advertising spaces and then there are "Interstitials," short video clips that are pushed in - between the games, this can also be a banner or preview within the game as well.

"Lemonade Tycoon" is but one of the examples of in-game advertising that has been widely used by some of the world's leading brands. Already, Yahoo, the U.S. Navy, Kia, and Nestle have adopted the game as part of their marketing strategies. EA Games, who developed the game, offer the game as a free download to customers, ensuring a wide reach for the game. The game utilises the in-game advertising approach with virtual billboards that show brand names and advertisements. These are refreshed every five "game days" and thus, aim to constantly capture customer attention by drawing focus to the changing advertisements and what they offer.

The game will connect to the ad network, which in this case is GreyStripe, if the iPhone or iPod touch has a network or WiFi connection to download additional advertisements. By offering Lemonade Tycoons as a free download, EA maximises scope by ensuring that its entire user base is able to download the game; and "because it is ad-supported, each repeat play is monetized" says CEO of GreyStripe California Michael Chang. He also states, "Greystripe has also developed the ad serving platform to make sure that only the most relevant and highest quality advertisements are delivered to this premium title." This means the advertisements are able to be attractive and rich in content without deterring from the users gaming experience.

In-game mobile marketing has already been used and applauded by some of the world's leading brand names. It combines reach, a high level of entertainment and attractive image quality to engage consumers in a whole new way. Its success so far is a solid indicator of its vast potential and as with many aspects of mobile, still holds incredible potential for development and further innovation.




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