In Game Advertising

Mobile technology has opened up a wide array of opportunities in the advertising industry.  One of the most notable sources of consumer reach has been in game advertising.  This form of advertising offers a mode that cannot be ignored by consumers and provides a supplementary reach in conjunction with other mediums and can flow along maintaining campaign continuity.

http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/10/sony-double-fusion-sign-in-game-ad-deal/

The following video will give a better understanding how Google has mastered In Game Advertising.

There are five different ways to utilize in game advertising. 

• Display ads- These are ads that pop up either at the beginning of a game or in transition points within the game.  These are a great way to reach consumers because in order to get rid of the ad the consumer has to physically click the ad away.  A negative to this is sometimes these ads are viewed the same as junk mail.
• Banner ads-   Banner ads are a good means of consumer reach because they are always running on one of the borders of the screen.  If they provide enough creativity and copy they can persuade a consumer to become curious about a product and draw them in.
• Video interstitials- These are videos placed usually at transitioning points of a game or placed in a game so that a consumer must watch the video to obtain a certain item to continue.  These are great for reach and with the right creativity can catch consumer attention.  Unfortunately, if the video is too long, they can have a negative consumer effect and be seen as clutter.
• In-game branded virtual items-  We see this type of advertising everyday in television, movies, and now video games. Virtual billboards or signage offers a pseudo-subliminal pathway to reach consumers and offers product or brand awareness.  In the photo above we see how the McDonald's Corporation has taken advantage of this medium.
• Brand partnerships/sponsorships- Brand partnerships are important for brand awareness.  Attaching a brand name to a popular item or game produces another pathway to increase frequency and reach.

The following is a video to show how subliminal advertising has an effect on our options to choose certain products.  Imagine how this same tactic is utilized in the medium we just discussed.

Print Journalism: A Dying Art

Let me make this clear at the beginning of this blog. Journalism is not dying.  It will never go away.  As Sam Butterfield said in his online article in The Nieman Reports, "The market for clear and sharp writing about timely subjects will never disappear." The route in which we deliver our message may evolve to changing technology, but the messengers are still her and multiplying. We are survivors!

According to an editorial by Jack Shafer, a writer for the online publication of the Slate, "researchers found that the print folks "remember significantly more news stories than online news readers"; that print readers "remembered significantly more topics than online newsreaders"; and that print readers remembered "more main points of news stories." When it came to recalling headlines, print and online readers finished in a draw."  From this statement can we assume that online readers are consuming so much news that they have become a generation that only remembers stories that appeal to their lifestyles or interest.  Our reading comprehension has diminished because we now have access to so much more, and we have chosen to narrow our news down to only what we choose to consume rather than the attraction of a flashy front page headline.

http://www.marketingprofs.com/charts/2012/9160/tablets-driving-newspaper-magazine-readership

Newspapers seem like the print dinosaurs to our millennials generation.  With technology providing easier access to just about any magazine content imaginable, print journalism appears to have risen to the level of retro nostalgia.  One thing that tablets provide in the most innovative ways that every other media lacks is the ability to get real time updates of breaking new as it's happening by a regular citizen experiencing things first hand.  Tablets provide less clutter and an ability to reach a greater number of readers.

 http://www.newsoperatingsystem.com/images/NOS/4/4.jpg

Online versions of newspapers have made it conducive for the business person on the go to have access wherever and whenever.  As stated an article by Brian D. Angell and Gabie E. Smith in The Journal of Technology Studies, access is the greatest barrier to online readership.  Not everybody has an electronic device with internet access available at their fingertips.  Not every American is willing to submit to the technology boom and purchase an electronic device just to read the morning paper.

With tablets bullying their way into the industry, newspapers that have a strong local tie have survived the loss in print subscriptions.  Most print newspapers have chosen to join the technology boom by moving contents from print to electronic media.  Our population has shifted with the majority of readership being baby boomers that are reluctant to abandon their loyalty to  their morning newspaper in had over a cup of joe and breakfast.

99% Percent of Advertising is a Waste of Money???

Television and radio advertising has for a long time claimed the title for the best reach at an amazingly convenient cost per thousand, or as we know it in the advertising world as CPM.  There is no surprise that advertising guru Tim Burt has taken a stand against the junk that floods our radio and television commercials.  We already know that if we have enough money we can place any radio or television commercial during the most profitable viewing or listening slots, and cater it to be very niche, and we also can reach a local or national audience.  Radio and Television advertising presents many options, many times, and can be tailored to cater toward the ROI (return on investment) needs that the client chooses.

So I present this question.  Why has advertising chosen to use comedy and drama as a selling point for products that have very little to do with the message in the advertisement.  Burt uses an analogy in the video above, of  advertising being like over stuffing a burrito with useless information rather than delivering a concise message that directly concerns the product and it's benefits.

I am certainly not the industry know it all, but I believe that my answer may be the consensus of most Americans.  We like a product that can relate to us as Americans, human beings with emotion, and anything that can spark enough emotion to put a tear in our eye or a smile on are face is worth listening to.  Has advertising become more closely aligned with entertainment?  Absolutely!  It's that entertainment that makes us remember a product. PRODUCT AWARENESS Mr. Burt.  That is what we are all shooting for, right.  Let's take for example the VW campaign below.

This story is about a child trying to harness the force.  This commercial obviously was targeting those that grew up in an era spanning from the late 70's up through millennials.  The message still showed products features and benefits through a story that us Star Wars nerds can relate to.  Star Wars always puts a smile on my face.  Good job Volkswagen.

Tim Burt, would you tell the General Motors Company that they are doing it all wrong.  Let me remind you that General Motors spends 753.5 million dollars on advertising and I don't think it is all in vain.  The above GM commercial relates to us college seniors as the "Best Day Of Our Lives," only to have our dreams crushed by reality.  It's a hilarious commercial though!

Radio and television advertising does have a competitor in the world wide web.  Online advertising has seen a steady climb in popularity, although, digital technology is a whole different arena and will take some time to compare to the successes of radio and television.  According to an article written by Steve Olenski in Forbes Magazine, "...almost two-thirds (62.4% to be precise) of all advertising dollars spent by the major media buyers was spent on television advertising.

The bottom line is that radio and television advertising has proven itself to be the powerhouse in the industry.  It may not always be the primary or sole medium in every campaign, but it is reliable and cost effective.