Monday, June 18, 2007
Free Stuff Drives Game Ads
Video game companies are generating extra revenue and satisfying consumers by partnering with sponsors to give away extra levels and in-game tools.Nissan and Discovery Channel are among the companies who are creating extra "content" for console games in exchange for branding and consumers interacting with ads, according to Advertising Age.
This is an effective strategy that makes everyone happy. It's less intrusive than pop-up ads because it is opt-in, and consumers get something of tangible value in exchange for looking at relevant content.
I'm surprised that more publishers haven't adopted this strategy. Salon offers free "site passes" for watching an ad to see its premium content. This is a good idea for two reasons -- it gets people used to viewing ads on a site, and it broadens the audience reach.
For publishers whose revenue is ad-driven (aka most everyone), reach is the stat that advertisers want, and being able to tout lofty readership to all advertisers can surpass the value of subscription content. For example, ESPN should take the same tact with its "Insider" columns to differentiate its content from competitors Yahoo and Fox Sports. If you've got great columnists, share them with the world, don't hide them behind a subscription wall.
Posted By John Gartner at 11:04 AM
Permanent Link: Free Stuff Drives Game Ads
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