Nielsen Adds Videogame Ad Rating Service 39
Thanks to Mediapost.com for their article discussing the attempt by TV rating arbiters Nielsen to move into the videogame market, launching the Nielsen Video Game Service, intended to calculate "the data and metrics that will enable video game marketers to pitch advertisers on the value of 'in-game ad exposure.'" The service, backed by publisher Activision, who is "eager to cultivate a video game advertising marketplace", launched alongside a survey that "claims 27 percent of active male gamers noticed ads in the last video game they played", and further revealed statistics claiming "52 percent of heavy gamers saying they like games to contain real products and 70 percent saying that the placement of real products makes the games more 'genuine.'"
The Man takes an interest. (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:The Man takes an interest. (Score:2)
While you're at it, get the dumbasses who buy stuff advertised in spam as well.
Daniel
Re:The Man takes an interest. (Score:1)
Genuine products do work yes (Score:5, Insightful)
Same with FPS war games. Far more fun to have a M16 then generic assault rifle type 2.
But I can't really see that much marketting for it. Surely real gun nuts shudder at the kind of ballestics you find in games and simirally a FPS fan will have little use for a gun you have to use OUTSIDE?
I can see product placement in a game like The Sims. Say coca-cola company making free models available sporting their logo. Coca-Cola fridge? The pizza delivery guy in a domino skin?
But will this sell anything?
Sports games have long since had real advertising but the way I understood at least in the time of "grand prix legends" it was more the game makers begging if they could please use the image instead of being paid to include a companies logos.
Guns you bet it works (Score:1)
Re:Genuine products do work yes (Score:3, Interesting)
I get slightly annoyed at "fake" branding where the dev or pub couldn't secure licensing for real cars/tracks/race oil, etc.
I get more annoyed at racing games with little or no branding, if the equivalent RL series or race type would be so. I know street racing is different and that's fine.
I ha
Re:Genuine products do work yes (Score:3, Interesting)
the only way to avoid this is when you license from the governing body, like EA gets a license from the NBA to use all the names of the teams and players (which are trademarked by th
Re:Genuine products do work yes (Score:2)
Who knows what they've got now. (let alone with user-created-content)
But at least even the 'official' product tie-ins were a thoroughly optional downloads.
As for people liking authentic tie-ins - It's one thing for a consumer to craft these things in his spa
Activision? No Way! (Score:4, Insightful)
However, they better play wisely. Gamers would be quick to turn their noses up at ads where they're too intrusive or don't make sense, and thus blacklisting the developer and publisher responsible.
I'm not surprised by Activision, the king of sequels and licenses, wanting to do this. I just hope that they don't shoot themselves in the foot.
Great... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Great... (Score:4, Funny)
It's so weird, though, how well all the DVDs are selling. Kind of strange, that.
Bah! (Score:3, Funny)
Pure BS (Score:4, Interesting)
Not that there's any chance of that happening.
I might give a purely ad-supported free game a shot. Similarly to how I'm not philosophically opposed to catching such 'free' content from TV/radio broadcasting.
But this new craze of putting ads in consumer-funded-content is pure BS. Product placement shots in films haven't kept the price of tickets from going up. The ads thrown in amongst the trailers at the movies haven't kept ticket prices from going up. The ever-increasing quantity of ads in magazines and papers haven't kept their prices from going up.
Of course, no-one's started voting with their wallet just yet - so why should advertisers and publishers care?
Re:Pure BS (Score:3, Interesting)
As long as the ads are appropriate... (Score:1)
It's true! (Score:4, Funny)
Re:It's true! (Score:2)
I really, really hate in-game ads. (Score:4, Interesting)
If there will be in-game ads, (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:If there will be in-game ads, (Score:2)
But, if you read the article, you would know that actually 52% of heavy games LIKE ads/products in the games. (I'm one of those people)
So, saying you don't like them is fine. But saying nobody else should, and people should think the same way you do, is a bit arrogant.
And like other people here- I really think they add to the realism in sports games. Because when the ads are not there, it just seems like something is missing. T
Re:If there will be in-game ads, (Score:2)
If you are reproducing a real-world environment that contains ads, yes, most people are not going to have a problem with you replicating the ads. It adds to the realism.
On the other hand, if you are simply dumping product labels into a game, frequently flashing them, and your main dedication during the game production is simply to ensure that gamers are exposed to a product in conjunctio
Re:If there will be in-game ads, (Score:2)
Re:If there will be in-game ads, (Score:2)
I like when games make up brands that look like a real brand. GTA3 and Vice City did a great and creative job with making fake advertisements. How many people
Re:If there will be in-game ads, (Score:1)
MMOG Advertising (Score:3, Interesting)
I can't wait until I get my Nike chain mail boots.
That doesn't make any damn sense. (Score:1)
Wow, imagine the spyware possibilities... (Score:2, Funny)
It's been going on for years. (Score:1)