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Online gaming ads and ‘advergaming’ hot up
The brands come embedded in games, and the message is delivered in unmistakeable style. Zapak.com has been highly active this summer with new games, and tie-ups with brands.
The brands come embedded in games, and the message is delivered in unmistakeable style. Zapak.com has been highly active this summer with new games, and tie-ups with brands.
At Games2win.com, every time one of its games get stolen from a popular social networking site, the team celebrates as it becomes an opportunity to earn more money through advertising.
“All our games get stolen,” laughed Alok Kejriwal, co-founder and CEO.
And Hungama.com, which creates propositions, including games, around brands and places them across the Internet, mobile and IPTV platforms, finds itself busy as advertisers are increasingly inclined.
Though gaming in India is still an infant media option, worth just $130 million, a recently released KPMG-FICCI report states that it has the highest growth projection, at 33.3 per cent, over 2009-13, among all media.
“Gaming has the power to move millions. It’s the currency of the youth,” said Kejriwal. Brands across diverse categories such as Marico’s Hair Care, Sony Ericsson, Airtel, Nokia and Coca Cola.
Everytime a stolen game is activated by a player on any site anywhere in the world, a software agent (bot) from Games2win sends an alert which triggers a matching ad from a company server under a tie-up with search giant Google.
“Fifty per cent of out earnings come from advergames,” said Arun Mehra, chief marketing officer, Zapak. Advergames are games Zapak builds around brands. “We have 200 brand engagements.” Siddhartha Roy, COO, digital and Allied Business, Hungama Digital Media, said, “Small, casual games do extremely well.”
