Integrating dynamic advertisements into videogame environments provides brands a measured lift in overall consumer awareness and opinion of the products they are exposed to during game play, according to a new study conducted by Nielsen BASES and Nielsen Games on behalf of IGA Worldwide.
The study found that consumers reacted positively to in-game ads: 82% felt games were just as enjoyable with ads as without. In addition, there was an average 61% increase in consumers’ favourable opinions of products advertised in-game post-play.
Nielsen surveyed over 1,300 US PC gaming participants in their homes by linking IGA’s proprietary measurement software with research trackers embedded within sample game disc.
Justin Townsend, CEO of IGA Worldwide, said: “With young adults now spending on average 6 hours a week gaming, advertisers should be excited at how well their messages were embraced and the brands positively perceived.
“The consumer insights we’ve gleaned from this data will help drive the industry’s first research-based in-game advertising measurement standards as well as strengthen IGA’s position as an effective in-game ad network brands can trust to efficiently deliver their message to target audiences.”
The study also found that over 70% of consumers who were most opinionated about in-game ads felt the ads made them feel better about the brand, more interested in the brand, and believe the ads are for innovative/cutting edge brands.
In-game ad exposures with a duration over two seconds – as they are measured in IGA’s in-game ad methodology – generate on average an almost 30% increase in key ad metrics, including ad noticeability +100%, recall +42%, and fit +27%, vs ad exposures with a duration of less than one second.
“This study offers proof that dynamic in-game advertising is an influential digital ad medium,” said Dave Anderson, senior director business development, Activision.
“Just as important to us is how users react to the ads. From the research it is clear that the overwhelming majority of consumers enjoyed the gaming experience just as much, if not more, with dynamic ads present. As game publishers, it is reassuring to know advertisers and consumers both stand to benefit from dynamic ads.”
A survey carried out by the Internet Advertising Bureau found that two out of three UK gamers are positive about the brands they see advertised in games.
Over one third of the 3,500 UK gamers surveyed said that they would be quite or very likely to buy a product as a result of seeing in-game ads (see UK Gamers Positive About In-Game Ads).
A report from report from Microsoft’s Massive, meanwhile, said that in-game ads have a positive impact on metrics like brand familiarity, ad recall and ad rating – even increasing purchase consideration by an average of 41% (see In-Game Ads Increase Purchase Consideration).
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