Games brands can play: Gaming offers big advertising opportunities and how

Worldwide, gaming has ceased to be just a tool of entertainment. Given the big bucks involved and the increasing gaming population in India, exchange4media takes a look at the opportunities for advertising provided by the gaming industry.

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Dec 12, 2006 9:10 AM  | 4 min read
Games brands can play: Gaming offers big advertising opportunities and how

Worldwide, gaming has ceased to be just a tool of entertainment. Given the big bucks involved and the increasing gaming population in India, exchange4media takes a look at the opportunities for advertising provided by the gaming industry.

Today, as advertisers grow increasingly unhappy with the value delivered by traditional media, they turn to alternative communication channels. Marketers, who had called computer games as an activity reserved for teenage boys with little purchasing power are strategising on getting into games in a bid to promote their wares.

According to a recent Nielsen Entertainment report, young men devoted 12.5 hours to videogames a week as against 9.8 hours of watching TV. Advertisers globally have woken up to this new medium of advertising where the numbers are growing with each passing day. With revenue expected to break the $10 billion mark this year and garner over $300 million in advertising investment, the gaming industry represents a strong marketing opportunity.

In contrast, India has not seen any major burst of development in this field till recently. However, in the past few weeks, there have been major announcements in the gaming sector, coming from both new entrants like Zapak as well as from old players like India Games and Jump Games (formerly Paradox Studios), principally targeting the casual games segment.

Speaking on the growth of gaming in India, Neeraj Roy, MD and CEO, Hungama, said, “In my belief, the gaming community in the country by 2010 could be 50 million. They may not be dedicated geeks, but they will be playing games in some form or the other. They will be playing their games either on consoles, PCs, casual, MMOG or mobiles.”

With the increase of consoles and broadband facilities, Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOG) could well be the next big hit area for advertisers. While the actual cost of putting an ad in online games might appear insignificant (when compared to TV and print), the return on investment could be huge.

According to Rohit Sharma, COO, Zapak Digital Entertainment, “The Internet is the most interactive and targeted way of communication to reach the young audience. With gaming added to it, the reach for advertisers is huge among this target group.”

Advertising could be incorporated in games in multiple ways. Sometimes, games are created revolving around the brands, which are usually Flash based games falling under the casual games segment. Casual games usually have a short span of life as gamers usually look out for newer challenges constantly.

PC and console games have also seen a lot of advertising. PC and console game titles in football and cricket have product placements on the billboards, while in racing games, there are billboards and also the branded cars to be driven. In MMOG, products are virtually placed inside the game or there are banners or billboards integrated into the game play.

Venkat Mallik, MD, Level Up! India, said, “There are no in-game advertisements in the Indian market as of now. There are instances of computer brands associating with games, as in the case of HCL with us for the MMOGs provided by us in the country.”

Zapak has tied up with brands to promote them through games. Divulging more on these, Arun Mehra, Chief Marketing Officer, Zapak Digital Entertainment, said, “We have several alliances lined up – including ZOD!, Domino’s and Big FM. Reebok is also very keen on this venture. Overall, many brands are very keen on getting into in-game advertising.”

“Putting advertisements in a logical and seamless manner into the game play is essential, otherwise the gamer would get frustrated and move on to the next game, therefore defeating the whole purpose of in-game advertising,” pointed out Navneet Prakash, Game Reviewer, Techtree.com. Agreeing with him, Frazeer Barretto, an avid gamer, said, “As long as ads don’t spoil game play, it is fine.”

With the increasing infrastructure and purchasing power of the youth, gaming in India is poised for a huge growth. Advertisers and marketers are slowly realising the potential of this medium. Only time will tell the impact and success of this medium. Until then, let’s begin the watching game!

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E4M Our strategy is to target younger audiences through Sports: Rajiv Dubey, Dabur

The Head of Media at Dabur India spoke exclusively to exchange4media on the World Cup, associating with Indian Idol, the company’s digital spending and much more

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:15 PM  | 1 min read
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With quirky campaigns, memes and moment marketing, timed with the ongoing World Cup and particularly the India-Pakistan matches, Dabur India has got considerable consumer attention for its popular brands – Red Paste, Cool King Hair Oil, Chyawanprash, Dabur Vita and the recently launched Bae Fresh Gel toothpaste.

The 140-year-old company is going big on key sporting events, World Television Premiere (WTP) movies and reality shows. It is now gearing up to become the title sponsor of popular talent show ‘Indian Idol’ on Sony TV for the first time, shared Rajiv Dubey, who leads the media strategy at Dabur.

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Swapan Seth's new book 'COOL' is out

The book is a reflection of the author's 'eclectic taste across categories'

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:07 PM  | 1 min read
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Advertising professional and art collector Swapan Seth has announced the launch of his new book COOL. The book is described as "a ready reckoner to the hip and the happening, of the known and the very unknown."

The book is a reflection of the author's "eclectic taste across categories: from boltholes to exotic hideaways."

COOL has been published by Simon & Schuster India and is available on Amazon.

Seth is an ad veteran with a long and illustrious career in the industry. He became the youngest-ever Creative Director at Clarion at age 24. He was VP at 26 at Trikaya Grey. Two years later, he started his agency Equus.

He writes for publications such as The Economic Times, Hindustan Times and India Today. This is his second book and he has previously published THIS IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY.

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Disney Star signs 9 sponsors for Asia Cup PAK

Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up come on board

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 11:48 AM  | 1 min read
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e4m Staff Disney Star has signed nine broadcast and digital streaming sponsors for the upcoming Asia Cup.

Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up have come on board for the upcoming tournament.
As reported earlier by exchange4media, Disney Star has sought Rs 26 crore for the co-presenting sponsorship on TV and Rs 30 crore for Disney+ Hotstar.

According to industry sources, the associate sponsorship on Star Sports has been priced at Rs 19.66 crore, whereas for the ‘powered by’ sponsorship on Disney+ Hotstar, the broadcaster is seeking Rs 18 crore.

As per the information available with exchange4media, Disney+ Hotstar has three sponsorship tiers-- co-presenting (Rs 30 crore), powered by (Rs 18 crore) and associate sponsorship (Rs 12 crore). The broadcaster is offering an estimated reach of 120-140 million for co-presenting sponsors, 90-100 million for powered by and 60-70 million for associate sponsorship.

A spot buy for 10 seconds has been priced at Rs 25 lakh for the India vs Pakistan matches, while for the non-India matches, the ad rate for 10 second is Rs 2.3 lakh. The India matches plus the final for ODIs has been priced at Rs 17 lakh per 10 seconds.

Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from 30 August, 2023, to September 17, 2023.

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Sorted 360 wins creative & social media mandate of Reliance Mall

The agency will manage offline and online campaigns for Reliance Mall

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 10:54 AM  | 1 min read
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Sorted 360, an integrated creative and social media agency, has won the mandate to providing brand solutions for Reliance Malls across India.

“Sorted 360 is set to enhance Reliance Malls' market presence with their unparalleled creative prowess and strategic thinking,” read a press release.

“Sorted 360's commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative communication aligns perfectly with Reliance Malls' ethos. With a pan-India presence spanning across 19 cities and growing, Reliance Malls has consistently captivated customers by offering an array of Reliance brands and third-party fashion & lifestyle brands. The mall has established an unparalleled connection with its patrons through superior quality, a remarkable value proposition, and an unmatched shopping experience,” it read further.

"We are thrilled to welcome Sorted 360 as our trusted partner in advancing our brand presence across the nation," said the Head of Marketing at Relaice Malls. "Their proven expertise in retail, shopping center management, and innovative creative strategies make them the perfect fit for our vision."

"Partnering with Reliance Malls is a testament to our commitment to shaping extraordinary brand experiences," remarked Prerana Anatharam, Co-founder of Sorted 360. "We are excited to leverage our strategic and creative acumen to further elevate Reliance Malls as the epitome of convenience, choice, and excellence."

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e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 25, 2023 4:39 PM  | 1 min read

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e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 25, 2023 4:38 PM  | 1 min read

KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias

Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 24, 2023 3:35 PM  | 1 min read
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KlugKlug has appointed Hemang Mehta as its Country Manager for India.

Mehta will play a pivotal role in driving KlugKlug's growth and expansion within the Indian market and be responsible for Sales & GTM Strategy

Prior to that, he has also represented organisations like Exponential (now VDX.tv), India Today Digital and Rediff.com. His expertise spans various domains including digital media sales, mobile marketing, media planning, and buying, social media marketing, and more.

Hemang Mehta expressed his enthusiasm about joining KlugKlug, saying, "I am thrilled to be a part of KlugKlug, a forward-thinking platform that is reshaping the influencer marketing landscape. As much as I look forward to collaborating with the exuberant team at KlugKlug, I am super excited to interact with the brands to deliver powerful data-backed Influencer solutions that will guarantee business outcomes."

Commenting on the appointment, Kalyan Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of KlugKlug, stated, "We are excited to welcome Hemang Mehta to our team as the Country Manager for India. His extensive experience in digital media sales and marketing will be instrumental in driving our efforts to provide influencer marketing solutions to our clients. We believe Hemang's leadership will be key in scaling our operations and expanding our reach within the Indian market."

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