This PowerPoint defines the adult demographic that partakes in social gaming and their motives and characteristics as consumers. It also looks at the various types of in-game advertising, the pros and cons of in-game advertising, as well as the overall effectiveness of this type of marketing strategy.

1. Adults & Social Gaming
Mike Doherty

2. Social Gaming: What is it?
Social gaming is a multiplayer, competitive, goal-oriented activity with defined rules of engagement
and online connectivity among a community of players.
Most social games include a few key elements:
o Leader boards
o Achievement Badges
o Friend or buddy list

3. Adults & Social Gaming: Overview
User Motives
“Adults” Why are users playing
Defined as 18+ social games?
Effectiveness User Characteristics
Is advertising How do these users act
in social games with the others and the
effective? market?
In-game Advertising
What are the differences in
types of in-game
advertisements? What
In-game
placement works for who? Advertising

4. User Motives: Overview
Users often turn to
social gaming for a way Social gaming can be
to get away from the a large part of the
negative aspects of recovery process for
every day life the user
Users often
game to get
Users of social
away from the
games are social
real world, giving
and often look to
them an
meet new people,
opportunity to
and form online
“take control” of
relationships with
various situations
other players
in the game
Flow
Teamwork Is a large component for
many online players for games such Teamwork
as Call of Duty. This allows users to
work together and socialize in the
comfort of their own homes

5. Flow: Definition
Flow
• Flow is the sense of
immersion, or telepresence a
user may experience while
playing a game.
• This plays a large role in the
way a user interacts within a
game. This “flow”, or
immersion of the user is highly
desirable to marketers for
insight on how to best reach
users of social games.

6. User Motives: Defined
New
Escape Relax Control Teamwork Social Ventures
•Users turn to •Social gaming has •Users may often • Teamwork and • Users of social • Many users
online games to been found to be feel empowered communication games are very enjoy the various
get away from an important part or in control when are of the upmost social individuals experiences they
negative exterior of the recovery play games importance to and love meeting can have online,
forces process for some users new people online they may not get
to have in real life
•Often feel a •Users feel more •This is seen as a • Seen as more • Users may often • Users can
sense of rested and de-stresser for fun and rewarding form strong “harvest their
autonomy capable after many users than playing a relationships with crops” without
playing solo-player game online “friends” ever leaving home
•Feel a sense of •Social games are • By allowing • Users often feel • Social gamers • Users that enjoy
immersion often played at users to have the teamwork often feel more this are very
work to reduce control, many aspect is similar to comfortable immersive and
user’s stress and users feel a sense that displayed in a expressing suseptable to
anxiety of autonomy game of football themselves online online ads

7. User Characteristics: Defined
Socially Active Sophisticated Highly Receptive to Avid Consumers
• Users spend 13 hours
Gamers in-game ads
per week on social • Often making purchases
networks in the following:
• 50% of the current • 42% of social gamers
social gamer population say they would be more • Entertainment
• Spend an average of owns at least one motivated to play a
9.5 hours per week on console social game that offered • CPG (Consumer
social games real world rewards (eg: Packaged Goods)
a coupon or gift card);
• 25% prefer games
• Have 218 social with missions or quests •and many other major
connections •55% of players would categories
rather earn virtual
• 22% say the fact that
currency than purchase
•16.5 real-life friends their online friends can
it with real money
who play the same see their score drives
social game as them them to play more and
harder •24% of players report
they have clicked on an
• Have made 20 new
ad in a social game and
friends through social
made an online
gaming
purchase

8. In-Game Advertising: Overview
Peripheral
Focal Visual Field
Placement
Experienced Vs. Differences in In-
Violent Video Game Advertising and
Inexperience
Games and Brands Traditional Media
Players

9. Focal Vs. Peripheral Visual Field
Focal Visual Field
The brand
appears in the
center of the
action in the
game
Peripheral Visual Field
The brand is
placed outside
the main field
of visual focus
– often used in
racing games

10. Experienced Vs. Inexperienced Players
Experienced
Inexperienced
• Experienced players should
demonstrate greater memory
• Focal placement may be
performance for focal
superior to peripheral
placement than for peripherally
placement regardless of the
placed brands in a moderate-
level of game involvement
involvement game situation
• Peripheral placement may get
• Experienced playes should
lost in the clutter of the game
have a firm grasp on the game
as the user trys to navigate
and therefore may tune out
through the game
peripheral placement ads

11. Violent Video Games and Brands
Violent Video Games
Users are less likely to
remember advertised
brands when they are
embedded in a violent game
in comparison to a neutral
game
Why?
•More arousing than other media
• Diverts attention away from ads
• Induces strong cognitive and affective reactions from players
• Amount of mental resources spent on processing violence hinders encoding process of ads
• Violent video games have proven less effective in brand placement in the aspects of brand recall
and brand attitude

12. In-Game Advertising Vs. Traditional Media
In-Game Advertising Traditional Media
• Consists of script and
screen placements within
social games • Consists of television and
• Allows user to interact movie commercials, as well
with product and brand in as print ads and billboards
proactive manner • Low-level of consumer
• May allow for involvement
collaboration between • Often seen as annoying or
company and user invasive
• Often creates stronger • Often difficult to rise
brand impression than above the advertising
traditional media “noise”
• Does not interrupt • Limited time allotted for
entertainment as a consumer impressions
commercial would

13. Brand Placement: Pros and Cons
Pros Cons
• Does not interrupt the
Cons
consumer’s experience like Cons
• Ads may seem invasive to users
traditional media
• Ads may seem • seem seem
• The brand mayAds may unauthentic
invasive to users invasive to users
• Not always paid for by the brand
• The brand may seem • Users may feelThe brand may or
• persuaded seem
• unauthentic
Placements may not be tricked if they find out they are
unauthentic
perceived by Users may feelas
consumers playing an advergame, or are
• • Users may feel
commercial messages tricked if
persuaded or being advertised to
persuaded or tricked if
they find out they are they find out they are
• Creates realism an advergame,
playing playing an advergame,
or are being advertised or are being advertised
to to
• Authenticity
• Creates a greater sense of
telepresence

14. Effectiveness of In-Game Advertising
Involvement is Grounded in Motivation
There is a correlation between a user’s involvement in the game, and ad memorization. Thus, the more
immersed a user is, the better brand placement will fare.
Brand recall, and recognition is affected by game’s level of violence
Users spend their time processing the violent images in the game, which takes time away from
encoding brands or ads. Violent games also negatively affect a user’s brand opinion.
Exposure Helps with Recall
Users often do not have great brand recall after their first time playing a game, thus repetition helps
with this issue.
Proven Effective
In-game advertising has proven to be effective. Users not only remember a brand, but may also
remember the specific product. (ie. Nissan Skyline) However, script, screen and visual point of
advertising must stil be considered when deciding if brand placement is right for a certain business.

15. Sources
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16. Sources
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