In-Game Advertising Research Proves Effectiveness for Brands Across Categories and...

In-Game Advertising Research Proves Effectiveness for Brands Across Categories
and Game Titles
adidas, other leading brands from quick-service restaurant, candy and
entertainment categories drive key marketing metrics for brands and products
advertised throughout Massive Network.

NEW YORK, June 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Massive Inc., a wholly owned
subsidiary of Microsoft Corp. and a leading network for video game
advertising, and Interpret LLC, a leading new media research firm, today
released research results that provide further insight into the significant
brand impact of dynamic in-game advertising. The study demonstrates that the
gaming audience has a consistently positive opinion of the ads and how the ads
affect their game experience.
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Interpret conducted detailed research on behalf of Massive and four of its
advertisers: adidas utilizing brand advertising for footwear and apparel, a
quick-service restaurant (QSR) brand promoting a tie-in to gaming and a
specific menu option, a candy company marketing new creative for its candy bar
brand, and an entertainment studio advertising the DVD release for a hit film.
The study measures a broad range of brand metrics across game environments and
suggests best practices to guide advertisers and their agencies within this
rapidly maturing medium.
adidas tested ads it ran through the Massive Network in "Major League
Baseball(R) 2K7," published by 2K Sports, a publishing label of Take-Two
Interactive Software Inc. Among those exposed to the adidas ads (the test
group), 40 percent recall the company's tagline of "Impossible Is Nothing" --
an increase of 90 percent over those not exposed to the ads (the control
group). The number of gamers exposed to the ads who agreed with the statements
"adidas is the only brand for me" and "adidas is an inspirational brand" rose
70 percent over those not exposed to the ads. In addition, 73 percent of
gamers recalling the ads agreed with the statement that "the ads enhanced the
realism of the game."
"The influence of gaming on our target for adidas can't be denied," said
Brian Mathena, group media director for Carat. "The scalability and
effectiveness that Massive's dynamic in-game solution provides is evident in
the results of our efforts. Massive has consistently been a true partner in
consulting on the best gaming solutions for adidas and the rest of our
clients."
Drawing on its unparalleled experience in video game advertising research,
Massive has conducted studies for more than 30 clients across North America
and Europe assessing the impact of in-game ads across numerous key brand
metrics, including purchase interest, brand recommendation and brand
attributes. Results such as these released today help the advertising
community understand how and why in-game advertising works, and guides the
development of best practices for this important component of media plans.
Across all game genres and advertisers studied, the research revealed that
an average of 70 percent of gamers agreed with statements that the dynamic
in-game ads "contributed to realism," "fit the games" in which they were
served and looked "cool."
A leading QSR brand executed custom ad creative for select titles with
strong results. Among those gamers exposed to the QSR ads in "Need for Speed
Carbon," a racing title published by Electronic Arts Inc., the number saying
that they would recommend the QSR brand to others rose by 39 percent compared
with the control group, and those assigning the QSR brand the highest possible
brand rating rose by 17 percent from the control group to the test group.
Fifty-six percent of exposed gamers agreed with the statement that the ads
made the gaming environment feel more interactive.
A global candy bar company executed a branding campaign in "NASCAR(R) 08,"
published by Electronic Arts. Seventy-five percent of gamers recalled the
candy bar in-game advertising with 56 percent recalling the specific ad
creative. Within the test group, 72 percent agreed with the statement that the
candy bar is "a great snack to eat while playing video games," an increase of
29 percent from the control group; the proportion agreeing that the candy bar
"gives you energy" and "is cool" rose 24 percent and 21 percent from control
group to test group, respectively.
An entertainment studio ran a campaign advertising the DVD release of a
hit film in "Rainbow Six: Vegas," an action title published by Ubisoft
Entertainment. Unaided awareness of the DVD increased 16 percent among gamers
exposed to the ads as compared with the control group, with 66 percent of
those recalling the campaign having a more positive opinion of the DVD
following in-game exposure. Purchase intent for the DVD rose 23 percent from
control group to test group, with 80 percent of exposed gamers responding in
the survey that "they would probably or definitely purchase the DVD."
"The depth of this research reflects Massive's commitment to offering
advertisers an understanding of how in-game advertising can impact brands
across game genres and advertising categories," said Cory Van Arsdale, CEO of
Massive. "As the in-game medium matures and establishes its position on the
media plan, advertisers and agencies are eager for insight into creative
nuances and best practices for maximizing its impact. We view this type of
guidance as an essential part of our role as an industry leader and
innovator."
Methodology
Interpret implemented a test/control methodology for each game in which
Massive dynamically served ads, totaling over 1,000 gamers across the United
States. Both control and test group respondents played the same game title
that was studied for each ad client. The control group consisted of those who
had played the game but were not exposed to ads delivered from Massive. The
test group had played the game on a connected Xbox 360 system or PC during the
time the ad campaigns were live, and had the opportunity to be exposed to the
ads delivered by Massive. Both groups were asked the same set of questions
about the brands and ads included in the study, and the respondent differences
were evaluated to identify significant shifts in each brand metric measured.
About Interpret LLC
Interpret is a next-generation media and market research firm with a focus
on evaluating and measuring the intersections of content, advertising,
technology and consumer behavior. Interpret's management team has unique
experience pioneering new custom research methodologies and analytics to help
companies Plan, Test and Measure(TM) their new media strategies. In addition
to campaign ad effectiveness testing, Interpret's suite of products and
services include GaMeasure and GamerLog, two syndicated services developed to
deliver planning and measurement intelligence to the burgeoning field of in
and around-game advertising. The firm is headquartered in Santa Monica,
California, with offices in New York and London. More information can be found
online at: http://www.interpretllc.com.
About Massive Inc.
Massive Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft, is the creator of a
leading network for dynamic video game advertising. The Massive Network offers
advertisers the ability to reach an aggregated gaming audience in real time
across multiple platforms. Over 200 blue-chip advertisers have run campaigns
across the Massive Network throughout North America and Europe. Publishers in
the Massive Network generate revenue through dynamic in-game advertising,
enabling them to fully realize the value of their content while preserving and
enhancing the game experience. Massive's technology allows for all forms of
downloadable media and advertising content to be contextually integrated into
the game environment, including image, audio, video and game object formats.
More information can be found online at http://www.massiveincorporated.com.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in
software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their
full potential.
SOURCE Microsoft Corp.

pr.mspx./ /CONTACT: Corie Pierce of The SutherlandGold Group, +1-318-402-3654,
corie@sutherlandgold.com, for Microsoft