Archive for the ‘Ad Funded Gaming’ Category

Blue Sphere Games Announces Licence Agreement with Coca-Cola

May 17th, 2005 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Ad Funded Gaming | No Comments »

Blue Sphere Games Ltd., a leading developer of mobile games and content, together with Coca-Cola, the world’s leading manufacturer, marketer, and distributor of non-alcoholic beverages, are pleased to announce an European Licence Agreement for the creation of Coca-Cola Branded mobile content.

The Agreement grants a two-year exclusive license of the mobile content creation and distribution rights, incorporating Coca-Cola brand properties within Europe, to Blue Sphere Games which allows this important brand to move into the mobile content space. More …

Music quiz for mobile handset users under Coca Cola brand

May 13th, 2005 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Ad Funded Gaming | 1 Comment »

Touchlink Mobile, the British mobile application developer and publisher, and Sandager Small Games, the Danish company specialized in Java applications, announce the release of the new music quiz for cell phones – Coca Cola Trivia Master. More …

Vodafone to appear inside computer games

May 9th, 2005 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Ad Funded Gaming | No Comments »

The computer games developer, THQ has signed a major agreement with Vodafone to include Vodafone live! in the video-game Juiced for PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, the Xbox videogame console from Microsoft and PC systems.

This is the first time that a mobile operator brand is fully integrated into a mass market game allowing players to both use mobile phones as part of the game action as well as download the game via their mobiles. Through this integration, thousands of gamers around the world will potentially see will the Vodafone live! logo within the game. More … More …(2)

Overloaded and Adidas partner to develop and publish video game around world’s first intelligent shoe, the adidas_1

March 21st, 2005 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Ad Funded Gaming | No Comments »

– Advergame to promote the launch of new Adidas shoe

Coca Cola, Paradox launch Thums Up Everest Challenge mobile game

March 17th, 2005 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Ad Funded Gaming | No Comments »

Paradox Studios Limited announced the release of the mobile game ‘Thums Up Everest Challenge,’ in association with Coca-Cola India. The game, developed by Paradox Studios, is based on Thums Up’s unique action packed brand campaign, the ‘Thums Up Everest Challenge – ‘Hai Dum?,’ which provides Thums Up drinkers an opportunity to test their mettle on the slopes of Mount Everest.

Mobile games have now emerged as the latest tactic to be employed in promoting brand campaigns. ‘Thums Up Everest Challenge’ is the world’s first ever mobile game to be used as a promotional tool. Made available to the 10 million subscriber base of the Reliance India Mobile network, the game sports a contest that promises the winner a Royal Enfield ThunderBird specially customised for Thums Up. More …

Cell Phone Games Advertising Kit

February 14th, 2005 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Ad Funded Gaming | No Comments »

MauiGames is offering a new and unique advertising opportunity on a series of cell phone games customized for maximum advertiser sell-through results.

Advertising in downloadable cell phone games is like running ads in magazines but with greater impact. Cell phone games are a new media with hundreds of thousands of downloads per month at a fraction of the cost of magazines. In addition this new media offers opportunities for local and/or customized ads and the ability to track actual sales impact. More …

Campbell Soup Leverages Wireless

February 4th, 2005 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Ad Funded Gaming | No Comments »

Looking to get the word out to young adults about its Soup at Hand product, Campbell Soup Company turned to Virtu Mobile for some help.

To promote the sippable soup, Virtu Mobile developed the Campbell’s Soup at Hand 3D Snowboarding mobile game, which encourages gamers to capture Soup at Hand cans throughout the game to prolong their snowboarder’s life. The game is designed to let young adults have fun while acquainting themselves with the brand. More …

Reebok to Sponsor EA Sports Titles

December 28th, 2004 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Ad Funded Gaming | No Comments »

NFL Street 2 sports all the latest licensed gear.

Reebok today announced it has entered into a multi-title agreement to sponsor sport games with EA. Wasting no time getting started, Reebok shoes and apparel will be featured prominently in NFL Street 2 due to release on the 26th. Along with current products, upcoming gear not yet available for sale will be in the game. This includes key pieces from the NFL licensed apparel line and the Pre-Season Bringback footwear collection. More …

Marketing for the Third Screen

November 8th, 2004 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Ad Funded Gaming | No Comments »

The Chrysler Group division of DaimlerChrysler is one of the pioneers in sponsoring games that can be played online and is "trying to be an innovator" in the realm of games on phones, said Jeffrey A. Bell, vice president for the Chrysler and Jeep brands in Auburn Hills, Mich.

Branded games are appealing to marketers because those playing the games are not passive consumers; they have actually chosen to participate. " ‘Invitation marketing’ is the term we’re using," he said, adding that the consumer would be in control and that the marketer would be on the screen only when invited. "It’s up to you," Mr. Bell said. More …

Ashu Mathura on mobile advergaming; free games anyone?

August 9th, 2004 by Ashu Mathura Posted in Ad Funded Gaming, Analysis & Editorial | 6 Comments »

Can we convince consumers to pay money for advertisement driven games?

The business of video games for mobile phones must be one of the most dynamic and fast paced industries in the world today. New phones are hitting the shelves faster and faster. Phones are becoming more and more powerful by the month. Innovative technologies like 3D and multiplayer games are pushed into the hands of end consumers. Mobile game development studios are working on steroids to develop better, bigger and more complex video games (and yes, we at Overloaded are very proud that our latest game “Xyanide” has received The Mobile Gaming Award: “This is one of the best games for mobile phones so far” by Midlet Review). But in the midst of this all a new trend is emerging; free mobile video games.

In today’s world end consumers are bombarded with hundreds of marketing messages each hour. Finding ways to connect to end consumers and create awareness is becoming increasingly critical and more difficult for high profile brands like Coca-Cola, Suzuki, BMW and Heineken. Traditional mass marketing (TV / radio / print) campaigns seem to have less effect every year and consumer preferences are even more difficult to predict and influence.

Clever brand marketers are finding in mobile games a new way to reach the young people who are ever more stubbornly ignoring their sales pitches. As more consumers have game capable mobile phones, the potential for advergaming and thus free sponsored games is huge.

For brand marketers there could be a number of good reasons to deploy a sponsored mobile game. First and most obvious is to create awareness for a brand. Second is to introduce a (new) product or service in a way that involves and entertains the consumer and interacts with the actual product. Third is to educate consumers in an entertaining way about the product features and way of usage. Any combination of these reasons is also possible.

Creating awareness for a brand sounds easier than it actually is. Consumers are not easily fooled and today it is simply not enough to recreate Frogger or Pac-Man and simply put your logo on top of it. Coca-Cola for example is by no means linked to Tetris or Arkanoid and consumers will simply have a negative experience if brands chose to do so. Creativity and understanding the brand values become very relevant skills for game development studios to understand and apply.

Currently many mobile games released are focused on console gamers or at least are inspired on console games. Think about the Ubisoft, Atari, Sega, Namco, Capcom and Microsoft games that are heavily pushed by operators worldwide. In contrast, brand marketers are focussing on the casual gamers instead. Casual gamers tend to like games that are quick to learn and have a relative short playtime per game, typical 5