Big Macs and GTA: A Match Made in Advertising Heaven

Marketing has entered a new age for our generation. In the 1930's, marketers began to hit the radio waves. During the 1950's, these same marketers peppered the television screens of so many with images of cigarettes and beer. So, what's the next step? Well, there's online advertising. We all experience this when we peruse the Internet. Sometimes, we can't even get rid of these ads (thank you, Ad Blocker). However, an untapped market exists in which advertisers are just beginning to scratch the surface. I am, of course, talking about the virtual worlds in which Master Chief, Link, and Samus Aran call home. Yes, the video game is the next frontier for advertising and marketing. Numerous examples already abound within the video game world. Let's take a look at a few. First, we have one that, frankly, surprised me. My friend, whom I frequently play Xbox Live with, informed me about an in-game advertisement for the president. At first, I didn't believe him. Really? Obama advertisements in an Xbox game? Well, it turns out he was right. Voteforchange.com appears on the side of the scorer's table in NBA JAM (Xbox 360). Even more interesting is the fact that the advertisement only appeared in certain states (my home state of Ohio being one of them). This isn't the only game the president's face has graced the virtual playground. A billboard featuring the Big Cheese's head was placed in 2008's Burnout Paradise. Sports games aren't the only target for in-game advertisements. They even show up in the most serious of situations. Imagine: you're a CIA agent. You're sneaking through a top-secret facility to stop terrorists from annihaliting the world. As you creep through the offices, you peek around the corner to make sure no enemies are waiting for you on the other side. The bright light of the SoBe vending machine almost blinding you. Wait, what? Yes, in 2002, Sobe partnered with Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell franchise. Even secret government agents get thirsty. That was in 2002. Think of how it is in today's world. You can't escape ads, whether they're in your video games or on your computer. YouTube has even succombed to the marketing prowess of advertisers. In-game ads aren't going away either. According to Forbes, in-game advertising will double by 2016. The industry already makes 3.1 BILLION dollars. By 2016, that's going to exceed 7 billion dollars. That's a lot of money for in-game ads. You might be asking yourself why advertisers would spend all this money. After all, just becasue I see a cheeseburger on television doesn't mean I rush out to grab a Big Mac. However, Nielsen research would disagree with you. According to Nielsen, NBA Street Homecourt (2007) advertised Gatorade. Surprisingly, sales for Gatorade shot up 24%. Yeah, it works. Weird, right? I really don't have a strong opinion on the subject either way. I think if anything, ads could either create a more realistic experience in games based in "reality" (GTA, Burnout, NBA 2K, etc.) or they could bring the player out of the experience and distract them. They may find the ads confusing and be turned off by the concept of ads "cluttering" their games. What do you think? Leave a comment below if you want your voice to be heard!