Massive: Gamers Accept, Appreciate In-Game Ads

Gamers are perfectly willing to accept in-game ads, within limits. Moreover, such ads are likely to positively impact things such as ad recall and purchase intent, according to a new study from Massive, the in-game ad subsidiary of Microsoft.

Far from rejecting the commercialization of games, which some in the industry have worried would happen, gamers are open to advertising, “if it’s done tastefully,” says Grant Johnson (via Information Week), chief client officer and founding partner of Interpret, the company that conducted the survey for Massive. In fact, he says, the real-world settings in which many games are played are enhanced by the presence of ads.

Adidas saw lifts in ad recall and brand affinity when users viewed its ads in Major League Baseball 2K7, according to MediaPost. 40 percent of exposed gamers remembered the brand’s tagline, 90 percent more than those who weren’t exposed. Exposed gamers were also 70 percent more likely to agree with positive statements about the brand than those who weren’t exposed.
A candy bar company that inserted ads into the game NASCAR 08 saw a 29 percent increase in positive statements about the brand among those who were exposed to the ads, compared to those who weren’t.

Such research has helped advertisers increase their ad spend with Massive, according to Alison Lange Engel, global marketing director at Massive. “The return on research is showing how effective this medium is, and why it deserves to be part of their media plans,” she says, adding that ad buys have jumped from five figures to six figures, and now to over a million dollars.

A Massive study released last summer showed that, between control and test groups…

• Average brand familiarity increased 64%.
• Average brand rating increased 37%.
• Average purchase consideration increased 41%.
• Average ad recall increased 41%.
• Average ad rating increased 69%.