Three’s a great article on iMedia Connection today that addresses myths about video game advertising. We have a lot of gamers here at Hot Tomali and the article was quite relevant to us. To note – we don’t get to play as much as we’d like because of responsibilities to our clients

There were two elements to the article that I liked the most. First, the myth that gamers are a niche audience is great to point out. I’ve heard a lot of people (in my social circles) that video games are for younger people. People who say that don’t get the fact that we are in an era where this is the first chance for gamers to be older. Back when video games first originated, it wasn’t likely that older consumers would pick them up and try, but kids would. Kids that were playing Atari and Coleco vision (I had two Ataris when I was younger) grew up really enjoying video games, so in many cases those experiences would translate into something they would like to do when older.  It’s similar to enjoying movies as children and watching them as adults – maybe the taste in the medium changes (e.g. horror versus comedies), but the desire for the medium does not.

It’s somewhat analagous to the idea of people claiming the Rolling Stones are too old to tour. This is also the first time in history where we have had the opportunity to see rock bands grow old (rock ‘n’ roll is really just over 50 years old). This leads to a nice rule for marketers – where an experience was once considered appropriate for juvenilles, those juvenilles eventually grow up still wanting those experiences (for a variety of reasons, nostalgia would be a dominant one). In other words, video games are not solely for younger people anymore. And with the invention of the Wii, well that changes the rules entirely doesn’t it?

The second outstanding point in the article is the myth about gamers hating advertising. Gamers enjoy experiences that have a strong element of realism and advertising is a part of that. If an advertisement is consistent with the gaming environment in which it is placed, the ad becomes part of the game and actually enhances the entire game experience. The important point is consistency – if you try embedding Coca-Cola’s logo on a basketball (which does not happen in real life) in an NBA-related video game, that would likely stand out as inappropriate and evoke a negative reaction. However, placing that same logo on a stadium sign within the game would appear more realistic and would enhance the video game’s experience.

These are very important points behind experiential marketing. To get it right as marketers, we need to understand how people relate to and perceive an experience. The real fun part in the process is developing ways to enhance it. Blindly following “rules” won’t help you.