Research has shown that 42% of people who play online games do so for one or more hours per week. Fifty percent of people who play advergames do so for an average of 25 minutes. Ninety percent of people who receive advergame challenges from someone they know will play the advergame.
So what do these statistics mean for companies using advergames? For starters, more revenue, more brand exposure, and a positive ROI. A company-sponsored advergame may incorporate corporate colors, logos, products, and advertising messages. Advergames can live on a website, and are even successfully starting to exist as an app on mobile phones.
Confused about what exactly is an advergame? An advergame is a web or mobile game that incorporates and features advertising and promotion of a sponsoring company’s products and services. In simpler terms, advergames are interactive games that a company distributes for consumers to play. The goal of an advergame is to provide promotional incentives with the goal of getting a response from consumers and, in turn, increasing consumer awareness.
For example, if your business is a retail store, you can create an advergame that looks and feels like your store. While playing your game, potential customers would be exposed to your logo and sale items, and might even receive an incentive (such as a coupon) to physically walk into your store and purchase.
One advantage of an advergame is that a consumer can log into the game at any time. The repeat playability of advergames helps increase the time people are exposed to the sponsoring company and keeps consumers coming back. The players of the game are completely unaware that they are being advertised as they are focused on fulfilling the goals of the game.
Advergames come in almost all types, from reworked arcade-style classics to casual games to fast-paced action games. A unique advergaming experience is what companies need today to promote themselves.
Advergaming has become such a thriving industry that companies that specialize in developing advergames are looking for companies looking to have their own custom advergames campaign. The companies that develop advergames help their clients with everything from designing and developing the game, to providing demographic and tracking information about the people who play the sponsored game.
Advergaming offers businesses a unique and powerful way to engage with visitors on multiple levels. Players receive extended exposure to their company’s brand or cause, which may result in future sales. If your advergame is especially creative, visitors will most likely tell their friends about it.
Many advergames also include the option to track each visitor’s gaming experience. This can provide a company with detailed information, which can then be used to refine an advergame for even more exposure and impact. With so many benefits, advergames can create an exceptional brand environment for almost any product or service. And with revenue from ad-supported games expected to grow continuously over the next three years, there’s never been a better time to learn more about how they can benefit your business.