Dave's Advergaming Blog

Everybody Can Play: An Advergame Overview

2006-12-11T18:05:00.000-08:00

Advergaming is an emerging medium in which companies can promote their brand, product, or cause. While some companies can benefits this method of marketing other must be careful when utilizing advergaming. There are several factors that should be considered when using advergames.

The most common use of advergames is to promote a brand or a product. Lifesavers Mini Putt Adventure Game is a great example of this. The product is displayed and incorporated throughout all 18 holes of the game. The game effectively shows all the different flavors Lifesavers has to offer in an engaging golf game.

Advergames can also be used to promote a service. Air Invaders is a game that promotes Lennox’s air filtering service. The game lets players dispose of germs in the air which is one of the main services provided by the company. The game also gives facts about airborne germs in the game. As a result players will want to make sure their house is eradicated of such germs and in turn the will contact Lennox for their services.

Advergames can also be used to help promote social causes. In other words, advergames can be used like public service announcements. The American Cancer Society (ACS) sponsored Smokeout Café. This game was designed to inform people about the ACS’s program to sell orange wristbands whose proceeds will go to directly back into the ACS to inform people about the dangers of smoking. Snackdash, sponsored by the School Food Trust is another PSA oriented advergame. The game informs kids about eating healthy and avoiding junk food in a fun and interactive manner.

The entertainment industry has been making good use of advergames. The band INXS came out with the advergame called Bang the Drum to promote an upcoming album. The game actually lets players drum along with INXS’s popular song I Need You Tonight. NBC also made an online version of their new game show 1 vs. 100. This advergame was not only was a great promotion for the 1 vs. 100 game show but it gave NBC another medium in which to plug some of its other shows.

The most important characteristic of an advergame is its relevancy to the product that the game is trying to promote. BMW’s X3 Adventure is a great example of this. In the game players can actually test drive the X3 on various terrains. While the game is loading players can actually view some of the features that the vehicle offers. The Weather Channel’s Driving Game: A Four Wheel Adventure is another example of a relevant advergame that it similar to the BMW game. Players of the game can type in their zip code and then drive in the weather conditions that their particular area is experiencing at that moment. Players can check the weather in their area and at the same time they can practice driving in those conditions.

Not all advergames do a good job of making the game relevant to the product. Beck’s Beer promoted a Tetris like advergame that had absolutely nothing to do with beer. In the game players had to organize pieces of unattractive furniture into rows. The only way that someone could connect the game with the product is a logo for Beck’s Beer that seemed to have been haphazardly added to the page.

Advergames can be time sensitive which can be a very effect tool if utilized correctly. M&Ms Dark Chocolate Presents 50 Dark Movies Hidden in a Painting was an advergame that was perfect for the Halloween season. The game promoted M&M’s candy coated dark chocolate. The game board was a picture depicting several scenes that represented 50 different scary movies. The object of the game was to guess which scene represented which scene. The timing of the game seemed to be perfect. With Halloween approaching people tend watch more scary movies making this game extremely appropriate for the Halloween season. The National Christmas Tree Association also understands the concept of timing with advergames. Their game the Attack of the Mutant Artificial Christmas Trees encourages people to buy real Christmas trees instead of artificial tree. The game is perfect for the holiday season since it was available right around Thanksgiving during the time when most people are on the hunt for a Christmas tree.

A good characteristic of an advergame is to encourage repeat visits. Flushed Away Underground Adventure is an excellent example of this. The game was released a few weeks before the release of the movie Flushed Away. The game is actually a collection of mini games. Every few days a new game would be released. Players earn points for each game the completed as well as letters in a secret message. The game encouraged players to visit the game site multiple times so that they could play the newly released games as well as earn points and letters for the secret message. This game also is a great example of stickiness. Players are encouraged to stay on the site for a long time because they have several options of game they can play.

Advergames can also be used to obtain information about its players. For example rcade.com and candystand.com require players to register in order to play some of their games. The registration process is free for most sites like this but for most sites players must give some type of personal information. This information usually doesn’t go much further then age, zip code, and gender. This information can be useful to the site because it lets them know what types of people are playing which games, how often they are playing, and even what time of day they are playing.

In conclusion advergaming has many dimensions which should be considered before being used by a company. First of all the company should have a brand, product, service, or cause to promote and they game must be relevant to what it is that is being promoted. Advergames can also be used to collect consumer information. The time of year an advergame is made available can also have major affects on its success. A good advergame also encourages people to visit it multiple times and to stay on that particular site for as along as possible.

Santa needs a shave

2006-12-08T20:21:00.000-08:00

I've always wondered what Santa would look like without a beard. Now I have the chance to see at Shave Sa nta. This website allows visitors to shave Mr. Claus using a Remington Comfortselect electric razor. At first I wasn't sure if the site could be considered an advergame, but I figured that just because there are no points awarded or no direct competition, that doesn't mean its not an advergame.

After creating a style for Papa Noel players of the game can post their pictures in a gallery and compare your shaving skills to others. Players who post their picture are then entered into a contest to win a free Remington Comfortselect electric razor. There is even a link to get a coupon for a Remington Razor.

I was quite impressed with Remington for this advergame. It's a great idea for the holiday season. Let's say for example some children are looking online for what to get their father. After playing this game I have no doubt that they would be just as excited to get Dad a Remington Comfortselect Razor, as he would be to receive one. Well done to Remington for sponsoring a relevant Christmas advergame that is sure to increase brand awareness.

HBO's Entourage yells FOOORE!

2006-12-06T12:11:00.000-08:00

One of the reason I love HBO is because of its fantastic series. Among my favorite are Sopranos, Extras, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and maybe my most favorite, Entourage which is about the life of four friends living in Hollywood, one of which is a movie star. I was looking at HBO's website to see when my favorite series would be starting with new seasons. While on the Entourage page I noticed a game on the page called the Entourage Rooftop Golf Game. The game is taken right out of an episode of season one in which the shows four main characters hit golf balls from the roof of their Beverly Hills mansion and try to hit the houses of celebrities like Toby McGuire and Pierce Brosnan.

I enjoyed this game for many reasons. First of all, it totally fits in with the show. Like the characters from the show, the object of the game is to hit as many objects as you can. Some of the objects include a paparazzi helicopter, a nice young lady sunbathing, and the gardener. During after each shot audio clips directly from the show are played and they fit in perfectly with the game.

The only thing I would change about the game would be to actually show the characters hitting the golf balls. They should give players the option of choosing their favorite character to play as. This would make the player seem more involved in the game and give the game that much more relevancy to the show. Other then that I liked the game and can hardly wait for the new season of Entourage to start.

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

2006-12-02T19:42:00.000-08:00

While looking for Christmas themed advergames I stumbled upon this game sponsored by the National Chris tmas Tree Association (NCTA). Attack of the Mutant Artificial Trees is a great way for the NCTA to promote the sale of real Christmas Trees as opposed to fake ones people buy in department stores.

In the game mutant Christmas Trees that are either orange or purple and have crazy faces robot arms pop out of their boxes. The object of the games is to hit as many of the trees with snowballs as you can. But be careful not to hit the elf or you may loose precious points. In between rounds your score is shown on a small window that also has interesting facts about Christmas Trees on them. For example, "real Christmas Trees are grown in all 50 states and Canada. Eighty-five percent of artificial trees are manufactured in China."

Overall I thought that this game represented the NCTA well and got its point across. That being of course that real Christmas Trees and better. I also liked that game provides facts about Christmas Trees and a link to the NCTA's website. The only suggestion I would make is for the game to somehow show actually show and incorporate real Christmas Trees into the game. Instead of having the player try and not hit an elf, the player could try and not hit a real Christmas Tree. Or the game could some how award Christmas Trees instead of points. The game should have at least shown a real Christmas Tree on the window that gives players facts. By incorporating real Christmas Trees the game would actually be showing the product it’s promoting and it will give players the oppurtunity to see just how beautiful a real Christmas Tree can look.

A Hole in One For LifeSavers

2006-11-30T19:07:00.000-08:00

Ryan of Fuel Industries suggested this game to me. He suggested a couple of games his company produced for Candy Stand. LifeSavers Mini Putt Adventure was one of the games Ryan suggested and I was quite impressed.

I was doubtful of the game at first because I've played a few mini golf style online games and thought it would be difficult to incorporated the company’s product (especially LifeSavers) into the game. After playing Mini Putt Adventure (MPA) I soon found out how wrong I was.

The first thing you'll notice about MPA are the graphics. (Which reminds me to play you have to download this Virtools 3d Life plugin, but it doesn't take to long.) They are as good as some Playstation 2 games that I've played, and that’s good as far as advergames go. The characters are bright and very lively and entertaining during the game. Are 18 holes and each are named and themed after flavors of LifeSavers. For example, hole 1 is called Wild Cherry and hole 11 is tropical fruits. Not only that, but if your golf ball ends up hitting one of the LifeSavers Candies throughout each hole you can earn bonus points. The holes themselve are quite original and some are quite challenging. I liked how each hole was themed after a LifeSavers flavor. I was very impressed with how LifeSavers was incorporated into the game. Another feature of MPA are the mini games. About every four holes or so players participate in mini games some of which include Longdrive and Pinball. This keeps the game a little more interesting.

Kudos to those folks at Fuel Industries and Candy Stand, Mini Putt Adventure is a hole in one on my scorecard.

Turkey Games

2006-11-17T09:21:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is next week, so I thought that this would be a perfect oppurtuinty to to do a blog about a really awesome thankgiving advergame. Sadly though, I'm not sure if one exists. After doing a bit of reasearch I did find a few advergames that related Thankgivng but none I was very impressed with. Probably the best game a I found was called Turkey To Go. Gamers of Turkey To Go play as a bald turkey who scoots around a table clother to collect his feathers. Forks also fly around the table cloth hindering the turkey's feather collecting.

While the game is mildly amusing, it gets boring pretty quickly. Every level is pretty much the same so the game isn't very engaging. And why would you want to help a turkey collect his feathers? If anything, I want to play a game where I can pluck a turkey, cook a turkey, and/or eat a turkey. Isn't that what Thankgiving is about? An advergame would the perfect oppurtunity for Butteball. Some one may be doing some online research about cooking a Thankgiving meal and come across an advergame by Butterball. The game could then lead players to recipes and a guide on how to cook a turkey. While I have yet to find such a game on Butterball's website there is hope for the future. Christmas time usuually holds ample oppurtunities for marketers to launch holiday themed advergames. So... instead of doing all your Christmas shopping the day after Thanksgiving, I'd get a head start on all the holiday advergames.

Hungry? Try Some Snack Dash.

2006-11-16T21:13:00.000-08:00

The School Food Trust is an organization whose aim is to improve the quality of school food and promote the education and health of school children. The most exciting part of the website is an advergame called Snack Dash. If you've every played Sonic the Hedgehog for Sega Genesis then this game will seem very familiar. The game is played almost identically to Sonic except for a few differences. The object of the game is to make your way through a school and collect as many healthy snacks (specifically green apples, carrots, and bottled water) as you can well keeping up enough momentum to get through the school as fast as possible. Along the way the player runs by "baddies" including a badass with an ice cream cone, a little girl with a lollipop, and what appears to be a snack machine from hell. The player also comes across junk food along the way. The junk food literally makes the player fat and slow. To become "healthy" again the character has to do pushups.

I'm am thoroughly impressed with this games educational value as well as its relevance to its product. The School Food Trust takes every opportunity within the game to promote its cause. The game promotes healthy food by having point awarded to the player for collecting fruit, vegetables, and bottled water. The game also conveys the message that junk food is bad and makes you fat and slow.

Overall, I enjoyed and appreciated this advergame... or should I say "edugame." I was however disappointed that after only two levels the game ended. I would have liked to have seen a few more levels. The two levels are quite short and easy. A few more would not only be way more fun, but players of the game would stay on the School Food Trust website for longer.

INXS Needs You Tonight

2006-11-11T11:44:00.000-08:00

If you like the band INXS then you will lover this advergame I found called Bang The Drum. In the game players are given an aerial view of a 13-piece drum kit. The popular INXS song I Need You Tonight starts playing. As the song is playing pieces of the drum kit are highlighted and the object of the game is to hit the drum or cymbal as it is highlighted. You must hit the each piece in rhythm with I Need You Tonight. If at any time you miss a drum or do not play on rhythm you are given a strike, three strikes and you're done the game.

I was thoroughly impressed with this advergame for many reasons. First of all, the game is addicting and as fun as any advergame I've ever played. I big reason for this is probably because I Need You Tonight is such a catchy song. I literally found myself dancing at my computer while playing the game. I also think the game has a viral quality to it. Not only is it addicting, but also the game encourages players to send the game along to friends. I was also impressed with the games relevancy to the band. I can't think of a better form of online advertising then to actually let people play along with one of the bands most popular songs. The game also takes advantage of marketing opportunities for things other than the band. For example, the cymbals that players hit in the game are clearly Sabian cymbals, one of the top companies in the drum kit industry.

Any band or artists who has a new album coming out should take a hint from INXS. Advergames cannot only increase awareness of band or album but can also involve the consumer in the music. I encourage everyone out there to try this game and see if you're not dancing at your computer by the end of it.

Gettin Adventurous With BMW

2006-11-09T08:54:00.000-08:00

Last week I discussed an advergame promoting the Weather Channel. If you remember correctly in the game player could drive in weather conditions comparable to those being experienced in their area in an SUV. I suggested that Weather Channel should team up with a company who makes SUVs and use that vehicle in the game. BMW was already ahead of me. In BMW's X3 Adventure players can "test drive" the new BMW X3 in three different terrains. The game is played almost identically to the Weather Channel's game but with only a few differences.

In the game's setup screen player can choose a gender and the color of their X3. Then players choose from three activities in which to participate in after they drive their X3 to the designated area. The first activity to choose from is kayaking. After choosing the activity a kayak will appear on the roof racks of the X3. Players then drive to "the river." The second activity is snowboarding and after choosing a snowboard appears on the roof rack and players must drive up "the mountain" in snowy conditions. The third activity is mountain biking and... yup, you guess it... a mountain bike appears on the roof racks as player drive to the "bike trail." And get this, once you get to your destination the game doesn't end. You actually get to participate in the activity that you chose. In a similar fashion that that the X3 was driven, player kayak down the river, snowboard down the mountain, and/or bike across the trail. When I first started playing the game I was afraid that once I got my X3 to its destination that would be the ended which would have been very unsatisfying. Luckily, BMW followed all the way through with the game and doesn't leaving its players hanging. By actually letting player participate in the activities, BMW will most likely be better able to reach its target on people with an active adventurous lifestyle.

The game is based on the time it takes you to get your X3 to its destination a combined with how quickly players complete the activities. While the game is loading player can actually click on different parts on the X3 and learn about some of its features. I was impressed with this because BMW actually utilized the time that it takes for the game to load to promote the X3. Like the game from the Weather Channel, the X3 Adventure is extremely relevant to its product and at the same time engaging.

Getting Super with Monkey Ball

2006-11-04T12:38:00.000-08:00

Do you remember the Nintendo Gamecube? Probably not. But, I remember it because one of my frinds had it in high school and one of the games I remember playing on it was the Super Monkey Ball Adventure. While the game may sound a little juvenile, it was actually quite entertaining. It really only conisited of a bunch of mini games played as... you guessed it, monkys in plastic balls. I found n online version of the game and was impressed with how similiar the online game was to the real game.

Super Mokey Ball Mini is an online game that promotes the Super Monkey Ball Adventure video game for PSP, Playstation 2, and the Nintendo GameCube. The game is just one of the mini games played in the real game. This is a great way to promote a video game via an advergame. It's like playing a trial of the game before you buy it. It's like seeing the preview for a movie before you go see it. From what I can remember of the level in the real game, the mini game is just like it. The object of it is to get the monkey to the "safe area" on a platform that you can move with your mouse. This advergame also provides a link to learn more about Super Monkey Ball Adventure which has a link where players can purchase the game.

Try this game. If you like it enough you can buy the video game. Good luck trying to find someone with a GameCube though.

Before you drive in the snow, practice with Weather Channel

2006-11-02T09:24:00.000-08:00

Are you wondering what the driving conditions are in your area? The Weather Channel's Driving Game: A Four Wheel Adventure lets players type in their area code and "drive" in the current weather conditions that the area is experiencing. Players can also choose from list of weather conditions in which to drive including heavy and light rains, and heavy and light snow.

In my opinion, the Weather Channel hit the ball out of the park with this advergame. First of all, the game's relevancy to the product is dead on. Players can not only figure out what driving situations will be in their area, but the can actually "practice" driving in these conditions in the weather.com jeep. Not only that, but while driving around the track weather.com gives "drivers" advice about how to drive in the particular conditions. Players can even practice driving in almost any type of weather condition.

The object of the game is to get the fastest time around the track. Players can also pick up Weather Channel umbrellas along the way to earn bonus points. High scores are then posted on a leader board. Overall, this is one of the better advergames I've seen. My only suggestion would be for the Weather Channel to team up with Jeep or Ranger Rover and make that the vehicle which player get to drive in. This way the cost of running the advergame would promote both companies and the cost would be spilt between the two companies. Try this advergame and get some driving practices for the snowy months ahead.

Lennox Clears The Air

2006-10-28T15:13:00.000-07:00

Lennox Indoor Comfort systems is a company that produces both residential and commercial heating and cooling systems and air filtering systems. They also are the sponsors of an entertaining advergame called Air Invaders. I found the game via kewlbox.com. In the game you play as Dave Lennox. The object of the game is to kill all of the dust mites, pet dander, mildew, and pollen "baddies" that are floating around various rooms of a house. Each room is a different level. To kill the germs players shoot Mr. Lennox's "Clean Machine Blaster." The "baddies" are protected by "pollutants" and you must shoot holes in the pollutants to in order to reach the baddies.

I especially liked this game because of its relevance to the product it is trying to sell. One of Lennox's main products is air filtering systems, so what better basis for an advergame then to kill all the "baddies" in the air. I also liked how between each round Mr. Lennox offers gamers facts about air quality and air filtering systems as well as providing a link to learn more about air filtering systems. The game is engaging and encourages players to keep going until the house is clear from all of the "baddies."

Remember, Remember, the V for Vendetta Advergame

2006-10-24T14:50:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite recent movies is V for Vendetta. Luckily for me, I found an advergame that promoting the DVD release for the movie. As far as I can tell the game is actually promoting the DVD release of the movie in France. First of all, all of the text in the game is in French, and second of all the DVD was released on August first in the states, and the advergame says the DVD was released in on October 19th.

Even though the directions are in French I was able to figure out how to play the game reletivley easily. In the game you play as the character V and you punch and kick your way though various henchman. I was impressed with how quickly and accuratly the character reacted to the controls as well as how the game remained consistant with the color and design of the movie.

There were however something that I think the game could improve on. First of all, the game was too short. There were about three minute long levels that were almost too easy to beat. Also, when you beat the game, as far as I can tell, nothing happens. The game does however provide a link to the Warners Bros. V for Vendetta homepage where you can find out more about the movie and view the page in almost any language you'd like. I was acutally very impressed with the homepage. It showed movie trailers, clips fpr the movie, pictures, storyboards, and interviews. One thing I did notice is that I couldn't find a link to the game (at least on the US and UK sites).

In my opinion, the V for Vendetta advergame could have been much better. First, the game could have been longer and and had more levels, this would involved the player a lot more. Also I would have made a link to the game on Warner Bros. V for Vendetta homepage. Compared to the movie's website, the game seems like it's lacking interactivity as well as webpage stickiness.

2006-10-21T21:06:00.000-07:00

1 vs. 100 has provided NBC with a perfect advergaming opportunity. Gamers can pretty much play the same game that they see on TV. To find the game I went to the shows section of NBC's website and to 1 vs. 100 website from there. 1 vs. 100's website includes sections about the show, a biography of the shows host, the one and only Bob Saget, and of course the game itself.

Players of the 1 vs. 100 online game must answer questions against a computer generated panel of 100. If the player get a question correct then they win a certain amount of money, which is determined by how many of the panel got it wrong by which number question it is. For example the first question is worth $100, so if 6 panel members got it wrong, then the player would get $600. The more questions the player answers, them more the question is worth.

For the most part I liked how NBC handled its online version of 1 vs. 100. The game is fast paced and encouraged player to keep playing. As a marketer I could appreciate NBC using the game's site to promote other NBC shows. Something that I think the game could have improved on was the amount of different questions it asks. After playing for only about 5 minutes I was already seeing repeat questions. The highest score I managed to reach was $137,790 before the panel took my money. Keep in mind however I had probably seen about a third of the questions already. Try this advergame and let me know what you think.

Getting Flushed Away

2006-10-21T14:02:00.000-07:00

The Flushed Away Undeground Adventure is an advergame that promotes the new Dreamworks movie Flushed Away. I was a little wary to start playing the game because to play you must register which, in most cases I don't like to do. However, in this case it was worth it. The adventure is actually a series of mini games in which players compete to get their name on a leader board. The registration process allows a player to leave the adventure and come back later and still be in the place where they left off. This encourages repeat visits to the game and more exposure to the movie.

In the game players have a map of an underground pipe system. Their are several points throughout the map which each represents a mini game. There are 24 games in all however, not all 24 game are available. More new game will be made available as the movie release date (November 3) gets closer. This encourages players to keep checking the games site to see if any new games are available to be played.

I was especially impressed with the quality of the games. The characters in the game are the characters from the game. They look and move just as good as the animations in the movie. Of the games I have played so far, all of them have different levels to encourage gamers to keep playing. After every game you play you receive "bubbles" in your "think tank." After popping each bubble a letter will appear eventually revealing some secret message.

A different company sposonrs each game. Among the games' sponsors are Sara Lee, Kohl's, and AOL. Those who complete the game are entered to win into a sweepstakes. Prizes for the sweepstakes include a trip to Hawaii, $5,000 shopping spree, and a flat screen TV.

M&Ms, bringing together dark chocolate and dark movies

2006-10-14T15:12:00.000-07:00

If you're like me and love movies and movie trivia, then you'll surely love M&M'S Dark Chocolate Presents 50 dark Movies, Hidden In a Painting. I found the game on an October 10th Adverblog posting. The "gameboard" is a painting (according to Adverblog it is fashioned after Rembrandt's work) that depict 50 different scenes that are supposed to represent a horror movie. Players click on a scene and try and guess which movie it is supposed to be representing. Players may take as long as they like, but only the best times are posted on the "Wall of Fame"

The release date of this game could not have been timed more perfectly. With Halloween on the way people are sure to be watching more horror movies and therefore this type of film genre would be more relevant to the player. The product is also relevant to the player this time of year. With trick-or-treating right around the corner, I wouldn't be surprised if M&M'S Dark Chocolate did very well in sales for the month of October.

Kudos to M&M'S for making a not only relevant but entertaing game. I was impressed as to the stickiness of the games. There were some clues that were easy and I got right away, but there were others that took me 10 to 15 minutes to figure out and I still have about half of the scenes to figure out. There were even some scenes on there that I just made a guess and still got it right. For instance, has anyone ever heard of a movie called Eraserhead? I was also liked how the game included the talking cartoon M&M'S from television commercials.

I hope some of you bloggers out there will try this game, mainly because I need some help on some of the scenes. I can't figure out what movie the giant bug in the jar at the bottom of the painting is supposed to be. Also the three children dancing in a circle, what's that? Anyway, there are a bunch more I can't figure out. Check out the game and let me know some of the ones you're having trouble with.

Wrigley's Candystand... sweet!

2006-10-10T21:19:00.000-07:00

I was talking about advergames with a friend and he mentioned Wrigleys Candystand. Candystand is a lot like rcade.com, which I wrote about in an earlier blog. The website is organized into different categories (sports, arcade, card games, puzzles, multiplayer game) from which players select from a different number of games. The website gives users the option of becoming a member Candystand. One feature of being a member is that the "Trophy Case" in which players can earn a trophy for being successful at Candystand and keep track of their progress.

One of my favorite features of Candystand is its Prize section. Here players can enter to win prizes. Players can enter into sweepstakes where they can enter and win prizes like a laptop, a high definition television, or $25,000. Players can also enter contests in which they actually play Candystand games to in order win prizes. Prizes top scorers can win are a Playstation 2 Console, a set of speakers, and racing wheel for videogames. Players can also challenge their friends in private high-score contest of the game of their choice.

When I first got to the website, I was skeptical because the website is run by Wrigleys. I was soon proven wrong when I actually played some of the games. Most of them were actually really fun. Almost all of them have different levels that encourage gamers to keep playing until they experience each one. The graphic and appearance of all of the games were excellent and they all loaded onto my computer without any problems.

From a marketer's prospective, I was impressed with how Wrigleys handle the site. They made it very clear that they run the website and that all of the games will incorporate a Wrigleys brand in one way or another. The incorporation of the brand into the game was excellent. For example, a racing game might have players run into giant Lifesavers Candy to earn extra points and/or the track and players are sponsored by Starbursts or Skittles. All and all I'd say that Wrigleys hit the mark with Candystand. The games are actually fun and the website is designed to keep players coming back, and at the same time Wrigleys gets their advertising message across.

Going Ape with Pringles and King Kong

2006-10-07T14:04:00.000-07:00

I wanted to play an advergame that is designed to promote a movie. While reading this article on The Hollywood Reporter I found just what I was looking for. King Kong Jump was released to promote the 2005 feature film, King Kong. The game not only promotes the movie but it also promotes Pringles. Players must jump over cans of Pringles that are being rolled at them by King Kong himself. Not surprisingly, the objective of the game is to save the girl who has been captured by Mr. Kong.

The released of the game seemed to strategic to the release of the movie. The game was released in November of 2005 right when all the previews and other promotion for the Movie has becoming heavy. The movie was released one month later in December. Players can also access the King Kong movie trailer form the King Kong Jump website adding more to the synergy between the game and the movie. Players also have the option of sending the game to their friends to help the game become virally marketed. As a gamer and a marketer, I could appreciate how Pringles interacted with the game but didn't let it over power the game main purpose.

There were a few things in the game that I thought could have been done better. First, the character of King Kong could have been much more involved in the game. In the game all he really does is stand in the background and hit his chest. One suggestion I have for the game creators is to actually show Kong rolling the cans of Pringles at the player. It would have given the game more of a man-versus-ape feel while still not over powering the game with Pringles advertising. Further more, the game could have made characters in the game reflect characters in the movie a little better. For instance, we can see the girl the King Kong has kidnapped in the game however we cannot see if it is clearly the Ann Darrow character played by Naomi Watts. Personally I would be much more motivated to play the game if I new I would be saving Ms. Watts. The same goes for the "hero" the gamers play as in the game. Why not have us play as characters from the movie like Adrien Brody's character Jack Driscoll or Jack Black's character Carl Denham?

What has Beck's Done?

2006-10-04T18:52:00.000-07:00

Recently, I read a post on Adverblog that looked at an advergame released by Beck's Beer. The game reinvents the classic game of Tetris. Adverblog didn't like the game "because the game doesn't tell anything about the product they are promoting" and because they replaced the bricks used in the orginal Tetris with chairs. I can't help but agree with Adverblog with this game being terrible.

First of all, like Adverblog said, the game says nothing about the product it's supposed to be promoting. The game is promoting Beck's Vier but I can't really see why. The only thing in the game that seems to promote the beer are a picture of of a tap with a Beck's glass under it as well as the Beck's Vier logo and what I can only assume is its slogan. There is a great lack of interactivity between the player and the product with this game.

Another thing that really bothers me about this game is the chairs. They may just be the ugliest furniture I've ever seen. One of the chairs is green and appears to be a blow chair. The other chair (that's right there's only two) is orange and reminds me of the chairs I sat at in grade school. For the life of me I can't figure out what the chairs are supposed to mean. Perhaps people who drink Beck's Vier have ugly furniture.

I also can't figure out the title of the game. There's the logo that say "Beck's Vier," but I'm pretty sure that's the product being promoted not the title. I don't think I've ever seen a game that hass put together so poorly. Beck's should take more notice of what the are attaching their name to. This game seems rushed. It looks as if Beck's was just trying to release a game for thier Beck's Vier product as fast as they could.

PSA-vergaming with the American Cancer society

2006-09-28T10:37:00.000-07:00

In my never ending search to find new and exciting advergames I stumbled across the website for Sing u larity Design. One of the websites featured games is called the Smokeou t C afe and is sponsored by the American Cancer Society (ACS). The game is based more on a PSA rather than an advertisement. In the game players fling orange wristbands at cigarettes floating around a bar type area. The more cigarettes you hit, the more points you get.

The purpose of the bands is to raise money for the ACS. In my opinion, this is a this was a great marketing decision by the ACS. By using a computer game to promote the wristbands the ACS has put a lighter spin on a very serious subject. People will get plenty of exposure to the wristbands as those are what players use to score points in the games. And the game itself doesn't stray from its main purpose, to cut down on smoking. I am also impressed that the game includes a call to action in the form of a link at the bottom of the page where users can order there own orange wristbands to help promote a smokefree environment. Smokeout Cafe also includes a link that gives smokers a list of reasons to quit, helping to drive the point of the advergame. On top of that, the game includes a link where players can send the game to a friend helping the game achieve viral marketing which in my opinion is one of the biggest reasons an advergame succeeds (but that's a whole other blog).

Smokeout Cafe conveys a very important and at times grim message. Many PSAs for television regarding the same subject try to use scare tactics or an emotional appeal. Smokeout Cafe on the other hand take a more light hearted approach. This lighthearted and clever games will be just as successful, if not more successful, then some TV PSAs, at getting people to take action and either quit smoking or at least buy some of the orange wristbands. If done cleverly, other organizations with PSA type messages could utilize the advergaming community to get their cause noticed and to get people to take action.

2006-09-26T10:59:00.000-07:00

Skyworks Technology is one of the pioneers in what it calls "the casual gaming industry." Skyworks has a relatively new website called Rcade.com. The first thing that struck my about the games on Rcade.com were that I couldn't find the advertisements inside the games which led me to wonder whether or not this was actually an advergaming site. But then it hit me, just because the advertisements aren't in the game doesn't mean they aren't there. Rcade.com advertises by including banners on its home page and on each of its games as well as the occasional pop-up. For some strange reason I liked this format. Id rather play online ping-pong while looking at a banner that is separate from the game instead of playing ping-pong while trying to figure out what table tennis and Skittles have in common.

Another feature of Rcade.com that I like was that people were able to register. Members of the website are eligible for weekly and monthly sweepstakes as well as the ability to play "Members Only" games. Member also receive an Rcade.com newsletter as well as updates. Another member feature is the concept of "badges." The more games a person plays and are successful at the more badges they win. People can post and track their badges to compare themselves to other gamers out in cyberland. I think that the membership concept is a perfect fit for Rcade.com. It encourages people to continue to play games and return to Rcade and gives them competition against other players. Having spent a considerable amount of time playing the games at Rcade.com I have no doubts that people are excited to sign up, play, and compete.

VW and Beckham Team Up

2006-09-18T07:04:00.000-07:00

I was looking through some advergames in the Adverblog archives and there was one game that caught my attention. The game is the David Beckham Academy Touran Challenge and was created in the UK. The purpose of the website is to promote Volkswagen's new mini van called the Touran. The website featured a contest in which the winner got to spend a day with David Beckham at his training camp (the competition has since been over). The website also features three mini-games. Although quite simple, the mini-games themselves impressed me. Gamers actually get to control David Beckham. The video technology actually made Beckham move right, move left, and kick the ball in sychronization with the mouse and keyboard action.

While as a gamer I was impressed with the Touran Challenge. As an advertiser, I was a little confused. The Touran, being a mini-van, seems that its target market would be mothers, whereas this website seems to be geared towards kids around the age of 10 to 15. Perhaps it is because I am not well informed about the English market but I wouldn't think most mothers would be interested in spending a day training with David Beckham or playing online computer soccer games. As each game is loading a feature (like air conditioning and traction control) of the Touran is displayed. I can't see very many kids who are playing this game who would tell their moms about the Touran's great anti-locking break systems.

I read this article about VW and Beckham's partnership. The overall partnership has good intentions in that it supports "a series of initiatives designed to promote out-of-school sports activities for children, while encouraging parents to take an active role in the development of their childrenÂs sporting aspirations." It also makes sense for the most part in that "Volkswagen hopes to give children of any ability the opportunity to participate in and train at The David Beckham Academy" by providing free transportation to school children to the academy. I am however skeptical about the effectivenesss of the partnerships advergames, and specifically who the games are targeting.

Incorporating products into advergames

2006-09-12T16:42:00.000-07:00

I spent the afternoon playing some advergames at the Blockdot. I played most of the featured games on the websites homepage and although they were all somewhat entertaining there was one big difference between the “good” advergames and the “bad” advergames. In the good games participants actually used the product that the company is advertising in the games whereas in the bad games it seemed like the advertising company is just sponsoring the game, the product isn’t even used as part of the game.

My two favorite games that I played on Blockdot are the M&M’s Flip the Mix and Omaha Steaks Presents Chef Toss. The M&M games probably does the best job in incorporating its product into the game. Players must align actual M&Ms into rows or columns of three or more on a grid, once aligned the M&Ms o alike color disappear and new randomly colored M&Ms take their place. While the game is simple enough the constant grid changing candy-covered chocolates is constant and fun reminder to eat M&Ms. A word of warning though, playing this game may result in consuming a copious amount of M&Ms.

Omaha Steaks Presents Chef Toss is good but not quite as effective as the M&M game. The game takes place at a barbeque in which the chef must toss Omaha meat products to guests while avoid pesky animals trying to get a taste. While the animation in the game is amusing, the game could do a better job of identifying the meat products as Omaha Steaks instead of using simple drawings. This would reinforce the company name and in turn improve brand recognition and awareness.

Probably the worst game I played at Blackdot was K.T.’s Impossi-bubble Adventure. Perhaps the games fault lies with its sponsor, Kotex. How do you make a game about tampons? Luckily the game didn’t feature any feminine hygiene products, which in my opinion, defeats the purpose. While I do appreciate Kotex trying to branch into new advertising avenues with an advergame, I don’t think that it’s the right way to go for that particular product. The games plot is about a young girl, K.T, who is trying to get back her journal in some sort of bubble that was stolen by here evil little bother. Maybe its because I am not of the female gender but I cannot figure out how this game promotes Kotex. If you can figure it out please let me know.

If you’d like to play these games or any other games at Blackdot go to http://games.blackdot.com and tell me what your opinions are.

Happy Advergaming.

We have lift off...

2006-09-10T14:56:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to my first blog. As you may or may not have figured out by now this particular blog is about advergaming. From what I can tell most people associate advergames with little computer games on the internet that promote a certain company or product. However, I think advergaming goes back farther than that. For example, do you remember playing the little games on the back of cereal boxes? In a sense those games accomplish the same goal as online advergames, which is to prolonged exposure to a product or company, ultimatly increasing brand recognition. Despite this, I plan on using most of my future posts talking about online advergames although I am always interested in learning about new and innovative non-internet advergames.

Currently, my favorite place to find advergames is www.addictinggames.com. While not all of its games are advertisements, like the URL suggests all the games are addicting. Etnies has a great game on the website called Downhill Jam. The game speaks directly to a target market and creativly incorporates Etnies products into the games. Don't believe me? Play Downhill Jam yourself by clicking here.