Kotaku
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ads
Claim: In-Game Ads 'Fit' in Games, are Effective
IGA Worldwide's in the business of in-game advertising, of course, and the figures it cites are its own. But according to their research, gamers respond to ads a lot more favorably than some would believe. More »
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By Owen GoodComment by RyuuzakiBjorn: I think they're both annoying and make the same seem more real at the same time. Annoying as shit, just like... 10 Responses | Other threads
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6,474
Comment by witty name!: Makes me want a PS3 so bad... But I'm not willing to pay still (and I've already got a blu-ray) 5 Responses | Other threads
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xbox
Microsoft To Pimp Xbox Using Tabloids, Bluetooth
Microsoft UK's Xbox marketing blitz continues apace with two new fronts being opened up in the battle for Xmas console mindshare. More »
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Comment by Sparx: If Microsoft wasn't hitting the proverbial "panic button" over the past few months with the price cuts and now all... 6 Responses | Other threads
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politics
Obama Ups His In-Game Campaign Advertising
Presidential candidate and Pong fan Barack Obama has, in the past, urged parents to "turn off the television set, and put the video games away," wisely warning that electronic entertainment shouldn't be raising their kids. But Obama won't be telling potential voters to turn off their games of choice. His campaign has bought ads in nine games that accept in-game advertising, according to Boston.com. More »
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Comment by Soldier_CLE: This is downright hippocritical. Again, I have also heard his stump speeches, and have been to rallies in Ohio and New... 49 Responses | Other threads
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xbox 360
"Living Your Moment"? Still Creepy
Can't say I was much of a fan of the first "Live Your Moment" ad, the "casual" targeted slow-motion nightmare that kicks off Microsoft's new Xbox 360 holiday ad blitz. Fortunately, the next two, shot in the same vein and focusing on LEGO Batman and Xbox Live Marketplace's video download service, are simply more goofball than nightmare-inducing. The kid in the second ad spot, fresh-faced though he may be, looks like he's getting a hit of heroin off-screen, he's so delighted. More »
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Comment by Pizookie: They should just stick with the Gates & Sienfeld ads which they use for Windows. To me they're much more... 5 Responses | Other threads
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xbox 360
Microsoft Kicks Off Creepy Xbox 360 Ad Blitz
Microsoft is spending big this holiday season, trying to lure in the "casual and social" segment gamer who does not yet own an Xbox 360. They're also going after the "I like to be creeped the fuck out by hollow-headed women with death mask smiles" crowd with the first spot in the "Live Your Moment" ad campaign. More »
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Comment by xMindPrintsx: I think it's cool. . . . Actually, it's kind of happy. 4 Responses | Other threads
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marketing
Who Can Make Sense Of This PlayStation 3 Ad?
With the exception of Sony's "U R Not E" campaign and the inflicting of Saliva's godawful "Ladies and Gentlemen" upon us a countless number of times this year, we're generally fans of the PlayStation marketing machine. We even kind of liked the "This Is Living" series of non sequitors that annoyed UK gamers in 2007. That said, we're having a hard time wrapping our string of brain cells around the "Matrjoska" print ad running in Spain. More »
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Comment by taduman: I'm live in Madrid, Spain. I can tell you that the add is talking about how Xbox360 is "American", which to... 17 Responses | Other threads
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ea sports
Real Gamers In EA Sports Ads Set Up For Teasing
Now that EA Sports has begun running ads featuring real gamers promoting the titles, investment blog The Motley Fool has decided to have a little bit of fun at their expense. "Nerdy smackdowns have been bringing the funny since Napoleon Dynamite became a big-screen hit," says the site. Shudder. More »
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Comment by ceilingFANBOY: Wait, there are people who are out of high school that still think jokes about being a nerd if you... more » | Other threads
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bully: scholarship edition
Bully Ads Are A-OK With ASA
31 complaints against a TV ad for Take-Two's Bully: Scholarship Edition were dismissed by the Advertising Standards Authority. The complainants said that the ads "glorified and trivialized" bullying, but the ASA found that the ads themselves were not in violation of any standards. More »
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Comment by Captain_Sarcastic: I can't believe people are still complaining about Bully, you'd think they would find another crusade by now. more » | Other threads
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in-game advertising
IGA Study Finds People Don't Mind In-Game Ads
A landmark study conducted by Nielsen BASES and Nielsen Games on behalf of in-game advertising giant IGA Worldwide has found that not only is in-game advertising super-effective, most people don't seem to mind it. The study, titled Consumers’ Experience with In-Game Content & Brand Impact of In-Game Advertising Study, found that 82% of consumers exposed to in-game ads felt that the games were just as enjoyable with ads as they were without. More »
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By Mike FaheyComment by freespeech: @xMindPrintsx: i'm sure that day is closer than anyone would like to think!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it's like when you want to watch... more » | Other threads
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ads
PlayStation 3 Ads, Where's Waldo?
Damn you, clever advertisers! Normally I'm immune to the charms of viral marketing. But give me a dramatic, nonsensical image and throw some things to find in it and...growing...weak...must...waste...time... More »
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By Mark WilsonComment by JayD16: Square, X, triangle at the base of the girl's statue. Another set of those on the backs of ogre workers in... 1 Responses | Other threads
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money
In-Game Ads Predicted to Reach $650 Mil By 2012
According to the latest report by analyst group eMarketer, the in-game ad industry will grow to $650 million by 2012, more than doubling 2007's $295 million. eMarketer attributes the growth to the overall growth of the video game industry, with game launches overshadowing other big media events. Most recently, Halo 3 generated more in first day sales than the opening weekend of Spiderman 3 (the biggest opening weekend in history) and the first-day sales of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows (the final installment in the series). More » -
news
Sony Allowing Competition For PS3 In-Game Ads
Sony has announced that managing the PlayStation 3's dynamic in-game ads will be a farmed out proposition. Instead of controlling the ads/market by forcing publishers to buy through them (as Microsoft does with the 360 through their company Massive), Sony will be opening their platform to all three big competitors in the market: Fusion, IGA and AdScape. While this news won't matter much for us as gamers, it's great news for publishers who can only benefit from advertisers fighting over a piece of their pie in the $400 million in-game advertising market. More »
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By Mark WilsonComment by joelface: they can be REALLY annoying. i think as long as they don't take me out of the game, i won't be... more » | Other threads
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sony
Howard Stringer Not Sold On In-Game Ads
In-game advertising seems like an easy way to turn a buck, right? Wrong. While advertising is established in magazines and television, games are a great unknown. Activision Blizzard honcho Bobby Kotick says he wouldn't go in that direction himself. "It's early days," according to Kotick. Sony bossman Howard Stringer also remains unconvinced. More »
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Comment by joelface: in my opinion, videogames should not be tainted by the marketing world. that said, i loved the jet moto series, even... more » | Other threads
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deal
This Week's Best Buy and Circuit City Deals
For the five of you that haven't purchased Halo 3 yet (if you like that sort of thing that is) be sure to check out this week's Best Buy circular. From today until February 3 they are offering the hugely popular FPS for $37.99 which is a $22 savings off of the regular listed price of $59.99. More » -
ads
Scottish Government Fighting Drunk Driving With Xbox 360
The Scottish Government is worried about youth adult drunk driving. During their most recent drunk driving initiative, police caught 150 people under the age of 25 (granted, there are roughly 5 million people in Scotland, but the BBC feels the stat is important, so we're letting you know). Now Scotland is putting £10,000, or almost $20,000, behind in-game sober driving ads. They'll be popping up within online-enabled games Need for Speed: Carbon, Project Gotham Racing 4 and Pro Evolution Soccer 2008. Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson had this to say about this new campaign:It is innovative, it is new, and it is far removed from the more traditional methods we have been using. I believe that is what we need if we are to reverse the number of Scots families suffering the tragedy of a loved one being lost.
It's good to see bureaucracy tweaking their gameplan with the times. Hopefully Scotland finds their money well-spent. More »
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By Mark WilsonComment by L_K_M: They should just let them play Burnout Paradise and then explain to them how their bodies look after a crash. more » | Other threads
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overkill
Nintendo Trading Wii Ads for DS
In case you missed it, people want the Wii, there are shortages, Santa is dead and the world may end. So according to Marketing Week, Nintendo has decided to pull their UK Wii commercials in exchange for the promotion of another hot (but at least in stock) commodity, the DS. For as much as we may speculate that Nintendo must feel like they run the place by now, their marketing dollars speak differently. Because at some point Nintendo thought that they'd at some level need a holiday Wii campaign, and it's only now that they're seeing reason...or holding research proving soccer mom heartbreak can cause lasting, measurable side effects. More »
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By Mark WilsonComment by DM2: Of course the DS is out of stock in UK shops as well, so this is all pretty pointless. I... more » | Other threads
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ads
Xbox 360 Getting Video Ads?
Last Friday, Microsoft released a the comprehensive listing of changes in the newest Xbox 360 update (hit the link below for all of the technical dorkdom you can stand). Gaygamer skimmed the massive list and noticed something peculiar:Added support for Audio Mute/Unmute for video ads.
Hmm...it looks like Microsoft will be stepping up their advertising a bit. Hopefully it won't become too obnoxious, and thankfully there's a mute option. But I'm thinking that the standard setting should be to "unmute" as opposed to "mute," if you know what I mean. More »
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By Mark WilsonComment by Moonshadow101: @RaepGoblin: I think there's something wrong with your net connection. My voice quality if flawless, and I've only disconnected from... more » | Other threads
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ads
EBGames Certainly Pitches The DS In An Odd Way
"Fun for the whole family." "Nintendo's popular handheld." "Your mom can play Brain Age on it." These are all acceptable descriptions of the Nintendo DS. EBGames of Canada, however, went a different route with their sales pitchLondon, 2038. According to to legend...
This is gonna be good, hit the jump for the big, fully readable screengrab. More »
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By Mark WilsonComment by frickinharlem3: Wait a minute. What's wrong with that description? That's more or less what I tell my friends that are curious... more » | Other threads
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dealz
EA CEO: Current Pricing Model Will Soon Be Obsolete
EA's CEO John Riccitiello doesn't think that all of us suckers will pay $59 for video games forever. Just wait until someone does the math on all the money they've spent on Madden over the past 15 years. And his wife divorces him.In the next five years, we're all going to have to deal with this. In China, they're giving games away for free...People who benefit from the current model will need to embrace a new revenue model, or wait for others to disrupt.
New model, you mean, free?? No. More »
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By Mark WilsonComment by munkah: In game ads could work to the games advantage, making it more true to life. For example GTA should have... more » | Other threads
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marketing
NBC Universal Creeps Into In-Game Advertising Space
All this talk of strategic relationships between advertising entities is about as thrilling as a session of Deadly Towers on the NES, but for those who follow the invasion of in-game advertising, be aware that the NBC Universal monolith will be soon serving you content. IGA Worldwide, whose partners and clients include EA, Valve, Atari and Codemasters, have come to an agreement with the ad sales portion of the mega-entertainment company. That means you could be seeing in-game billboards for any of the conglomerate's movies, TV shows or theme parks plastered in the upcoming game of your choice. More »
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Comment by Sabre_Justice: Okay, no more long name.: I'd be fine with in-game advertising as long as all the ads were destroyable. more » | Other threads
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ads
NCSoft Signs In-Game Advertising
NCSoft has just signed a deal with in-game advertising firm Double Fusion regarding its free games Exteel and Dungeon Runners. So, yes, ads are coming. While my heart realizes that in-game ads are the devil, my head knows that companies might as well be paying to accurately depict a virtual Times Square or baseball stadium. But in a fantasy MMO like Dungeon Runners—mind you I've never played it and avoid all MMOs like a fat guy in a sleeveless tee on a mid summer day—Pepsi billboards won't assimilate quite so cleanly. Since some of the advertising is said to be "around game," hopefully players won't need to battle hordes of goblins hopped up on Vault and Pixie Stix. More »
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By Mark WilsonComment by justhesh: There is absolutely nothing wrong with in-game ads in Exteel. The game already has ads for NCSoft and fake things... more » | Other threads
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classified
British Spies, Found in Videogames
British intelligence agencies—specifically the Government Communications Headquarters—will start recruiting Xbox 360 and PC players of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent through virtual billboards. So what is this organization exactly in charge of? Spy stuff. Cool stuff. Surveillance stuff. According to an agency rep, they are looking for recruits who are:computer-savvy, technologically able, quick thinking...We find increasingly we have to use less conventional means of attracting people . . . to go beyond glossy brochures and milk-round stalls.
In short, they're looking to teabagging specialists. But before you get your hopes up, know that most of what they need are less with the knifey and more with the typey. More »
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By Mark WilsonComment by Kruel: Lol, "teabagging specialist"... I wish that was my official title. :D more » | Other threads
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our baby, grown up
Wave Racer 64 Now Has Ads for the Wii
How did we ever miss this when playing N64?? We kid. The Virtual Console version of Wave Racer 64 has had Wii and DS ads placed inside. Due to no longer holding the license, Nintendo had to cover the Kawasaki banners of old. More » -
this game brought to you by
EA Signs "Massive," Realtime Ad Deal
EA just signed a deal with Microsoft-owned advertising company Massive to put realtime, dynamic ads into five of EA's upcoming titles: Madden NFL 08 (Xbox 360, PC), NASCAR 08 (Xbox 360), NHL 08 (Xbox 360), Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 (Xbox 360, PC) and Skate (Xbox 360). More »
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By Mark WilsonComment by L_K_M: The issue I see is that some games just aren't suitable for ads. So we'll see less of those, and... more » | Other threads
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bioshock
Bioshock Ad Gallery
There's been a lot of talk about in-game advertising lately. They are annoying and ugly and in certain cases can really disrupt the feeling of the game. The creators of Bioshock have a ton of in-game advertising in their amazingly beautiful game, but in this case they aren't ads for real products. More »
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By fdemarcoComment by NickSoapdish: @excaliburps: I'd much prefer GTA doesn't get 'real ads' because the fake ones they have in are clever and funny.... more » | Other threads
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Comment by coyo7e: Oh wow those were really great, here's another vid by this guy I found: http://www.youtube.c The "BOOM Headshot" in the... more » | Other threads
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counter-strike
Ads Hit Counter-Strike
Looks like in-game advertising in Counter-Strike 1.6 has gone gold! That's right, Valve has "shipped" its previously beta-only experiment which would see increased advertising in its ultra-popular Half-Life mod. More »
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Comment by randunel: From Valve's point of view, we're just simple statistics. Who cares whether 10% or 90% complain and 15% drop out,... more » | Other threads
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Comment by DFKiller: Well this deal died a sad death - not one DF powered title hit the streets more » | Other threads
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By Mike FaheyComment by TheSL: The only things I remember Mario cooking in was Yoshi's Cookie like AlteredBeast said. There were a few examples... more » | Other threads
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Comment by Sockatume: It's not just London, it's public transport nation wide. My brother's theory: as yesterday was originally the PS3's European launch... more » | Other threads
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By brownlee2Comment by gilbertini: Maybe thy're just saying "We know who you are, buy the PS3 or we're gonna go 'chain-letter-consequence' on you. ... more » | Other threads
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By brownlee2Comment by Hangoverpiss: In regards to the old lady in the advert taking afternoon tea, its not living anymore, it's just existing. more » | Other threads
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By kotaku.comComment by zyphbear: Yes, if you read the rules it says they are in the sunday papers only (this sunday 10/23/06 is the... more » | Other threads
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sony
First North American PlayStation 3 Commercial: "The Wait" [Update]
Look, I don't want to hear any complaints about how this ad doesnt show any game footage. Or how it doesn't even show the PlayStation 3. Or that if you didn't know better, and somehow missed the final 3 seconds of footage, you'd have zero inclination this was PS3 related at all. Why? 'Cause I like it. Let me just enjoy the serenity of the black and red hued marketing chill out that is "The Wait", now showing at theatres and Web sites nationwide. If you really need to, make some cracks in the comments about how "The Wait" should really only be shown in Europe. More »
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Comment by Broni: I remember someone above me loads saying the music reminded them of Sigur Ros, it's actually the music from a... more » | Other threads
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By kotaku.comComment by Blademonkey: "Hmmm, a one sentence paragraph? It doesn't even make sense. If you're going to criticise someone do it in a... more » | Other threads
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By egaugerComment by The Commissar: EA announced a big deal on ingame advertising two weeks ago. BF2142 and Need for Speed: Carbon are the only... more » | Other threads
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