Advertising to Be Incorporated Into Virtually All Video Games in the Near Future

“Due to the soaring costs of developing video games, the tremendous reach of video games, extended exposure to ads when playing video games, and integration with on-line commerce, advergaming will be a common fixture in video games,” said David Wanetick, Managing Director of The Wall Street Transcript.

While consumers actively try to block advertising with tools such as spam filters, pop-up blockers, the mute button and digital video recorders, there are sound reasons for consumers’ receptivity to advergaming. One reason is that the appearance of corporate logos makes video games appear more realistic. For instance, gamers who drive through virtual towns in which signs for Coca-Cola and Nike appear have a more realistic experience that they would if the signs merely advertised Soda and Shoes.

Another driver of advergaming is its tight integration with commerce. For example, some advergaming companies have arranged agreements with pizza chains whereby gamers can simply click on a banner to have their favorite pizza delivered to them without interrupting game play.

Mr. Wanetick said, “Advergaming is clearly on a rapid growth trajectory as it is projected to generate $4 billion in revenues by the end of 2008. We are delighted to provide two forums in which advergaming will be discussed by the nation’s foremost practitioners.”

About these Conferences:
The Wall Street Transcript is running its Profiting in the Video Game Economy Conference in New York City on February 16. In addition to Advergaming, this conference will discuss issues such as the Overall Direction of Video Games; Considerations for Investing in the Video Game Economy; The Impact of Hollywood on Video Games; Wireless Gaming and Multimedia; Casual Games; Overview of Machinima; The Convergence of Video Games and Comic Books; and, Legal Issues Impacting Video Games.

The Wall Street Transcript is running its Igniting Buzz Conference: Maximizing Returns on Word of Mouth Marketing Campaigns in San Francisco on February 27. In addition to Advergaming, this conference will discuss issues such as Best Practices for Seeding Buzz; Controlling Buzz; Case Studies for Creating Traditional Buzz; Case Studies for Strategizing, Developing and Executing Viral Marketing Campaigns; Creating Buzz through Blogs; Creating Buzz Through Interactive Online Campaigns and Podcasts; Best Practices for Using Social Media Tools to Achieve Buzz; and The Legal Limits of Seeding Buzz.

Further information about these conferences is available at http://www.twst.com/conferences.