Marketing in Video Games

The Xbox 360's release brought much excitement to the video game world, and no doubt the PS3 and Nintendo Revolution will add even more fervor and money to the market in 2006. With this forum absorbing so many people--and in many ways drawing their attention away from TV--marketing and advertising people are now trying to find effective ways to access this audience and advertise in video games.

A Glut of Video Gamers

Massive, Inc. is a group that brings together advertisers and video gamers, and their research says that more than 70 percent of 18- to 34-year-old men are gamers. Their market research also shows that this group spends more time playing video games than watching TV. Massive believes that marketing and advertising will find a very successful outlet in video games and, furthermore, that this is a needed outlet to supplement television.

Fragmentation and TV: Building a Marketing Strategy to Face It

Television used to be a one-shot deal. A company could run a marketing and advertising campaign on TV and very easily hit most demographics all at once. However, television is seeing a fragmentation of their market with so many new stations. Furthermore, TiVo and DVR have given audiences a way to skip ads entirely. With the right marketing strategy, video games could represent an opportunity to recapture young male audience attention.

Marketing and an Online College Degree

If you have a strong sense of strategy and creativity, marketing is a great career for you. New technologies are driving marketing and advertising individuals to be innovative in the way they put out a message and influence people about a product. An online college degree in marketing can help you learn the fundamentals. An online college gives you the flexibility to pursue your degree on your own time. Plus, an online college can also be a great forum not just for pursuing a marketing degree, but also for exchanging ideas about these new technologies and marketing challenges.

There's no guarantee that advertising in video games will work, but then again, if you can figure out the right marketing message, your value as an employee or job-seeker could skyrocket.

Sources
Advertising in Video Games
Massive, Inc.

About the Author
James Tolles is the Managing Editor for hq|publications. He is a freelance writer and holds two B.A. degrees, one in Creative Writing and the other in History.