Fun and Games

By Kevin Rowe

If you're like most retailers, you're probably already familiar with the hardships of selling online. You're most likely well aware of the competitive nature of search engine optimization, the rising price of pay per click (still a great medium when optimized well), affiliate marketing nexus laws and the growing competition that comparison shopping engines are providing. Given this environment, you're also starting to understand the need to explore new options for pushing your brands and products.

Enter advergaming, a marketing channel that mixes advertising with games that's quickly becoming a major force in this adventure. Simply put, advergaming is a term used to describe games in which advertising plays a prominent role.

Here are six steps to help you produce a successful advergaming marketing venture:

1. Create a Goal That  Makes Sense
Each marketing medium has its strengths and weaknesses. Some create a high, immediate and easily measurable return on investment (e.g., AdWords), while others provide branding value (e.g., banner ads). Advergames aren't unique in this respect. They won't immediately drive a large number of visitors to your website, but they can create salience with customers and prospects and promote social interactions.

2. Find a Fitting Format
There are many types of advergame formats out there, so make sure to choose one that will help you reach your marketing goals, works with your budget and fits with your brand, product or service. Here are three options:

● Above the Line (ATL): With ATL advergaming, the advertisements are explicit and may actually be an integral part of the game. Games on company websites are an example of an ATL approach, as are games distributed for free on a disc with a company's products. This type of advergaming may include ads embedded into the game, such as ads around the edge of the screen and ads shown during transitions. A company's products may also play a role in advergaming, with players engaging directly with the products.

● Below the Line (BTL): With BTL advergaming, product promotions are cleverly embedded into games. In a car game, for example, players could pass billboards that advertise real products. Or when a player wins a level or beats the game, a company or organization might sponsor the congratulations screen.

● Through the Line (TTL): This type of advergaming isn't typically used. TTL advergames involve the use of hyperlinks within a game designed to induce players to visit a webpage that then contains BTL advertisements. The technique used to tempt players into clicking on a hyperlink varies from game to game. While these types of advergames can be useful for community building, and interactive video has seen success with in-game links, TTL advergames can easily be great or flop.

3. Think Foundation, Think Platform

Where will you put your new advergame? This is arguably the most important decision you'll make when developing your strategy. Several options to consider include the following:

a place that will give visitors a reason to come back to your site;
on gaming websites such as advergames.com, advergame.com or kongregate.com;
on YouTube if your game involves interactive video;
on Facebook for social gaming;
within emails;
in advertisements;
on CDs for publication; or
as an iPad or Android app.

4. Make it Addictive
It's certainly possible that your customers aren't avid gamers. But if they haven't played Angry Birds before, they've most likely heard of it. If they have played it, it's doubtful they've played just one level. Simply put, Angry Birds is addictive. Its short rounds, simplicity, and the desire to earn higher and higher points are luring. Create that type of user addiction with your advergame and you've got a big win on your hands.

5. Arrange Touchpoints
Now that you have a game set up, who will play it and how are they going to hear about it? Sometimes the medium will build the audience for you, but supplementing natural growth is going to increase the rate of plays. A few of your most effective options include the following:

Google paid search — be creative with your keyword selection;
email marketing campaigns to existing customers;
banner ads, particularly since contextual, behavioral and retargeting efforts can create highly targeted campaigns for an audience that's ready to use these games;
Facebook feeds, which allow you to send your advergame out to an already interactive audience; and
your current engaged Facebook and Twitter communities.

6. Was it Worth it?
Finding the right metrics to evaluate your advergaming efforts will be the key to determining whether to keep using, changing or eliminating the games. These metrics should be quantitative or qualitative, reflect your goals, and be numerous. Don't use just one metric to pass judgment. You may not generate a high number of leads, but what about Facebook "Likes"? How valuable are the impressions that you make on consumers when they visit your website, even without them making a purchase? Can an increase in return visitors to your site provide value as well? A few metrics to consider tracking include the following:

return visits;
purchases from return visitors;
conversion rates;
Facebook likes;
Twitter followers;
number of games played; and
level of brand interaction with the game.

The relationship between each of these elements should be considered in every step of your advergaming strategy development. Also consider new technologies like the iPad, and how you can use them to build or spread your advergames. The right strategy with the right technology can get the brand recognition and interaction that spending millions on advertising could not.

Kevin Rowe is senior internet marketing specialist at internet marketing firm Site-Seeker. Reach Kevin at kevinrowe@site-seeker.com.