Nielsen, Activision announce in-game ad test

Nielsen Entertainment and Activision, a leading maker of video games, announced Monday the details of an upcoming test, which will be used to develop standardized tools to measure audiences for in-game advertising.

In addition, the two companies, which partnered in April in order to develop ratings for in-game advertising, announced results of a new study among 500 Men 13 to 34, that examined the power of incorporating brand name products within the video game experience.


“I expect the Activision/Nielsen Entertainment partnership will be a milestone in media history books; the chapter on how video games became a dominant force in our culture and a magnet for advertising dollars,” said Andy Wing, CEO of Nieslen Entertainment, owned by Mediaweek parent VNU, in announcing the new alliance.

The test will be be conducted in late 2004 to early 2005 among a representative sample of active video game households and will measure consumer interaction with The Chrysler Group’s Jeep brand, which is integrated with Activision’s newly-released video game, Tony Hawk’s Underground 2.

To track how long and how often players are exposed to the Jeep brand, Nielsen will employ a watermarking technology that places an inaudible code around the Jeep brand to identify when players are exposed to it within the game. Nielsen Entertainment will also conduct pre- and post-test surveys with the sample respondents to understand their perceptions of in-game advertising and how it effects brand awareness and recall.

According to the results of the study conducted between March 19 and April, the more an ad is integrated within the video game, the greater a gamer’s ability to recall the ad; 87 percent of participants remembered seeing a highly-integrated brand more frequently than other less-integrated brands.

The ad also has the potential to increase the gamer’s interest in buying the product at a level comparable to a TV ad. About 40 percent said that the in-game ads made them more inclined to buy the advertised product.

Nearly three in 10 said that advertising in video games was more memorable than traditional TV advertising.

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