Internet advergaming: The new mantra to deliver brand message

With traditional media spaces like television and print getting increasingly cluttered, brand owners are facing a constant struggle to find ways to get their brand message noticed, understood and then acted upon by consumers. Their search for a clutter-free environment is making them turn to the Internet, and ‘advergaming’ is the latest online property that enables brands to wrap core brand messages in a gaming format.

Though the business of Internet advergaming is still small in India, pegged at Rs 2 crore per annum, the concept is fast emerging with more and more brands opting for it. But the potential of this medium is obvious when one considers that worldwide, Net advergaming is already a Rs 1,000-crore business.

It is all about creating awareness and encouraging user interactivity with the brand that is pushing marketers to this medium. Said Ravinder Zutshi, Deputy MD, Samsung Electronics India, “We are increasingly looking at the online media as a tool for directly reaching out to our target user groups for products like mobiles, note PCs and MP3 players. The interactive format of the medium not only creates interest but encourages active participation.”

Instead of a ‘push’ medium, advergaming is more of a ‘pull’ medium where consumers opt to learn about the brand by playing a game. It is a fun, non-interruptive technique, played at the consumer’s leisure. Rohit Bhandari, Director, AXN South Asia, felt that interactive creative solutions have tremendous opportunity, and AXN is “looking at integrating new age media into our overall plans”.

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