UK Study: In-game ads reach affluent, brand-literate young men

It's been widely reported that gamers actually quite like ads in their games. Many (65%) believe in-game ads add to the realism of a gaming environment and 55% go so far as to say ads "look cool".

by Helen Leggatt

Couple those facts with new findings from research carried out in the UK by Continental Research, on behalf of Microsoft's Massive Inc., and in-game advertising looks very appealing indeed.

The research found that brands advertising in-game are reaching affluent, brand-literate young men. Of course, it should be noted that gaming isn't necessarily a male dominated activity - around 40% of gamers are women.

In addition, the levels of engagement and long periods spent playing games had a positive impact on brand awareness and equity and, on average, ad recall was 54%.

"Whilst in-game advertising doesn't have the broad reach of TV or radio, it does have the advantage of enjoying very high levels of engagement and the ability to target young men through the many different titles available," said James Myring, Director of Media at Continental Research.

A new Screen Digest report predicts in-game ad spending will soar over the next few years, rising from 2009's $100 million to over $1 billion by 2014.

Tags: ad recall, affluent, brand awareness, engagement, in-game advertising, young men