Avatar-Based Marketing

hempman writes "This article (which I wrote!) from the current issue of Harvared Business Review offers a new perspective on marketing real-world products in virtual worlds to virtual consumers with the aim of generating real-world revenue. It examines the frontier of marketing. Although companies are beginning to see the potential of marketing in 3D games and virtual worlds, it's important that they think not just about the 'where' of this new market but also about the 'who.' That is, when marketing in virtual worlds, do you target the flesh-and-blood user who controls the real-world wallet? Or do you target the wallet-wielding consumer's avatar, which likely represents a powerful but hidden aspect of his personality and could influence his purchases -- or at least provide a window into his hidden desires and preferences?"

So I Log Onto Warcraft ...

[eldavojohn]

Only to be prompted with a the 1.11 patch. I wait for it to install and then get into the game with my level 55 priest. I summon my undead horse but for some reason it's no longer called an undead horse, it's an "Undead Ford Mustang." Oh well, I can live with small changes to make my game cheaper.

I ride out of town and instantly am killed by a level 60 alliance rogue. Wait a minute, was he wearing a Starter jacket? And for some reason, instead of scrambling everything he's trying to say to me, he's just repeating "Do the Dew! To the EXTREME! etc."

My priest trainer is no longer a priest trainer but instead a "Scientologist Enlightener" that offers me an application for Scientology. Well, those high in-game ad bidders should make this game free, right?

I suddenly realize I'm no longer using Traveler's Backpacks but instead have "Jansport Bookbags." My alt's Boots of Swiftness are now "Nike Airs." In certain instances, you don't kill monsters, you kill Democrats and Ragnaros has been replaced with Hillary Clinton.

My chracter's rings have all been renamed "Stones of Jostens (GooooOOO Jostens!)" and everytime I disembark from a zeppelin or boat, the goblin tells me "Thank you for floating United Airlines!" and I realize why "ted" is painted all over the boats. My engineer can now make T-mobile phones for players with personalized ring tones because they're too annoying to be contained only in real life so let's add them to the virtual world!

I no longer "mail" items but instead have to visit the Fedex shop in major cities and stand in long lines. Oh, and when I get the mail, a huge AOL symbol appears on my screen with the "You've Got Mail" soundbite. And I no longer have a repair bill as long as I purchase my AllState equipment insurance at the bank in each city.

What's going on!? Well, at least the log-in server is stable ... right? Then again, it doesn't really matter how stable it is if everyone stops using it.

So ... tell me why this is a good thing again?

I once read an article on how to market to everyone--even poor people--by selecting key traits of their demographics. It's essentially profiling a user of an already existing product and identifying them as a key possible consumer for your product. And it makes me f*cking sick to see it so far widespread that it's going to happen in freaking video games which we're probably going to end up paying for anyways. Don't try to cover up your attitude towards the rest of mankind. It's evident that you lack a soul and will stop at nothing to market a product ... whether it require you to destroy communities, communication, the environment or even a kid's gaming experience.

From the article:

Advertising has always targeted a powerful consumer alter ego: that hip, attractive, incredibly popular person just waiting to emerge (with the help of the advertised product) from an all-too-normal self.

To which I reply, you make me sick.

Seems pretty obvious

[aftk2]

You target the avatar - I mean, how could you even do it otherwise? If I'm playing a fantasy MMORPG, which am I more likely to do, for my character.

Purchase some super elite sword for a couple bucks?

or...

Purchase Pepsi, because I drink Pepsi in real life.

Now, I know this goes into more detail - who am I targetting? When I advertise the virtual items that can be purchased, am I making a commercial that might appeal to me as a person, or my Half-Elf as a character? Or something. I think the obvious answer is that you simply need to communicate the value that the item has, regarding the world in which it exists. If I'm playing a fantasy game, let me know that this is a kickass sword, whether through its abilities or just its appearance. If I'm playing a social game online, let me know that these virtual flowers might just woo the avatar of some woman with whom I'm playing. Communicate the purpose of the items in question, and I think the marketing takes care of itself.

Inevitable

[The Raven]

Games in modern settings are going to get advertising. It's just gonna happen, at least to some of them. However, games that are not in modern settings won't. Also, very simple. No idiot is gonna put a Nike in WoW or a Ford ad in System Shock. In games within their own alternate universe, it makes no sense to advertise, because it would only annoy. Games set in the real world are the market for this type of advertising. Historical games might go for historical ads... I wouldn't mind seeing an old Coca Cola sign on a shop set in WWII. Nor would I mind seeing a Ford ad on a billboard.

My only request is that the ad art be distressed to match the environment. This means that (for example) a billboard ad should have some stains on it. A poster on a wall should have water marks, dirt and grime (if that fits the setting at least). In other words, the ad should not look artificially clean so that it looks out of place. In a clean settings, sure... but in a realistic setting, with graffiti, grimy walls, etc, it looks ugly when the ad itself is artificially clean like a browser popup ad.

Summary: Fantasy ads bad, so they won't happen. Realistic ads fine, and we definitely will. Even historical ads are ok, if historical ad content is used (or historical LOOKING ads). And ads should fit the environment, via dirt/damage decals.

Raven

Probably a dead end

[Animats]

I suspect this concept will hit the "excessively annoying" level before it hits the "profitable" level. There [there.com] tried this; you could pay real money to buy branded clothing for your avatar. It was a flop.

Next bad advertising idea: discount widescreen TV displays which, when running 4:3 format content, fill the blank screen area with ads.

(On an unrelated note, there's supposed to be a blank line between the paragraphs above, but the new, extra-complicated CSS based Web 2.0 Slashdot implementation is broken. Bulleted lists are even more broken.)

Humor, Sims, and Avatars

[WillAffleckUW]

Ok, so one of my first degrees was in Business (Marketing and Sales), and I used to design games back in the stone age.

I think that the most effective advertising online is as follows:

1. Humorous - If someone tries to sell me Coca-Cola while I'm online in say WoW, I might hate it, and In The Real World (ITRW) might even start to dislike Coke and choose Pepsi. But if they were to have the Coca-Cola symbol only it was Coca-Noca-Cola but otherwise the same, that's kind of funny, so it might give me a positive image of the real Coke, and ITRW I might buy more Coke.

2. Appropriate - If I'm in the Sims and I see something for Bank of America, I'll be miffed. But if I see the BofA logo but it's Simlish and says Banca de Sim but is the same logo, I might enjoy it and think Good Things about BofA - especially if it's an ATM I can use an interaction like "Plead for money" on.

3. Not irritating - If I'm playing a game and something pops up in the middle of a three-guild war when we're in a massive slaughterfest and it's an animated strobing ad that distracts me - I will become furious and actively boycott the MOFO who placed the ad - period. If it's a banner that looks appropriate (not sharp, fits in, does not get in the way, placed where a banner would be) that might be ok, so long as it's not animated, strobing, or otherwise wrong.

4. Avatars - and Assumptions - just because my character in say Diablo is a female assassin who likes to dress in skimpy clothes, don't assume I'm interested in: a. skimpy clothes; b. female clothes; c. birth control pills; d. poison; or e. Hamster Death Heads. Um, wait, I might be interested in Hamster Death Heads.