IGA Worldwide, an in-game ad network, announced a multi-year agreement with Activision Publishing to deliver dynamic in-game advertising into multiple video game titles on Sony Computer Entertainment’s Playstation3 (PS3). The first game to feature IGA integrated ads will be “Guitar Hero World Tour,” the next installment in the best-selling franchise. To date, the Guitar Hero franchise has sold in excess of 22 million units worldwide, according to The NPD Group, Charttrack and GfK.
This landmark agreement, which also includes future Activision Publishing titles, is the second publisher deal announced by IGA since the PS3 opened its platform for in-game ads.
"Activision has one of the most impressive stables of games in the video game industry," said Justin Townsend, CEO of IGA Worldwide. "To partner with them demonstrates the appeal of in-game advertising to marketers and consumers, alike. We will be able to connect more brands with engaged users than ever before."
IGA and Activision Publishing will work in tandem to integrate the ads into the titles in a contextually relevant way. All dynamic ads can be updated in real time, allowing for campaigns to change creative without a major reprogramming effort. Ads can be targeted to a number of different demographics and offer marketers a wide variety of measurement metrics.
Buoyed by a recent Nielsen Games study highlighting the effectiveness of the medium, advertisers continue to expand into the in-game industry. The Nielsen data revealed that over 80 percent of consumers feel games were just as enjoyable with ads as without. Consumers’ positive brand attribute association increased 33 percent when viewing in-game advertisements.
