Advertising in games should be like advertising in porn; more of it.
Wait … What?
Before we get off on the wrong foot, let me entice you with some stats (outside of the fact that both are multi-billion dollar industries):
Gaming:
65% of all Aussies play video games of some sort
47% of us play games on mobile phones
98% of families with children have a console
Porn:
30% of worldwide internet traffic is to porn
12% of all websites are porn-related
PornHub alone saw 14.7bn visitors in 2013 (to put it in perspective, Youtube sees 1bn unique visitors each month). (Note: PornHub is a single website, visitor figures are not unique).
I’m a stat-man as much as I am a strat-man and there’s no denying those figures, which is really what got me thinking. How come we don’t see more in-game advertising, let alone any advertising in Debbie Does Dallas providing websites?
Let’s start with gaming; I’m aware of ‘next-gen’ consoles and games which now provide experiences that blur the lines between reality and fiction. My most recent encounter with GTA 5 had me thinking I was a hustler named Franklin who owned three villas, five bars and two Vinewood production houses.
It’s mind-blowing that I’m able to interact and engage with surroundings as I would in real life, but when it comes to ‘owning’ anything with real brand names I’m left with cheesy fake rip-offs. Like my custom black jeeps brand ‘Dubstat Benefactor’ that looks suspiciously similar to a Mercedes G Wagon. Snap back to reality.
But this isn’t just exclusive to GTA 5, and I could argue that games need to do a better job at creating platforms for brand integration too.
Interestingly enough, Nielsen Entertainment and Activision found that 40% of male gamers aged 13-44 declared that in-game advertising would affect their buying decision. Imagine if the clothes I bought in GTA world were existing labels and in-season products.
As for porn, Playboy has been around for decades. Brazzers production now has its own billboard in Times Square. Burger King, online food-delivery company, Eat24 and most recently the Hollywood film Don Jon have advertised on various XXX websites. It’s clearly starting to gain momentum. If only due to the fact it costs a tenth of the price compared to other sites.
Of course, I’m not suggesting all brands jump on board the funk train and get jiggy with it. However, Cindy Gallop, former US chair of advertising agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty and founder of Make Love Not Porn, recently stated that “many different brand opportunities exist; to be able to target large numbers of people in an environment that is directly relevant to both many brands and their desired audiences”. Almost as relevant as Youtube, some would argue.
This is not to imply all brands should be present, but that ones that can be, aren’t. Maybe for fear of Twitter backlash, but I thought we’re supposed to help brands move at the speed of culture? Then why are we overlooking two of the biggest cultural past time indulgences?
Maybe it’s just that though. Maybe deep down inside we’re all thinking the same thing. Thinking that games and porn are places we go to escape reality, not see another ad.
Tolga Balabaner
Strategy
MediaCom